Customer Reviews

An Italian Affair

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

As short at this book was (easy to finish in two days), I found myself increasingly eager to be done with it, despite the lure of Italy (which I love) and other exotic locations. Not least of my objections was the annoying present tense, second person narrative, which only added to the sense of being a participant in a rather shallow woman's self-indulgence. (An aesthetic sense and love of la dolce vita do not in themselves add up to depth.) Nor could I be particularly sympathetic to a woman with endless leisure and money to find herself (she mentions money being tight at times, but this is obviously relative, as she can fly to London or Italy or Morocco when the whim takes her), who in her late 30s still seems to think that loveless sex is a path to happiness, or who fails to realize that(despite the lulling effects of the romantic locations)trading sexual intimacies with men she's known less than a day (as she does in Stroboli)is not only stupid but dangerous. The fact that the book masquerades as some kind of inner journey only makes it all the more sad. The characters all play the same sexual games, hurting each other in the process and seem in the end as lonely as they began. The fact that (some)Europeans play the game with more grace and, frequently, more kindness than Americans does not detract from its ultimate emptiness.

Forget Fodor's -- An Italian Affair is the best guidebook to Italy ever! I was totally mesmerized by Laura Fraser's descriptions of Italy (and beyond), its landscape, city life and food. Reading this book was just as good as being there -- and the fairy tale romance was the "cherry on top of the cherry on top of the sundae."

Written as a travel memoir, I was a bit surprised that An Italian Affair turned out to be a true story. It sounded like such a great fiction novel, so knowing this story actually happened to someone made it all the more incredible. Laura Fraser's story begins when her husband of one year dumps her for his high school sweetheart. Devastated, Laura decides to visit her friends for a therapeutical trip in Italy. Exploring one of the outer islands, Ischia, on her own one day, Laura crosses paths with her destiny. M., a dashing Frenchman, on a vacation of his own, finds Laura having breakfast in the same hotel, and from there a spectacular romantic rendez-vous ensues.

M.'s and Laura's love affair is at once sweet and nurturing, but also has magical healing powers. Since meeting M., Laura's post-divorce depression has had a back-burner storyline in her life, and through M., Laura has been able to become the independent, strong woman she thought she had lost for good. Endearing and smart, An Italian Affair is a wonderful testimony of being a woman, falling in love and getting back your life. Highly recommended for a fabulous, quick read.

Someone once said that we vacation to take a break from ourselves, but Laura Fraser's novel shows how travel can actually help us uncover who we really are. I read this memoir over the weekend and felt as if I'd gone on a brief adventure myself. Although I'm happily married, I could completely relate to the author's sense of loss and confusion post-divorce, and also to the sense of empowerment (and mild surprise) she felt as she met men who found her attractive and finally one she was interested in, too. More important, regardless of the fellas in the book, Laura Fraser stands on her own as an interesting, mature (I mean that in a good way), REAL character in this novel, absent perfect bodies or hair or clothes or the right thing to say all the time. But the book is still eminently sexy because you can easily put yourself into Ms. Fraser's well-traveled shoes. It's a quick read, a combination travelogue, love story, and girl-power piece, perfect for a little getaway of your own.

Yes, it's a travel guide that gives the reader insights to places in Italy that are not on the usual tourist stops. Actually, it's easy to understand why. I liked that. But no, I couldn't get drawn into the intent of the author for her memoir to be seen as her recovery of self by having an affair with a Frenchman. She's also a little too easily flattered by the attentions of two Italian men she bumps into in Stromboli. This book has more the tinge of a college girl's traipse through Europe than a mature woman's escape to self-discovery.

You're very interested in Italy and are planning a vaction there
in the spring. You have been reading books on Italian history
and accounts of travel in Italy. You find Laura Fraser's
book "An Italian Affair" and you think that it sounds interesting
so you order it. But when you start to read "An Italian Affair"
you find that the books is simply unreadable. The book is
written in the second person (the same tense that you wrote this
book review in). You find Ms. Fraser describing your marriage
which ended when your husband left you for another woman. But
wait, you don't have a husband. In fact, you check and
discover that you're male. The book also describes your affair
with a married Italian professor. You're surprised, because
you have not even visited Italy yet. And neither the Italian
professor or you are homosexual.

After reading a few paragraphs of this horrible book you wonder
how it ever got past the editors at Vintage. You put the book
in the library donation pile and grab another book from the
bookshelf. But before you put this whole experience behind you,
you decide to write a review on Amazon to warn other readers of
what they may find if they buy this book.

This book was great for me because the author wrote loving, detailed descriptions of the places she went, the food she ate, and the people she met. Her husband, who she thought was the love of her life, left her after only a year of marriage, in a nasty, hurtful way. She left San Francisco to spend time in Italy to distract herself from thinking about her marriage, and to avoid meeting her ex with his new wife in their old haunts. How many of us have fantisized about escaping to a beautiful place to lick our wounds in similar situations. Of course Laura was going to find an Italian man to help get her over her emotional hurt, but the man she settled on... I can't help thinking she could have done better. What bothers me is not that "M" was a married man with kids, it's that he was gross, and a user. She described him smoking stinky cigarettes and smelling like cigars. Yuk. He's a nasty arrogant middle-aged Parisian, not even a romantic young hunk. But the story of getting over a broken heart, and the romance of beautiful places, appeals to me greatly.

What can I say? I enjoyed this book. The second person style does take a little getting used to, but I liked reading about the different locales, the professor and Laura's honesty about her life. Really folks, let's not judge! Who wants to read a book about someone who is perfect? No conflict in that.

I essentially read this book in one sitting. I have been to many of the places Fraser described, and the descriptions gave me goose bumps. I respect her honesty, and would recommend this book to anyone looking for an adventure or a little romance.

I found the narrative style (using you instead of I) so annoying that I didn't bother finishing the book. This author teaches magazine writing so surely she had a good reason for using this style. Any ideas on the reasoning? By the way, I have loaned this book to friends who loved it so maybe it is just me.

Most fittingly I recently read this book on a flight from New York to Venice. As in flight entertainment it was enjoyable. The author's pain and vulnerability in the face of the collapse of her marriage is touching and honestly rendered, but I found the Professor not to be terribly appealing. The descriptions of various travel locales were wonderful, but the author's choosing to write the book in the second person was annoying and distracting.