When in Rome
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- what a fun, breezy, dreamy read about the Rome in 1950s - oh and Mario Lanza's songs *
when a book ends, you hold it - think about it for a while and carry on with the day. but sometimes, when it ends, you hold onto it, let it marinate in your brain because it fluttered too many emotions and you don't know what to do with it.
I didn't expect When in Rome to be special or unique. I was expecting some cliched love story set in Rome. I was surprised by the story tho. It was a love story, sort of but it was so much more than that. We have our heroine, Serafine. The quite, dotting daughter and later loyal, caring house servent. But through her eyes and narrative, we realise that maybe Mario Lanza is the true protagonist of this book. I learnt so much about Rome from this book, really wasn't expecting to. I found out about the opera culture, the fantastic sounds of Caruso, the dorky Americanised rom-com. I felt the intimacy sitting next to fontana di trevi, the flavours of gelato on a summer day, the bustle and grandeur of Via Veneto. I loved touring Trasteverini and peaking into their lives.
The story hit differently. Her admiration and affection for Mario was just <3 I felt it. What a bittersweet feeling I had when I read the last line. Argh, thanks Ms. Pellegrino, for this book.