Postcards from Italy - Another Summer Holiday Reading List
We previously took a trip to France, touring Paris, Provence and places in between. This time we are going to Italy, land of carbohydrates and scenic views. Tuscan villas, cobbled cities, heartbreak, love, loss and murderous friendships, this Italian summer holiday list has something for everyone.
The Talented Mr Ripley Patrica Highsmith
Let’s get the most obvious out of the way. Well, the most obvious would be Elena Ferrante, but I won’t bother regurgitating the synopsis of that quartet to you, although her lesser known works are still Italian and worth diving into too. Highsmith pens a classic romp; a psychopathic tale of an American con man wreaking havoc whilst on a European escapade.
The Talented Mr Ripley has been consistently in print for the last 60 years, which speaks to its timeless tale. Even if you’ve seen the film and heard the cultural references, there is something to savour in reading the story from start to finish, as Highsmith intended. A perfect holiday read for its fast paced drama, Italian cafes and late night train rides, and a healthy dose of murderous young men.
Easy Beauty Chloe Cooper Jones
Non fiction isn’t everyone’s holiday choice, but sometimes the extra headspace afforded to our minds on a break, can be the perfect time to absorb something a little different. Cooper Jones is American and her memoir spans three continents but Italy is a place she returns to again and again. Discussing her philosophy research as a scholar, her own disabled identity and experiences of motherhood, Cooper Jones deftly weaves pop culture and complex topics together.
She embarks on a research trip to Italy, to take in ancient monuments and famous artworks. Cooper Jones navigates cobbled cities in her chair and highlights the ableist infrastructure these cities have. Perhaps not a guidebook for disabled holiday makers, but a realistic reflection of travel for many.
Written originally in Italian and translated by the author herself, Jhumpa Lahari has previously won a Pulitzer for her original English language writing, but after moving to Rome, the Bengali-American writer has turned to Italian for her recent writing. Whereabouts centres the life of an unnamed middle aged Italian woman in a mundane Italian city. Much like recent releases Vladimir and a Certain Hunger, older women are taking over from sad girls, and Whereabouts makes for a refreshing addition to the trend.
Lahiri pins much of the story to geographic points of a city; on the street, by the pool, in the hotel but there are no specifics. In some ways, it could be the perfect story transferable to any Italian trip you are taking this summer.
Still Life Sarah Winman
Beginning in world war two Italy, two unlikely strangers meet in the Tuscan hills as one escapes the ravages of war and the other, is trying to protect the nation’s artistic masterpieces. The story spans multiple decades, moving from Italy, to London and back again, we follow an ensemble cast of misfits, each as charming and well developed as the next, to discover what it means to endure tragedy and grief, and remain connected to one another. In true Winman style, the characters wear their hearts on their sleeve. It is possibly too earnest for some but an uplifting read if you are looking for a romantic poolside pick,
The Land Where Lemons Grow Helena Attlee
Another non fiction choice, this time more traditional travel writing. I have smuggled many citrus fruits home from northern European holidays. There is something so delicious about those voluminous, thick skinned fruits that Sainsbury’s cannot compete with.
The Land Where Lemons Grow traces the history of the fruit, Attlee travels the length and breadth of Italy to discover blood oranges, lemons and pomelos. Although she diverts from Italy to explore other places the fruits have thrived, the prose are rooted in her present adventures, giving the reader a true feel for the many faces Italy has to offer.
A Time Outside This Time Amitava Kumar
Perhaps the most literary title on this list, a piece of fiction that begins at a writer's retreat on an Italian coastline, but swiftly moves back to America and across another ocean to India. Fair warning, discussions of the COVID-19 pandemic are part of the plot, as is Trumpian politics and Modi era governance. So if political discourse is not something you would like to indulge whilst away from your desk (no one would blame you for that) then perhaps save this read for your return, for a brief reminder of the Italian sunsets.
Kumar tackles the discourse with a deft multimedia approach that mixes newspaper cuttings, photos and documents to understand the rise in disinformation during both Trump era America, and the arrival of the pandemic. The main character is a novelist, his wife a psychologist and together they consider what is the difference between truth, lies and fiction?
