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Italian Memoirs #1
Хиляда дни във Венеция
Читателите на “Хиляда дни във Венеция” имат уникалната възможност
да участват в томболата на туристическа агенция “Atlas-S” и издателство “Слънце” за спечелване на екскурзия за двама до Венеция.
Изпълнена с храните и ароматите на Италия, "Хиляда дни във Венеция" е истинската история на една жена, влюбила се и в един мъж, и в един град.
Когато Фернандо забелязва Марлена в едно венецианско кафене, той вярва, че е намерил ‘единствената’. Марлена не е толкова сигурна. Разведена американска журналистка, гурме-специалист и сомелиер, Марлена пристига в Италия по работа. Вярва, че е доволна от живота си. Но няколко месеца след запознанството с Фернандо тя продава къщата си в Сейнт Луис, напуска работа, раздава повечето си вещи, взема си довиждане с двете си пораснали деца и се премества във Венеция, за да се омъжи за "непознатия", както сама нарича Фернандо.
Пристигнала там, тя похапва в миришещи на захар pasticcerie, сладкарници, разхожда се из palazzi, дворци от XVI век, ремонтира апартамента на любимия с изглед към Адриатика и подготвя сватбата си в старинна каменна църква.
Но никое щастие не се постига лесно. Фернандо не говори английски. Единственият италиански, който знае Марлена, е езикът на храната. Фернандо е сдържан, мълчалив песимист. Марлена е весела оптимистка. Слага си яркочервено червило и се облича във винтидж дрехи на Норма Камали. Той намира червилото й твърде ярко и ястията, които готви, прекалени. Това е "празнично готвене", казва той. Фернандо предпочита простички неща, а у Марлена няма нищо простичко.
“Аз съм скитница със синя филцова шапка клош, дошла във Венеция да съшие една за друга фантазиите си” – признава си авторката.
Докато тази присадила се американка научава спецификите на венецианската култура, тя ни представя честното, нерядко комично описание на двама души, всеки със своите установени навици, които са решили да бъдат заедно и да градят своя живот. Накрая Марлена показва на Фернандо как да се отпусне и да живее добре. А той й показва, че нежността действително съществува.
В книгата са включени и рецептите на Марлена де Бласи, което я прави възторжено задоволяващо "ястие".
да участват в томболата на туристическа агенция “Atlas-S” и издателство “Слънце” за спечелване на екскурзия за двама до Венеция.
Изпълнена с храните и ароматите на Италия, "Хиляда дни във Венеция" е истинската история на една жена, влюбила се и в един мъж, и в един град.
Когато Фернандо забелязва Марлена в едно венецианско кафене, той вярва, че е намерил ‘единствената’. Марлена не е толкова сигурна. Разведена американска журналистка, гурме-специалист и сомелиер, Марлена пристига в Италия по работа. Вярва, че е доволна от живота си. Но няколко месеца след запознанството с Фернандо тя продава къщата си в Сейнт Луис, напуска работа, раздава повечето си вещи, взема си довиждане с двете си пораснали деца и се премества във Венеция, за да се омъжи за "непознатия", както сама нарича Фернандо.
Пристигнала там, тя похапва в миришещи на захар pasticcerie, сладкарници, разхожда се из palazzi, дворци от XVI век, ремонтира апартамента на любимия с изглед към Адриатика и подготвя сватбата си в старинна каменна църква.
Но никое щастие не се постига лесно. Фернандо не говори английски. Единственият италиански, който знае Марлена, е езикът на храната. Фернандо е сдържан, мълчалив песимист. Марлена е весела оптимистка. Слага си яркочервено червило и се облича във винтидж дрехи на Норма Камали. Той намира червилото й твърде ярко и ястията, които готви, прекалени. Това е "празнично готвене", казва той. Фернандо предпочита простички неща, а у Марлена няма нищо простичко.
“Аз съм скитница със синя филцова шапка клош, дошла във Венеция да съшие една за друга фантазиите си” – признава си авторката.
Докато тази присадила се американка научава спецификите на венецианската култура, тя ни представя честното, нерядко комично описание на двама души, всеки със своите установени навици, които са решили да бъдат заедно и да градят своя живот. Накрая Марлена показва на Фернандо как да се отпусне и да живее добре. А той й показва, че нежността действително съществува.
В книгата са включени и рецептите на Марлена де Бласи, което я прави възторжено задоволяващо "ястие".
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 838 reviews
September 13, 2012
Oh brother.
A friend gave me this book before my last trip to Italy. She likes this sort of book, dripping with overly dramatic and very unrealistic romanticism. Complete with Dianphanous gowns and melodramatic gestures.
If I hadn't found it funny, I would have never finished it.
The story is yet another one of a woman who has undergone "dramatic changes" in her life and runs to Italy to find herself. Are you still awake? Sorry I dozed off for a moment there.
In Venice she meets a lonely Italian banker who pursues her in his shy, awkward, yet endearing way until she finally succumbs to his charms. The end.
The author, much like that silly woman who allegedly ate, prayed and loved her way around the globe in dire poverty doesn't even have a nodding acquaintance with hardship or hard times. Sorry, leaving your husband because you're bored doesn't count. Boo hoo. But she knows her adjectives. And her adverbs. So many in fact that I think she holds the record for overuse in one volume.
If you want something to read in the bathtub, go for it. The pages will come in handy in the bathroom later.
A friend gave me this book before my last trip to Italy. She likes this sort of book, dripping with overly dramatic and very unrealistic romanticism. Complete with Dianphanous gowns and melodramatic gestures.
If I hadn't found it funny, I would have never finished it.
The story is yet another one of a woman who has undergone "dramatic changes" in her life and runs to Italy to find herself. Are you still awake? Sorry I dozed off for a moment there.
In Venice she meets a lonely Italian banker who pursues her in his shy, awkward, yet endearing way until she finally succumbs to his charms. The end.
The author, much like that silly woman who allegedly ate, prayed and loved her way around the globe in dire poverty doesn't even have a nodding acquaintance with hardship or hard times. Sorry, leaving your husband because you're bored doesn't count. Boo hoo. But she knows her adjectives. And her adverbs. So many in fact that I think she holds the record for overuse in one volume.
If you want something to read in the bathtub, go for it. The pages will come in handy in the bathroom later.
December 24, 2022
I'm feeling generous with 4 Stars. To be fair, I would give it 3.5. This is a beautifully written narrative of life in Venice. It’s a tiny bit flowery with the romance, at least for me, but it still remains sweet. The food descriptions are incredible. The author is a chef who not only loves food, but also life. She's included recipes. I always enjoy books that weave recipes into the stories. I assume that others in the series will have recipes also.
July 20, 2017
"Venice is all our fantasies. Water, light, color, perfume, escape, disguise, license are gold spun and stitched into the skirts she trails across her stones by day and spreads over her lagoon in the never-quite-blackness of her nights."
A short book of love, travel, food, and chance encounters.
de Blasi has traveled to Venice many times, and on one of her trips, the day she is scheduled to leave, she meets Fernando, a Venetian who correctly identifies her as a woman he saw during her previous trip (he was too shy to introduce himself then). Not wanting the moment to pass again Fernando asks her to dinner and proclaims his strong connection to her. Fast forward just a few months and de Blasi has sold her home in St. Louis, moved to Venice, and she and Fernando are engaged (according to my Google search they're stil married).
This is the type of book to read if you want a diversion and like stories about food, architecture, love, and people who have made dramatic changes in their lives. This is a book with a lot of passion (not anything R-rated, but zest for life and living it to the fullest).
The book gets 3 stars because the writing itself wavers between zest and filler.
A short book of love, travel, food, and chance encounters.
de Blasi has traveled to Venice many times, and on one of her trips, the day she is scheduled to leave, she meets Fernando, a Venetian who correctly identifies her as a woman he saw during her previous trip (he was too shy to introduce himself then). Not wanting the moment to pass again Fernando asks her to dinner and proclaims his strong connection to her. Fast forward just a few months and de Blasi has sold her home in St. Louis, moved to Venice, and she and Fernando are engaged (according to my Google search they're stil married).
This is the type of book to read if you want a diversion and like stories about food, architecture, love, and people who have made dramatic changes in their lives. This is a book with a lot of passion (not anything R-rated, but zest for life and living it to the fullest).
The book gets 3 stars because the writing itself wavers between zest and filler.
September 25, 2010
As I have said before there is just something about travel books that draws me in. Ever since I read A Year in Provence I was hooked on the genre. A couple of months ago I read A Thousand Days in Tuscany. Not far into the book I realized that Venice came before Tuscany and I had missed how our lovely couple met and moved to Tuscany. I'm a stickler for reading series in the correct order so I was disturbed that I was going to have to go backward and the story would be ruined. The way de Blasi writes proved that this was not going to be a problem at all. The history of Venice from de Blasi's perspective was very romantic and made the book enjoyable. I look forward to seeing where these two lovebirds settle down next!
November 7, 2020
The author tells her tale of meeting her husband and moving to Venice. It's a fairytale that romances the process of adapting to a new country. Marlena meets Fernando hours before her flight is scheduled to depart. He follows her back to the US. The only point really shared about his visit to St Louis is that she got the flu while he's there. She decides to sell her newly refurbished home and marry him in Italy. The reader is not given any details on the connection between the two. Frankly, Fernando came off as a bit of a dolt.
While there are a few annoyances Marlena encounters for the most part she adapts wonderfully to Italy. Everything is rainbows and lollipops. The writing is dripping in exaggerated prose, "the market seemed a tiny kingdom in the sky."
"I'm Venetian as much as if I were born here. I'm Venetian, Fernando. I'm more Venetian than you," she tells her husband at the end of her thousand nights in Venice. What a crock of crap! I've lived in Italy for 11 years and the thought of telling any Italian I know the culture better than a native is unthinkable.
There is nothing realistic about this book. It perpetuates the myth that Italy is a magical land and the reason why some people are disappointed once the reality is experienced. Italy has countless things are wonderful, but there many problems as well. A balanced perspective would have been welcomed.
While there are a few annoyances Marlena encounters for the most part she adapts wonderfully to Italy. Everything is rainbows and lollipops. The writing is dripping in exaggerated prose, "the market seemed a tiny kingdom in the sky."
"I'm Venetian as much as if I were born here. I'm Venetian, Fernando. I'm more Venetian than you," she tells her husband at the end of her thousand nights in Venice. What a crock of crap! I've lived in Italy for 11 years and the thought of telling any Italian I know the culture better than a native is unthinkable.
There is nothing realistic about this book. It perpetuates the myth that Italy is a magical land and the reason why some people are disappointed once the reality is experienced. Italy has countless things are wonderful, but there many problems as well. A balanced perspective would have been welcomed.
May 8, 2007
This book had a few enjoyable moments, but unfortunately, the dull moments lasted longer. In a nutshell, the book is about a middle-aged Midwestern woman who travels to Venice, meets an Italian man who she spends a couple of days with, then he goes to visit her in St. Louis for two weeks, then she gives up her entire life to move to Venice to marry him. There have been a couple of sequels, so I know this couple are still together, but I don't think I'll bother reading any other books by this author. This book just didn't capture my curiosity to know what happened next.
November 16, 2011
I was hesitant whether this would be good or not (to me, a memoir is only good if the author has an interesting story to tell, or if they can tell that story in an interesting manner) -- but three things intrigued me: 1) It's about love and chance encounters 2) It's about travel 3) Specifically, it's about Venice, Italy.
Overall, I wasn't disappointed. Turns out, the author did have an interesting story to tell, and she told it in a mostly interesting manner. I found some of it to be pretty unbelievable -- that a modern, successful woman would just up and leave everything she had and knew in America (friends, family, businesses) to move to Italy to marry a man she hardly knew (literally, had only spent a handful of days with him). However, I guess that's the romantic part of it - that totally unfathomable piece that some people may dream of - that makes it interesting. I can actually relate somewhat, as I met a Greek man while I was on vacation in Athens a few years ago, and had an almost similar experience. The difference being that after a year of 'being together' (as much as can be possible with a trans-oceanic relationship), I realized that it wasn't meant to be. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I had followed through with the relationship. Kudos to the author of this book for throwing caution to the wind and giving it a shot. Whether she was crazy, carefree, or just brave and willing to take chances, who knows -- but what a wonderful experience she seemed to have.
I enjoyed reading about Venice itself, as well. It's a magical city and reading this book reminds me that I really want to revisit the city and discover more that it has to offer. It was interesting to see the city through the eyes of an American who has been transplanted there and who has to try and weave herself into the threads of the culture. I also had to laugh at some of the roadblocks she encountered as far as fitting in with the Venetians and their culture and customs, or the bureaucracy in Italy, or just the differences in life between America and Italy. I suppose some people would also enjoy all the references to food (and the recipes in the back), but that didn't really interest me.
All in all, a quick, enjoyable read.
Overall, I wasn't disappointed. Turns out, the author did have an interesting story to tell, and she told it in a mostly interesting manner. I found some of it to be pretty unbelievable -- that a modern, successful woman would just up and leave everything she had and knew in America (friends, family, businesses) to move to Italy to marry a man she hardly knew (literally, had only spent a handful of days with him). However, I guess that's the romantic part of it - that totally unfathomable piece that some people may dream of - that makes it interesting. I can actually relate somewhat, as I met a Greek man while I was on vacation in Athens a few years ago, and had an almost similar experience. The difference being that after a year of 'being together' (as much as can be possible with a trans-oceanic relationship), I realized that it wasn't meant to be. Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I had followed through with the relationship. Kudos to the author of this book for throwing caution to the wind and giving it a shot. Whether she was crazy, carefree, or just brave and willing to take chances, who knows -- but what a wonderful experience she seemed to have.
I enjoyed reading about Venice itself, as well. It's a magical city and reading this book reminds me that I really want to revisit the city and discover more that it has to offer. It was interesting to see the city through the eyes of an American who has been transplanted there and who has to try and weave herself into the threads of the culture. I also had to laugh at some of the roadblocks she encountered as far as fitting in with the Venetians and their culture and customs, or the bureaucracy in Italy, or just the differences in life between America and Italy. I suppose some people would also enjoy all the references to food (and the recipes in the back), but that didn't really interest me.
All in all, a quick, enjoyable read.
October 29, 2013
I think I have discovered that memoirs must not be my cup of tea. The authors are just so full of themselves. I guess they'd have to be or they wouldn't be writing about themselves. This author is incredibly full of herself. She lost me when she moved into apartment in Venice and covered her dining room table with damask tied at the bottom to the legs. She said something like she's all about the textiles. Really? Is that the most important thing in your life? Textiles?
The author meets her future husband while on vacation in Venice. After spending three hours, that's right three hours, with him, he flies out to meet her in her home of St. Louis. With that short amount of time they decide to get married. She sells everything, house included, and moves to Venice. His apartment is not up to her standards so she renovates in much detail.
Here's another thing that got on my nerves. She doesn't write St. Louis like the rest of the world. It's Saint Louis. I know that's petty but it just seemed like an affectation. She also goes on and on about her husband's blueberry eyes. She can't get enough of that phrase.OK, we get it. You like to cook and he has blueberry eyes. Aren't you clever?
This is a cross between "Under the Tuscan Skies" and "Eat Pray Love" and I would have liked it if the author was a little less into herself. Maybe I should just give up memoirs.
The author meets her future husband while on vacation in Venice. After spending three hours, that's right three hours, with him, he flies out to meet her in her home of St. Louis. With that short amount of time they decide to get married. She sells everything, house included, and moves to Venice. His apartment is not up to her standards so she renovates in much detail.
Here's another thing that got on my nerves. She doesn't write St. Louis like the rest of the world. It's Saint Louis. I know that's petty but it just seemed like an affectation. She also goes on and on about her husband's blueberry eyes. She can't get enough of that phrase.OK, we get it. You like to cook and he has blueberry eyes. Aren't you clever?
This is a cross between "Under the Tuscan Skies" and "Eat Pray Love" and I would have liked it if the author was a little less into herself. Maybe I should just give up memoirs.
February 17, 2023
Книгата не ми допадна в сравнение с предната "Лято в Сицилия". Трудно ми вървеше, на моменти чета и не мога да разбера какво чета. Иначе обичам книги за пътешествия, но тази не ме увлече.
Тук авторката разказва как е срещнала италианец от Венеция, който се влюбва в нея и ѝ предлага брак. Двамата са вече на средна възраст, тя има две големи деца от предния брак. Марлена се мести в Италия и споделя за трудностите, които е имала, за да сключи брак с чужденец, за характера на италианците, за храната, хората, как се случват нещата в тази чужда за нея държава. На моменти имах чувството, че прозира превъзходството ѝ над италианците и начина им на живот. Една американка, която се мисли за малко повече от тях. Добре че не беше през цялото време, но останах с такова впечатление, поради няколко причини: описва бюрокрацията, намръщените хора, това, че няма разнообразни стоки по нейния вкус, а съпруга си нарича постоянно Непознатия в книгата, дори и след три години брак.
Все пак се разходих из Италия, научих някои неща за Венеция и италианците. Частите с пътеписните описания бяха добре описани и интересни. Накрая на книгата има рецепти, които може да се пробват.
Тук авторката разказва как е срещнала италианец от Венеция, който се влюбва в нея и ѝ предлага брак. Двамата са вече на средна възраст, тя има две големи деца от предния брак. Марлена се мести в Италия и споделя за трудностите, които е имала, за да сключи брак с чужденец, за характера на италианците, за храната, хората, как се случват нещата в тази чужда за нея държава. На моменти имах чувството, че прозира превъзходството ѝ над италианците и начина им на живот. Една американка, която се мисли за малко повече от тях. Добре че не беше през цялото време, но останах с такова впечатление, поради няколко причини: описва бюрокрацията, намръщените хора, това, че няма разнообразни стоки по нейния вкус, а съпруга си нарича постоянно Непознатия в книгата, дори и след три години брак.
Все пак се разходих из Италия, научих някои неща за Венеция и италианците. Частите с пътеписните описания бяха добре описани и интересни. Накрая на книгата има рецепти, които може да се пробват.
January 13, 2009
What an odd combination of feelings and thoughts I had reading this book. First of all, nostalgia, both for Venice (you'd have to be dead or totally unromantic to not be wistful about Venice) and St Louis, where I used to live. When Marlena talks about Balabans, I heaved a sign, remembering all the great times and meals I had at the restaurant with friends and loved ones. When she mentioned Forest Park, I escaped back to the multitude of memories I have of that wonderful place, that was just mere footsteps from a flat I had in Uni and Nursing School.
I actually experienced house lust, reading about her place in St Louis. It sounds like just the kind of house mr czuk and I would love to make into a czuk home, descending shades of terra cotta and all.
And the food-- the food she talked about was wonderful. I hadn't realized there were recipes in the back until the very end. While some are a bit more gourmet than I am willing to go (especially for some of the ingredients) there are a couple I am going to copy out to try.
Love at first site? Been there, done that, still happy. But I rose in love with another American, and didn't give up my world to become immersed in one half a world and another language away. Good thing love isn't a competition!
I loved the titles of her chapters, and how they were actual phrases in each chapter. "Signora, the Telephone is for You", "I knew a Woman, I Knew a Man, "That Lush Moment Just Before Ripeness".--that she called her love "the Stranger" and descriped his "blueberry eyes". Little phrases too, like "Why can't Destiny announce itself, be a twelve headed ass, wear purple trousers, a name tag, even? All I know is that I don't fall in love, neither at first sight or at half-sight, neither easily nor over time. My heart is rusty from the old pinions that hold it shut."
Another one:
"Living as a couple never means that each gets half. You must take turns at giving more than getting."
I can't say I adored this book, but it definitely had its moments of delight. I am giving it an 4 for those moments. I recently came upon the sequel to this book that takes place in Tuscany. It's on my TBR pile.
I actually experienced house lust, reading about her place in St Louis. It sounds like just the kind of house mr czuk and I would love to make into a czuk home, descending shades of terra cotta and all.
And the food-- the food she talked about was wonderful. I hadn't realized there were recipes in the back until the very end. While some are a bit more gourmet than I am willing to go (especially for some of the ingredients) there are a couple I am going to copy out to try.
Love at first site? Been there, done that, still happy. But I rose in love with another American, and didn't give up my world to become immersed in one half a world and another language away. Good thing love isn't a competition!
I loved the titles of her chapters, and how they were actual phrases in each chapter. "Signora, the Telephone is for You", "I knew a Woman, I Knew a Man, "That Lush Moment Just Before Ripeness".--that she called her love "the Stranger" and descriped his "blueberry eyes". Little phrases too, like "Why can't Destiny announce itself, be a twelve headed ass, wear purple trousers, a name tag, even? All I know is that I don't fall in love, neither at first sight or at half-sight, neither easily nor over time. My heart is rusty from the old pinions that hold it shut."
Another one:
"Living as a couple never means that each gets half. You must take turns at giving more than getting."
I can't say I adored this book, but it definitely had its moments of delight. I am giving it an 4 for those moments. I recently came upon the sequel to this book that takes place in Tuscany. It's on my TBR pile.
June 25, 2016
In November 1993 the author arrived in Venice with two friends in tow. As they lunched at a small local place, she noticed a table of four men seated nearby. After all the other patrons had left and she and her friends were alone in the restaurant, the waiter approached and said there was a telephone call for her. “Not possible,” she answered. They had only just arrived that morning and had not yet notified their friends where they were, surely they hadn’t told anyone where they were going for lunch! But the waiter insisted and she went to the phone, to hear a “deep, deliberate, Italian voice I’d never heard before” ask – Is it possible for you to meet me tomorrow at the same time? It’s very important for me.
She resisted for several days, but he kept finding her. And when she returned to St Louis, there he was two days later - come across the ocean to insist she return with him to Venice. He was “tired of waiting” for his life to begin, for joy and love to come to him.
This is a delicious memoir of a love that surprised these two middle-aged people – a Venetian banker and an American journalist (and chef). I am smiling thinking about it. I kept reading passages aloud to anyone who would listen (and even a few who didn’t want to listen). De Blasi is not only in love with Fernando (“the stranger”), she is in love with Venice. No, she is in love with life, and she imbues her writing with that love. Is it all smooth sailing? Of course not. He lives, and prefers, a Spartan life – simple, small meals, a functional but uninspired and colorless apartment. She is vibrant, wearing “too-red” lipstick, and wanting to surround herself in rich fabrics and deep colors. And, she is a chef – she loves to cook large elaborate meals, to nurture people. Oh, and she isn’t fluent in Italian, much less the Venetian dialect, and he doesn’t speak English. And yet … She held tight to her friend’s advice: “Take it in your hands and hold tight to this love. If it comes, it comes only once.”
Read this. And enjoy life!
She resisted for several days, but he kept finding her. And when she returned to St Louis, there he was two days later - come across the ocean to insist she return with him to Venice. He was “tired of waiting” for his life to begin, for joy and love to come to him.
This is a delicious memoir of a love that surprised these two middle-aged people – a Venetian banker and an American journalist (and chef). I am smiling thinking about it. I kept reading passages aloud to anyone who would listen (and even a few who didn’t want to listen). De Blasi is not only in love with Fernando (“the stranger”), she is in love with Venice. No, she is in love with life, and she imbues her writing with that love. Is it all smooth sailing? Of course not. He lives, and prefers, a Spartan life – simple, small meals, a functional but uninspired and colorless apartment. She is vibrant, wearing “too-red” lipstick, and wanting to surround herself in rich fabrics and deep colors. And, she is a chef – she loves to cook large elaborate meals, to nurture people. Oh, and she isn’t fluent in Italian, much less the Venetian dialect, and he doesn’t speak English. And yet … She held tight to her friend’s advice: “Take it in your hands and hold tight to this love. If it comes, it comes only once.”
Read this. And enjoy life!
November 22, 2010
This is a great book. Nothing as I thought it would be. Picked this up in a used bookstore. Pleasantly surprised. It is so very rich in identifying the culture of the Italian life and rich history of friends, family and relationships and how it is intertwined with the food and traditions of Tuscan living. I've been to Tuscany but what can you gleen in 10 days. Marlena De Blasi builds a fabulous story of truth and tribal knowledge steeped deeply in what we are only beginning to realize here in America but has been present for hundreds, maybe thousands of years in Italy. Detailing the blurred line of family and friends. How the celebration of life is so closely tied with the reality of death and the paradigm we view it through. And of course the ever present fascination with food and wine and traditions and history steeped in such a simple thing as olive oil and how the olives are harvested and how they are pressed and the profound differences of tastes and textures and pairing with how and with what it is eaten with. De Blasi is an exquisite writer with a freshness of language that adds immensely to the simple story she tells of a chaotic yet simple life that she writes about. It is also a deep and enriching love story on several levels that will make you laugh with envy and cry with the touching reality of a crushing, inevitable truth we all must face. You will be uplifted and glad you read this little gem.
June 20, 2019
Lovely read that brings to live the dream many of us have - traveling to Italy and marrying a local! I enjoyed experiencing her journey and look forward to reading her subsequent books.
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December 4, 2013So I have this experiment that I'm trying, call it book monogamy. For the past week, I've tried reading one book at a time. Granted, I'm not sure how long this can last, but I fear that as I go along with this, some books may fall by the wayside because in this dedication of time, I must feel a sweltering invigoration from the book I am reading--okay maybe at least something close. I hope that this experiment doesn't find me meandering through books, looking for something I didn't lose in the first place.
When I picked up this book, I did so for the language. There is something about reordering of words, be it simple or complex, that drives me. A unique sprinkle of dialect here or there, a riff on language. This book is written in the present tense, about a chef and food writer who falls in love with a stranger. Scary, because in the beginning, he seems like a stalker--follows her to a restaurant where he calls her from a telephone, tries to set up dates, follows her where she goes, tells her that he had seen her months back, while she was on a food trip to Venice. There was an allure to the simple present tense structuring, the way certain words played off off each other in the beginning, semi-lyrical. Maybe this was what drew me to it. Or maybe it was because of Venice--how can you love a city you haven't even seen? Maybe it was because of the romantic angle. Despite all this, however, I just could not read beyond forty-one pages. I found myself strangely stuck, unable to read more about Fernando and how he has smoked since ten years of age. Or about the memoirist, a businesswoman who tortures her contractors into building a romantic abode in Missouri, becomes part-owner in a cafe, only to sell the house prematurely, leave her business partners stranded, and move in with a man she calls a "stranger." It was at that point the story stood still a bit for me, so I'll place this aside for later...
When I picked up this book, I did so for the language. There is something about reordering of words, be it simple or complex, that drives me. A unique sprinkle of dialect here or there, a riff on language. This book is written in the present tense, about a chef and food writer who falls in love with a stranger. Scary, because in the beginning, he seems like a stalker--follows her to a restaurant where he calls her from a telephone, tries to set up dates, follows her where she goes, tells her that he had seen her months back, while she was on a food trip to Venice. There was an allure to the simple present tense structuring, the way certain words played off off each other in the beginning, semi-lyrical. Maybe this was what drew me to it. Or maybe it was because of Venice--how can you love a city you haven't even seen? Maybe it was because of the romantic angle. Despite all this, however, I just could not read beyond forty-one pages. I found myself strangely stuck, unable to read more about Fernando and how he has smoked since ten years of age. Or about the memoirist, a businesswoman who tortures her contractors into building a romantic abode in Missouri, becomes part-owner in a cafe, only to sell the house prematurely, leave her business partners stranded, and move in with a man she calls a "stranger." It was at that point the story stood still a bit for me, so I'll place this aside for later...
May 10, 2013
There were a couple of things I really liked about this book. I loved the main character's spirit of adventure and how she seemed so at home in the world and adaptable. I also love how, at the verge of leaving her old life and moving to a new country, she decides to leave behind all her old sad life stories and just keep the good.
That said, I was alarmed at her quick courtship and attachment to the man she calls "the stranger" during most of the book. I felt sure that some young girl is going to find this utterly romantic and, following this example, get robbed, raped, or killed. The book espouses unwise and risky dating behavior.
I was also utterly frustrated by the woman's passivity and self-effacement. She sounded like a competent and talented woman, but she completely gave up her life to be a housewife to a very temperamental and selfish man. She spends most of her time wandering around eating and trying to understand local customs, without allowing herself much self-expression or even any consideration of what she might want out of the rest of her life. This is not a mature marriage and a give-and-take partnership. Somehow she finds this romantic, but it didn't entertain me at all.
That said, I was alarmed at her quick courtship and attachment to the man she calls "the stranger" during most of the book. I felt sure that some young girl is going to find this utterly romantic and, following this example, get robbed, raped, or killed. The book espouses unwise and risky dating behavior.
I was also utterly frustrated by the woman's passivity and self-effacement. She sounded like a competent and talented woman, but she completely gave up her life to be a housewife to a very temperamental and selfish man. She spends most of her time wandering around eating and trying to understand local customs, without allowing herself much self-expression or even any consideration of what she might want out of the rest of her life. This is not a mature marriage and a give-and-take partnership. Somehow she finds this romantic, but it didn't entertain me at all.
December 11, 2018
Having just finished That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story, I have to add another by this author. This is the first of a trilogy about her marriage with Venetian. I chose this over Amandine: A Novel b/c I believe when authors stick to what lies close to their heart, that is when they write best! But Amandine looks interesting too, so I am a bit undecisive..... I am wondering of this is a typical love story or forigner getting use to a new culture book. You know like the Peter Mayle books. And is there too much emphasis on culinary themes? I hope I don't get drowned with recipes. The text-check was appealing, and I know I like the writing style, but the story behind That Summer in Sicily was so very good. Better subject matter than this I bekieve.
November 8, 2018
The account of the Romance between Fernando (AKA the stranger) and the author is quite an odd book. For the first 49 pages nothing much happens, after that a bit more happens and the writing style improves but overall it is still boring.
Not very long at 240 pages there is no inciting incident, there are no obstacles for the couple to overcome.
There's is nothing exciting about Fernando as he works in a dull bank. The Author you'd think would tell the reader what she sees in her husband. What attracted her to him.
She seems to float in an idealistic fairy tale that is Venice, at some point tell us the canals do have a certain disgusting odour. Bring us real life. The only mishaps she seems to have is trying to buy a dress for wedding instead of a wedding dress and moving to Tuscany at the instigation of Fernando, where did that come from I wondered?
And as for the recipes that spring up, how dull is it just to read a recipe if you're not interested in doing any cookery? If I wanted a cook book I'd have bought one.
Not very long at 240 pages there is no inciting incident, there are no obstacles for the couple to overcome.
There's is nothing exciting about Fernando as he works in a dull bank. The Author you'd think would tell the reader what she sees in her husband. What attracted her to him.
She seems to float in an idealistic fairy tale that is Venice, at some point tell us the canals do have a certain disgusting odour. Bring us real life. The only mishaps she seems to have is trying to buy a dress for wedding instead of a wedding dress and moving to Tuscany at the instigation of Fernando, where did that come from I wondered?
And as for the recipes that spring up, how dull is it just to read a recipe if you're not interested in doing any cookery? If I wanted a cook book I'd have bought one.
January 30, 2009
This book did not completely achieve its potential. The author, a middle-aged woman from the Mid-West meets an Italian while she is in Venice-who is not without his eccentricities. He visits her in St. Louis and she decides to marry him and move to Venice. The story describes their relationship, her discovery of Venice and Italian culture and her re-doing of his home. The story is enjoyable and you want their relationship to work-however I thought the story line could have been better developed.
December 25, 2008
Tried to get into this book and just couldn't do it. Finally gave up since I couldn't see wasting my time after all you can't get time back so why spend it on a less than worthwhile book. I had high hopes for this so it's very disappointing.
July 15, 2009
Enough with the blueberry-eyed stranger. Does he have a name or did the author forget it in her haste to marry this man.
I was not familiar enough with Venice to understand all of the things she referred to.
Also, I consider myself a decent cook and her recipes were beyond my skill level.
I was not familiar enough with Venice to understand all of the things she referred to.
Also, I consider myself a decent cook and her recipes were beyond my skill level.
March 16, 2016
The writing style and make-believe tone of the story bored me. I couldn't take it seriously. The MC was confusing and I didn't like her.
November 14, 2014
The subtitle of this book is An Unexpected Romance. In this memoirs-autobiography-travelogue the author twists about her real-life experiences in a time-tripping, flowery-written account, to create the semblance of a fictional Venetian romance novel. We get history, Italian culture, the problems of the immigrant, and lots of late-romance angst.
While reading A Thousand Days in Venice I found myself thinking about the humorist Mark Twain's observation that "Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense." Not much about the author's decision to pursue a relationship with her "stranger", as she calls him, makes sense. Falling in love does not make sense. It is temporary insanity. So we should probably suspend our disbelief at the author's actions, and just accept the truth for what it is, which is a huge life gamble that may have paid off.
The truth is that a middle-aged woman leaves her home, her business, and her family and moves to Venice to be with a Venetian man who picked her up in a pretty creepy fashion, pursued her in an obsessive manner, and swept her off her feet with intensely romantic lines that too closely resemble lines from bad romance novels. So, yes, truth is stranger than fiction!
The author is a skilled writer. She uses the present tense to keep the story immediate for the reader. Her first person account shows her baroque character to perfection. Her prose is baroque and poetic, sometimes to the point of incomprehension. I suspect this was intentional. The author wanted to minimize the criticism of her actions, and to protect innocents on the periphery of her story. I respect this.
Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
While reading A Thousand Days in Venice I found myself thinking about the humorist Mark Twain's observation that "Truth is stranger than fiction because fiction has to make sense." Not much about the author's decision to pursue a relationship with her "stranger", as she calls him, makes sense. Falling in love does not make sense. It is temporary insanity. So we should probably suspend our disbelief at the author's actions, and just accept the truth for what it is, which is a huge life gamble that may have paid off.
The truth is that a middle-aged woman leaves her home, her business, and her family and moves to Venice to be with a Venetian man who picked her up in a pretty creepy fashion, pursued her in an obsessive manner, and swept her off her feet with intensely romantic lines that too closely resemble lines from bad romance novels. So, yes, truth is stranger than fiction!
The author is a skilled writer. She uses the present tense to keep the story immediate for the reader. Her first person account shows her baroque character to perfection. Her prose is baroque and poetic, sometimes to the point of incomprehension. I suspect this was intentional. The author wanted to minimize the criticism of her actions, and to protect innocents on the periphery of her story. I respect this.
Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
December 17, 2019
What an bizarre combination of feelings I had reading while this book. First, there was nostalgia - for the country I love and consider my home away from home...and for the food. There's something simple, elegant, and distinctive about Italian food. Her descriptions of the market made me utterly homesick...
I walk to the pescheria, fish market, a clamorous hall full of the stinging, dizzying perfumes of sea salt and fish blood where every writhing, slithering, slinking, swimming, crawling, sea-breathing, jewel-eyed creature that would be hauled up from the Adriatic glitters on thick marble pallets. I look in on the macellerie, butchers, who are cutting nearly transparent steaks behind their macabre curtains of rabbits, wild and tame, hung from their hind legs, with tufts of fur left clinging at their haunches to serve as proof that they are not feline.
Second, there was indifference to the story. I do believe in love at first sight. But I can't say that her falling in love with the blueberry-eyed stranger was convincing or compelling. I never felt that she conveyed an overwhelming passion that would cause someone to, first, bring a stranger home - from another country - less than a month after meeting and, second, uproot and follow that stranger to a foreign land for good. While her actions were of a woman consumed, for certain, her words, about Fernando, were tepid, not scorched.
We exchange number and business cards and addresses, having no more powerful amulets. ...He asked when I'll be returning home, and I tell him.
I definitely didn't adore this book. Still it had its moments of delight. And, as I said, for the descriptions of the food and markets, I would recommend it.
I walk to the pescheria, fish market, a clamorous hall full of the stinging, dizzying perfumes of sea salt and fish blood where every writhing, slithering, slinking, swimming, crawling, sea-breathing, jewel-eyed creature that would be hauled up from the Adriatic glitters on thick marble pallets. I look in on the macellerie, butchers, who are cutting nearly transparent steaks behind their macabre curtains of rabbits, wild and tame, hung from their hind legs, with tufts of fur left clinging at their haunches to serve as proof that they are not feline.
Second, there was indifference to the story. I do believe in love at first sight. But I can't say that her falling in love with the blueberry-eyed stranger was convincing or compelling. I never felt that she conveyed an overwhelming passion that would cause someone to, first, bring a stranger home - from another country - less than a month after meeting and, second, uproot and follow that stranger to a foreign land for good. While her actions were of a woman consumed, for certain, her words, about Fernando, were tepid, not scorched.
We exchange number and business cards and addresses, having no more powerful amulets. ...He asked when I'll be returning home, and I tell him.
I definitely didn't adore this book. Still it had its moments of delight. And, as I said, for the descriptions of the food and markets, I would recommend it.
April 28, 2015
I wanted to like this book, but I really did have to force myself to continue reading it. While I realize this is the fairytale version of the author's own experience, I found the whole relationship to be unrealistic. Most of us would not dream of giving up everything to run off with a stranger, more less at a later stage in life.
I kept waiting for more to happen or something to really explain why she was so prone to this "adventure" but never did understand what was so rushed about the whole relationship. As a result, I really felt little sympathy for her struggles in adapting to an entirely different culture and environment. At every major turning point, she just falls into line with his "decisions" rather than voicing her own.
Her story was not without bright spots, and I'm glad she found happiness. The style of writing is very descriptive, painting vivid images for the reader. Including the recipes was a nice touch too.
I kept waiting for more to happen or something to really explain why she was so prone to this "adventure" but never did understand what was so rushed about the whole relationship. As a result, I really felt little sympathy for her struggles in adapting to an entirely different culture and environment. At every major turning point, she just falls into line with his "decisions" rather than voicing her own.
Her story was not without bright spots, and I'm glad she found happiness. The style of writing is very descriptive, painting vivid images for the reader. Including the recipes was a nice touch too.
February 3, 2009
I liked this book a lot, although about halfway through it started to feel a little old. What I liked about it was her honesty, and the beautiful glimpse of the life (and challenges!) taking a big risk such as moving to a foreign country and marrying a man of a different culture. But after awhile, the story became a little stale; it became repetitive. I wish she had gone a little deeper into her insights about her new life, but I felt like she became a little repetitive about it; I felt she could have developed the tale further with such rich material. My favorite parts were her descriptions of some of the things that she would do each day in Venice, as well as her observations on the cultural differences between herself and the Venetians. I would give it a 3.5. By the way, it looks like there's great recipes in the back!
January 10, 2017
Хиляда дни романтика по венециански: http://azcheta.com/hiliada-dni-vav-ve...
В интерес на истината този роман не е посветен на любовта между един мъж и една жена, а на изкуството да обичаш Венеция. Не се подвеждайте от розовите шарки и целуващата се двойка на корицата. Историята на Марлена де Бласи е истинска, изживяна и почувствана от самата нея – жена с вкус към живота и моментите му. Жена, която среща венецианец с боровинкови очи, и след един минал живот, прекаран в изтерзания калъп брак-семейство-деца-домакинство-неудовлетвореност-развод си позволява да се отдаде изцяло и да промени живота си, да бъде „начинаеща” и да опознае една част от Италия, която можеш да разбереш само с мъдростта на влюбен, но и изстрадал човек. Ако не си търпелив, ще изгубиш смисъла ѝ на косъм.
В интерес на истината този роман не е посветен на любовта между един мъж и една жена, а на изкуството да обичаш Венеция. Не се подвеждайте от розовите шарки и целуващата се двойка на корицата. Историята на Марлена де Бласи е истинска, изживяна и почувствана от самата нея – жена с вкус към живота и моментите му. Жена, която среща венецианец с боровинкови очи, и след един минал живот, прекаран в изтерзания калъп брак-семейство-деца-домакинство-неудовлетвореност-развод си позволява да се отдаде изцяло и да промени живота си, да бъде „начинаеща” и да опознае една част от Италия, която можеш да разбереш само с мъдростта на влюбен, но и изстрадал човек. Ако не си търпелив, ще изгубиш смисъла ѝ на косъм.
January 20, 2008
I throughly enjoyed this book. It started a bit like a romance novel but Marlena de Blasi writes very inteligently and page after page I discovered something more than that. It`s a really beautiful story about love in a mature age. I loved the light-hearted way of telling it. I was impressed by what she said about the tower of pain-how we accumulate pain and keep it within ourselves to show off. That was exactly the thing she managed to avoid in her story.It sounded fresh and light,as a real new beginning. I am in love with Italy myself having visited it many times (incl.Venice:-)),and it was a pleasure to plunge once again into its unique atmosphere. I liked the witty observations about Italian character and way of life. I would be interested in the sequel.
October 2, 2009
You'd be forgiven for thinking this book is set in the early 1900's its hard to belive a modern woman could really have behaved so recklessly. Unbelievably this book it a true account of Marlena life from meeting her lover annoyingly called the stranger throughout and deals with her move to be with him in Venice. As a chef there are details of meals eaten and each chapter has the recipe at the end. If you are expecting sensual perhaps even sexual foody narrative you wont find it here, infact there is so little indication as to why she fell in love with this man. Throughout he never appears romantic and is unappreciative of her skills as a chef. It all comes across like she was his 'meal ticket' and I was disappointed it wasnt the love story I was expecting.
July 19, 2012
Good book. Thank you for letting me borrow the book! I have wanted to read it since I heard a Radio 4 radio play based on the book. If I didn't know a couple who had a similar experience (except that the locations involved were France and California) I would probably be more dismissive of her whirlwind relationship with "Peter Sellers." But instead I found myself comparing the ins and outs of their relationship to those details of my parents' friends and nodding knowingly when things matched up.
February 29, 2016
I have a fondness for the travel category 'What's it like to live in a foreign land?'. The genre feeds my yet unfulfilled longing to live elsewhere.
The author, on rather limited info, decides to move to Venice and marry Fernando , a melancholy Italian banker. For much of the book she calls him 'the stranger' as they learn to live and love together.
Like Under a Tuscan Sun, she struggles with Italian bureauocracy and work ethics while embracing the beauty and culture.
The memoir may be a bit fluffy and romantic, but the changes she made takes a type of courage I admire.
The author, on rather limited info, decides to move to Venice and marry Fernando , a melancholy Italian banker. For much of the book she calls him 'the stranger' as they learn to live and love together.
Like Under a Tuscan Sun, she struggles with Italian bureauocracy and work ethics while embracing the beauty and culture.
The memoir may be a bit fluffy and romantic, but the changes she made takes a type of courage I admire.
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