thatsoneforthebooks's review
4.0
✨ Review ✨ Six Days in Rome by Francesca Giacco
I love traveling alone and this brings back all those feelings of exploring new places alone, but it also makes you sit in those feelings of aloneness - sometimes they are comfortable and sometimes they aren't. This book so brilliantly immerses you in those feelings, and I loved it.
The story follows Emilia, a 30-something New Yorker, on her six day trip through Rome, a trip she had planned to take with her boyfriend Michael but now that they've split up, she's visiting alone. In semi-stream-of-consciousness, we follow her not only through Rome but through the depths of her memories as she explores her recent relationship and break-up, her fraught relationship with her singer father and the rest of her family, and her feelings of solitude, creativity, and professional expression.
Emilia meets John, another ex-pat, and their stories weave in and out as Emilia adventures through Rome and explores her feelings, and considers her past, her present, and her future.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: women's fiction, literary fiction
Location: Rome
Reminds me of: Half-Blown Rose
Pub Date: out now
This for sure isn't a book for everyone - the very long chapters, the semi-stream of consciousness format, the way it meanders through past and present is artsy and evocative and thoughtful. It especially resonated for me as someone who has spent time traveling alone.
The descriptions of Rome - its people, sights, travel, and more - were really beautiful and put you right in the middle of the city. This isn't a book to shy away from the experience of place. The writing is really lovely and I enjoyed reading it.
Read this if you like:
⭕️ travel stories and descriptions of cheese
⭕️ stream of consciousness style of writing
⭕️ narratives of self discovery
⭕️ Italy / Rome
Thanks to Grand Central and #netgalley for an advanced copies of this book!
I love traveling alone and this brings back all those feelings of exploring new places alone, but it also makes you sit in those feelings of aloneness - sometimes they are comfortable and sometimes they aren't. This book so brilliantly immerses you in those feelings, and I loved it.
The story follows Emilia, a 30-something New Yorker, on her six day trip through Rome, a trip she had planned to take with her boyfriend Michael but now that they've split up, she's visiting alone. In semi-stream-of-consciousness, we follow her not only through Rome but through the depths of her memories as she explores her recent relationship and break-up, her fraught relationship with her singer father and the rest of her family, and her feelings of solitude, creativity, and professional expression.
Emilia meets John, another ex-pat, and their stories weave in and out as Emilia adventures through Rome and explores her feelings, and considers her past, her present, and her future.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: women's fiction, literary fiction
Location: Rome
Reminds me of: Half-Blown Rose
Pub Date: out now
This for sure isn't a book for everyone - the very long chapters, the semi-stream of consciousness format, the way it meanders through past and present is artsy and evocative and thoughtful. It especially resonated for me as someone who has spent time traveling alone.
The descriptions of Rome - its people, sights, travel, and more - were really beautiful and put you right in the middle of the city. This isn't a book to shy away from the experience of place. The writing is really lovely and I enjoyed reading it.
Read this if you like:
⭕️ travel stories and descriptions of cheese
⭕️ stream of consciousness style of writing
⭕️ narratives of self discovery
⭕️ Italy / Rome
Thanks to Grand Central and #netgalley for an advanced copies of this book!
alelopezelias's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hannahmve's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rockobeige's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
danielljgp's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
So stream of consciousness in style that the scene would change without much setup and I got lost several times throughout.
ilonab's review
3.0
No plot just vibes. Good descriptions of the city and food, but I found it hard to relate and feel for the main character(poor little rich woman with a famous dad who stole her poem for a song when she was seven ).
amandabnolan's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
raeleechoins's review
1.0
I really wanted to enjoy this. The first chapter was beautiful, but then it became too much.
esbarnard_'s review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
overlookingcovers's review
2.0
TW: Cheating, betrayal
I’d first like to thanks to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me this review copy. I was really excited to read this book, but alas, it wasn’t for me. Perhaps literary fiction is not my thing.
I’ll start with my pros for the book. Firstly, the book definitely made me feel like I was back in Italy. I felt transported back in time to my adventures in Tuscany, and even some faded memories of Sicily. I could feel Emilia’s excitement to be there, and her sense of this being a pilgrimage to explore her life: her ex boyfriend, her relationship with her father, and her parent’s relationship itself. It was an interesting story.
However, this book has A LOT of stream of consciousness. I never did fair well with that in my classes. Stream of consciousness has always felt like “information overload” to me. Personally, I think it leads to a lot of unnecessary information and a whole lot of confusion. So be warned if you want to read this book and also have that feeling!
Lastly, this book would have been a lot better without John. Maybe it’s a hot take, but he served no purpose to me. All he did was exploit the fact that Emilia had SERIOUS daddy issues. I just didn’t see the point of him, and I am a sucker for romance. I understand he was there to talk about life, but I genuinely think the storyline would have been so much better if he was some older guy reflecting on his life and passing down his wisdom. Feelings more spiritual to me- since that is what it seems Giacco was going for.
Overall, an interesting story, but not my cup of… espresso
I’d first like to thanks to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me this review copy. I was really excited to read this book, but alas, it wasn’t for me. Perhaps literary fiction is not my thing.
I’ll start with my pros for the book. Firstly, the book definitely made me feel like I was back in Italy. I felt transported back in time to my adventures in Tuscany, and even some faded memories of Sicily. I could feel Emilia’s excitement to be there, and her sense of this being a pilgrimage to explore her life: her ex boyfriend, her relationship with her father, and her parent’s relationship itself. It was an interesting story.
However, this book has A LOT of stream of consciousness. I never did fair well with that in my classes. Stream of consciousness has always felt like “information overload” to me. Personally, I think it leads to a lot of unnecessary information and a whole lot of confusion. So be warned if you want to read this book and also have that feeling!
Lastly, this book would have been a lot better without John. Maybe it’s a hot take, but he served no purpose to me. All he did was exploit the fact that Emilia had SERIOUS daddy issues. I just didn’t see the point of him, and I am a sucker for romance. I understand he was there to talk about life, but I genuinely think the storyline would have been so much better if he was some older guy reflecting on his life and passing down his wisdom. Feelings more spiritual to me- since that is what it seems Giacco was going for.
Overall, an interesting story, but not my cup of… espresso