THE SEVEN SENSES OF ITALY

This fictional travelogue presents two modern-day Brooklynites experiencing the wonders of Italy on their honeymoon, along with commentary by an omniscient writer and a deceased relative.

Gregory’s book begins with the first-person narrative of Nina, “long gone from this earthly world.” She is the grandmother of one of the honeymooners (“If I can pull the strings of fate just a little, they will soon be on their way to Italy to see all its beautiful treasures. I will watch over them, and maybe push a little in this or that direction all during their adventure”). Nina has also “asked this writer to help me describe Italy—you know, there is so much beauty, history...so many stories and people who changed the world.” The novel then shifts to Brooklyn, where Bobby, who has a pending job offer, proposes to Lisa, a graduate student studying resilience. She is Nina’s granddaughter. The narrative then jumps six months, with the couple on their honeymoon in Italy. Their itinerary (included as a frontmatter map in the book) encompasses Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Palermo, and many stops in between. They marvel at Italy’s art, food, and music and interact with strangers as well as a cousin and a couple of friends. By trip’s end, Bobby receives his job offer via text, and Lisa decides to focus her resilience studies on Italians. They return home, vowing to go back for visits and possibly to live full time in Italy someday. Gregory fits an impressive amount of information about Italy into this narrative, which will be an enjoyable way for many readers to access this data versus delving into guidebooks or history texts. In Venice, “Bobby’s heart jumps at the sight of the San Simeone Piccolo across the water, a commanding eighteenth-century church with long steps, a massive green dome, and a templelike entrance supported by Corinthian columns.” But the fictional plot feels a bit thin given the emphasis on the country’s rich, evocative details, with the couple, Nina, and “the writer” largely serving to comment on or exclaim over an admittedly vibrant and captivating array of facts.

A vivid but uneven tour celebrating the splendors of Italy and its people.