SOCIAL SCIENCES

The Other Side of the Tiber: Reflections on Time in Italy

by Wallis Wilde-Menozzi
Farrar. 2013. 224p. photogs. ISBN 9780374280710. $27. TRAV
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After decades of living and writing in Italy, poet and novelist Wilde-Menozzi attempts to paint a picture of the layered and complex country she calls home. As with her previous work, Mother Tongue: An American Life in Italy, she weaves together observation and reflection, history and culture. Ranging from her first naive impressions as a recent college grad in the 1960s to a mature look at the current realities of her adopted country, this collection of vignettes is part history and economics lessons, part art and cultural appreciation, and part personal history. The most engaging portions of the books are her personal experiences (getting her first work visa) and perspectives on her life (musings on communism in Italy).
VERDICT Her depictions of people and community are insightful, and her writing is, at times, touching and deeply personal. Since the book lacks a cohesive narrative structure, readers are free to wander through it as they might the streets of the Italian cities that are described within. Best suited for lovers of Italian culture and readers who enjoy serious, contemplative memoirs.
Reviewed by Sheila Kasperek, Mansfield Univ. Lib., PA , Jun 01, 2013
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