Meeting Luciano: A Novel

by Anna Esaki-Smith

To Hanako Shimoda, recently divorced, Luciano Pavarotti is a god. To her daughter, Emily, this fixation on Pavarotti is a harmless fantasy, the byproduct of loneliness. Meeting Luciano is the story of what happens when Hanako acts on her fantasy and invites opera star Pavarotti to dinner in their Westchester County home.

Emily, with no real career plan, has gone back after college to work at her old summer job - waiting tables at the local Japanese steakhouse. Even worse than wearing a fake kimono and obi is that she's living at home with her mother. At first, her mom seems pretty much her old self - still reliving her Japanese childhood; still affecting the airs of a European sophisticate; still brewing espresso, cooking Italian, and singing arias from Rigoletto while she cleans; still idolizing Luciano Pavarotti.

But when Hanako hires Alex, a handsome Greek, to renovate the kitchen, Emily begins to worry. And when Alex, who seems to be getting very cozy with her mother, spills the secret that the renovation is in preparation for a visit from Pavarotti, Emily is thrown into a wonderfully familiar quandary: how to deal with a parent who might be losing it.

First-time novelist Anna Esaki-Smith has a wry, understated approach to the themes of assimilation, growing up, striking out on shaky ground, finding yourself - and loving your mother. Like a reflecting pool in a Japanese garden, Meeting Luciano gradually reveals the beauty of its subtle design.

Genres: Fiction

252 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1999

Reviews

[M H · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quiet story about a young woman, just out of college, dealing with her mother who is left alone after an unexpected divorce. It deals with aging, the uncertainty of starting out in life, the difficulty in moving on after an emotionally catastrophic event, the frustrations of home renovations! Opera fans might appreciate it even more. This book is not something I would normally be drawn to, but just having survived overseeing a home renovation for my octogenarian mother, it spoke to me. It was warm, and funny, and a book I'll probably revisit

[Linda Guarnieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected

I wound up loving this book which began a little slowly but draws you in as it moves on. Great characters and wonderful commentary on hopes, dreams and dealing with reality.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible. No plot to this book at all.

[Ann Frese · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5+
Great story with deeper themes of family, tradition, who we are and what holds us together.
Enjoyed it!

[Gordon]

Entertaining for someone like me, an opera fan.

[Salsabeel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Islands.

[Asher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished the book just to find out what happened in the end. When I got to the end, I didn't realize that it was the end and I spent several minutes flipping through the last few pages thinking that I missed somemething.
The most interesting character is the Greek renovation man, Alex. The story moves rather slowly and goes between present and flashbacks that have meaning, but makes the book drag even more.
The story is just as much about the main character's mother as it is the main character. It almost like a 'coming of age' for both of them. I will say that the ending was unexpected and could be considered a 'good' ending.

[Glynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when one's mother decides to 'improve' (undo?) her home (after years of sameness)? Let's say there's a helpful contractor who will help her revisualize the place. What does a returning daughter think of this?

This is an excellent quiet novel about home, about aesthetics, about aging, and ultimately about who choices belong to.

[Richard Janzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story of a Japanese-American Mom whose marriage has fallen apart, and has embraced opera and all things Italian. Becomes convinced that Pavaratti will visit her home, so she embarks on an Italian-style renovation. Not that gripping. A bit more like a long short-story than a novel.

[Dinah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little book!

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't buy the relationship between the mother and daughter. Or the mother and the contractor. Some good moments, but not gripping.

[Lana. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Introspective, but slow going. Some beautiful and gentle passages, but didn't grip me.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its more like a long short story than a book, but a really good short story.

[Ebony · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am having a hard time finishing this book but it seems sweet.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slow moving, simple story about family and change.