What do you think?
Rate this book
The Italian Lover
An exhilarating novel of romance, art, and food in Florence, featuring the beloved Margot Harrington, who graced Robert Hellenga's The Sixteen Pleasures. Margot Harrington's memoir about her discovery in Florence of a priceless masterwork of Renaissance erotica - and the misguided love affair it inspired - is now, 25 years later, being made into a movie. Margot, with the help of her lover, Woody, writes a script that she thinks will validate her life. Of course their script is not used, but never mind - happy endings are the best endings for movies, as Margot eventually comes to see. At the former convent in Florence where "The Sixteen Pleasures" - now called "The Italian Lover," - is being filmed, Margot enters into a drama she never imagined, where her ideas of home, love, art, and aging collide with the imperatives of commerce and the unknowability of other cultures and other people.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2007
17 people are currently reading
234 people want to read
About the author
Robert Hellenga
11 books65 followersRobert Hellenga was an American novelist, essayist, and short story author.
His eight novels included The Sixteen Pleasures, The Fall of a Sparrow, Blues Lessons, Philosophy Made Simple, The Italian Lover, Snakewoman of Little Egypt, The Confessions of Frances Godwin and Love, Death, & Rare Books. In addition to these works, he wrote a novella, Six Weeks in Verona, along with a collection of short stories in The Truth About Death and Other Stories. Hellenga also published scholarly essays and literary or travel essays in various venues, including The National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times Sophisticated Traveler, and The Gettysburg Review.
Hellenga was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Milwaukee and Three Oaks, Michigan. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Michigan and his graduate work at the Queen’s University of Belfast, the University of North Carolina, and Princeton University. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton and began teaching English literature at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1968. In 1973–74 he was co-director of the ACM Seminar in the Humanities at the Newberry Library in Chicago, and in 1982–83 he directed the ACM Florence programs in Florence, Italy. He also worked and studied in Bologna, Verona, and Rome. He was distinguished writer in residence and professor emeritus at Knox College. Hellenga was married and had three daughters.
Hellenga received awards for his fiction from the Illinois Arts Council and from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Sixteen Pleasures received The Society of Midland Authors Award for Fiction published in 1994. The Fall of a Sparrow was included in the Los Angeles Times list of the "Best Fiction of 1998" and the Publishers Weekly list of the "Best 98 Books." Snakewoman of Little Egypt, was included in The Washington Post's list of "The Best Novels of 2010" and Kirkus Reviews' list of "2010 Best Fiction: The Top 25." The audio version of Snakewoman was a 2011 Audie Award Winner for Literary Fiction. The Confessions of Frances Godwin received The Society of Midland Authors' Award for fiction published in 2014.
Hellenga died of neuroendocrine cancer on July 18, 2020, at his home in Galesburg, Illinois.
His eight novels included The Sixteen Pleasures, The Fall of a Sparrow, Blues Lessons, Philosophy Made Simple, The Italian Lover, Snakewoman of Little Egypt, The Confessions of Frances Godwin and Love, Death, & Rare Books. In addition to these works, he wrote a novella, Six Weeks in Verona, along with a collection of short stories in The Truth About Death and Other Stories. Hellenga also published scholarly essays and literary or travel essays in various venues, including The National Geographic Traveler, The New York Times Sophisticated Traveler, and The Gettysburg Review.
Hellenga was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Milwaukee and Three Oaks, Michigan. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Michigan and his graduate work at the Queen’s University of Belfast, the University of North Carolina, and Princeton University. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton and began teaching English literature at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, in 1968. In 1973–74 he was co-director of the ACM Seminar in the Humanities at the Newberry Library in Chicago, and in 1982–83 he directed the ACM Florence programs in Florence, Italy. He also worked and studied in Bologna, Verona, and Rome. He was distinguished writer in residence and professor emeritus at Knox College. Hellenga was married and had three daughters.
Hellenga received awards for his fiction from the Illinois Arts Council and from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Sixteen Pleasures received The Society of Midland Authors Award for Fiction published in 1994. The Fall of a Sparrow was included in the Los Angeles Times list of the "Best Fiction of 1998" and the Publishers Weekly list of the "Best 98 Books." Snakewoman of Little Egypt, was included in The Washington Post's list of "The Best Novels of 2010" and Kirkus Reviews' list of "2010 Best Fiction: The Top 25." The audio version of Snakewoman was a 2011 Audie Award Winner for Literary Fiction. The Confessions of Frances Godwin received The Society of Midland Authors' Award for fiction published in 2014.
Hellenga died of neuroendocrine cancer on July 18, 2020, at his home in Galesburg, Illinois.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
August 1, 2009
Hellenga once again reuses characters from earlier books--Margot from The Sixteen Pleasures & Woody from The Fall of a Sparrow & Blues Lessons--and makes them lovers. I don't think this is as good as his earlier books, but it's still very satisfying & has quite a few wonderful moments. The main plot line involves the filming of Margot's story, The Sixteen Pleasures, but my favorite character is a new one: Beryl, the wife of the film's director, who's dying of cancer (the director, not Beryl). She's a strong-minded woman, a devout Episcopalian (daughter of an Episcopalian priest) who surprises herself by having a fling with the dashing Italian male star of the film. The 8-page chapter (48-56) when she's introduced is a hallmark of Hellenga's gentle sensitivity & sensibility--almost a little short story on its own, Later, after a physcially satisfying evening in bed with her lover, the next morning--Palm Sunday--she goes to church "to find out if there was anything out there strong enough to balance the kind of bodily ecstasy she'd experienced the previous night. . . . The gospel of the palms was sung so beautifully by a young man in a red cassock and white surplice that Beryl's whole body responded, reverberating like an echo of her orgasm the previous night. But it was only an echo, not the real thing. It didn't convulse her entire being. . . . It wasn't till they went to the Guggenheim Museum [11 pages later:] that she found what she was looking for, something to challenge the supremacy of bodily ecstasy as the ultimate good, the way fresh sweet corn challenges the supremacy of the finest French dishes." (quotes from 254, 255, & 266) [It was experiencing Jackson Pollack's Alchemy, which she had first experienced with her husband 35 years earlier, when they'd been married only 6 months.:] That last simile, though, is one only a midwestern writer could make. I hope he'll bring Beryl back in a subsequent book. I like her a lot.
April 6, 2014
I love novels that take place in Italy and this one does, so I suppose this is one of the reasons I loved it. The Sixteen Pleasures was the second book I read by Robert Hellenga after The Philosophy of Love, his first which I read and liked so much I started looking for all his novels. The Sixteen Pleasures, Hellenga's first novel is told by Margot, a book conservationist who arrives in Florence after its great flood to help restore damaged books, meets an Italian, falls in love with him and supposedly enjoys with him the 16 pleasures (you would have to read the book). Then came The Fall of a Sparrow, which told the story of Woody Woodhull lecturer at a mid-western college, who loses his eldest daughter to a terrorist bombing attack in Bologna, a tragedy that impacts on his family forever. The Italian Lover combines the two books, having Margot meet up with Woody while in Italy where they become lovers. The Sixteen Pleasures supposedly written by Margot is now being made into a movie and Margot and Woody write a script which is taken over by the producer, Esther whose husband has just dumped her. Miranda and Zanni, actors in the movie, Michael and Beryl, the director and his wife, some of the movie crew--all have parts in this fascinating book. They eat and discuss movies, art, Italian food, art, movies, and more Italian food, etc, etc. So, yes, I liked it but I doubt if I would have had I not read The Sixteen Pleasures and The Fall of a Sparrow beforehand.
January 19, 2016
It is a bittersweet experience to finish reading The Italian Lover the last of Robert Hellenga's interconnected novels, which begin with The Sixteen Pleasures featuring Margot Harrington, The Fall of the Sparrow featuring Woody Woodhull and Philosophy Made Simple featuring Margot's father, Rudy. Hellenga's themes are presented in such an understated fashion, intertwined with wonderful Italian meals, sights and blues music.
The Italian Lover departs from his usual story which involves a main character and their life crisis and becomes a Robert Altman type of story with a multitude of intertwined characters trying to find their way in the world, all connected in some way to Margot's original book The Sixteen Pleasures or Florence. Oddly this is a story about the making of The Sixteen Pleasures into a movie titled The Italian Lover.
The Italian Lover left me wanting more, more Margot, more Woody, more Miranda, more Esther, more Florence, more food, more blues, more Robert Hellenga books.
The Italian Lover departs from his usual story which involves a main character and their life crisis and becomes a Robert Altman type of story with a multitude of intertwined characters trying to find their way in the world, all connected in some way to Margot's original book The Sixteen Pleasures or Florence. Oddly this is a story about the making of The Sixteen Pleasures into a movie titled The Italian Lover.
The Italian Lover left me wanting more, more Margot, more Woody, more Miranda, more Esther, more Florence, more food, more blues, more Robert Hellenga books.
May 3, 2010
I wonder about reviews on the back cover... were those people paid to say that book was great? The most positive comment I can make about "The Italian Lover" is that it was mediocre. The entire book was a huge let down, particularly after having just reread The Sixteen Pleasures (which, by the way, was fantastic!). Even the Reader's Guide included in the back of the book was lackluster. The interview with Hellenga was superficial and pointless. He offered no additional insight at all!....just a straight cribbed version of the story we just finished reading.
The reading group questions were over-simplistic and did not stimulate deeper thinking about the story or its themes. The whole thing felt forced, as though his publisher insisted on another Margot story and this was the best he could come up with.
Bummer.
The reading group questions were over-simplistic and did not stimulate deeper thinking about the story or its themes. The whole thing felt forced, as though his publisher insisted on another Margot story and this was the best he could come up with.
Bummer.
January 27, 2008
This is a really worth while book if you love Italy and have read Hellenga's two previous books, "The Sixteen Pleasures" and "Fall of the Sparrow".
October 13, 2024
I trudged through this book. First of all, the title is a misnomer. I wasn’t expecting a steamy romance novel, but I upon completing the book, it’s still a mystery to me the true identity of the Italian lover, never mind the size of biceps.
Second, and this is my biggest and only complaint, none of the characters were compelling. I don’t expect all characters in a book to be likeable, of course, but can they at least be dynamic? The four female characters were either bitchy, flat, confused, or insecure. The bitchy one, especially, was probably intended to be written as high-spirited. If only. The male characters did nothing more than illustrate a stereotype. The problem with the character development was that it just wasn’t fluid. Yes, there were pockets of descriptive insight into their backgrounds and motives, but none of that information made me feel for any of them. The peripheral characters had more depth, like the rabbi’s wife, who makes a brief appearance only once.
Apart from uneven and uninspiring characters, the book had three redeeming features. What kept me interested was how thoroughly described Italy itself was. The piazzas, the vias, the convent, the restaurants, the views in general. That captured my attention. It seemed to me that Italy itself was the real, main character of the book.
Also, learning about how a movie is made, based on a book, was very interesting.
And, the author is a talented purveyor of language. This, above all else, is what keeps me reading a book I’m not crazy about.
Second, and this is my biggest and only complaint, none of the characters were compelling. I don’t expect all characters in a book to be likeable, of course, but can they at least be dynamic? The four female characters were either bitchy, flat, confused, or insecure. The bitchy one, especially, was probably intended to be written as high-spirited. If only. The male characters did nothing more than illustrate a stereotype. The problem with the character development was that it just wasn’t fluid. Yes, there were pockets of descriptive insight into their backgrounds and motives, but none of that information made me feel for any of them. The peripheral characters had more depth, like the rabbi’s wife, who makes a brief appearance only once.
Apart from uneven and uninspiring characters, the book had three redeeming features. What kept me interested was how thoroughly described Italy itself was. The piazzas, the vias, the convent, the restaurants, the views in general. That captured my attention. It seemed to me that Italy itself was the real, main character of the book.
Also, learning about how a movie is made, based on a book, was very interesting.
And, the author is a talented purveyor of language. This, above all else, is what keeps me reading a book I’m not crazy about.
April 2, 2018
It took me forever to read this book, not because it wasn't good but I guess I just wasn't inspired to read. Though it is apparently a regrouping of various characters from three other books, it stands alone. It was my first Hellenga read, and, judging from the other reviews, not his best.
That said, I picked up this book on the "cheap" table at Indigo because it takes place in Italy and I have a mild - ok, not so mild - obsession with all things Italy-related. Plus, I have discovered various authors I had never heard of this way.
This is the story of the making of a movie based on Margot's book ("The Sixteen Pleasures"). Miranda is set to play her and actually lives with Margot and her boyfriend Woody during the filming of said movie. There is a huge cast of characters that we fall in love with, such as Beryl, wife of the director, Michael, Michael, himself and Esther, the producer. They all play important roles and are each endearing in their own way.
If you enjoy very descriptive books, this one is for you. You'll get to learn all about what's involved in the making of a movie. And, though both Miranda and Margot are not pleased that the story gets totally changed from the original, they end up pleased, despite themselves, with the end result.
I may have to scope out "The Sixteen Pleasures" (Margot's story) and "The Fall of the Sparrow" (Woody's story).
That said, I picked up this book on the "cheap" table at Indigo because it takes place in Italy and I have a mild - ok, not so mild - obsession with all things Italy-related. Plus, I have discovered various authors I had never heard of this way.
This is the story of the making of a movie based on Margot's book ("The Sixteen Pleasures"). Miranda is set to play her and actually lives with Margot and her boyfriend Woody during the filming of said movie. There is a huge cast of characters that we fall in love with, such as Beryl, wife of the director, Michael, Michael, himself and Esther, the producer. They all play important roles and are each endearing in their own way.
If you enjoy very descriptive books, this one is for you. You'll get to learn all about what's involved in the making of a movie. And, though both Miranda and Margot are not pleased that the story gets totally changed from the original, they end up pleased, despite themselves, with the end result.
I may have to scope out "The Sixteen Pleasures" (Margot's story) and "The Fall of the Sparrow" (Woody's story).
May 28, 2021
I guess I read about one chapter of this in 2018, while living in Italy, and got bored. Literally the fact that it was still in my “Currently Reading” list made me get the e-book from the library and finish it three years later, even if it was mostly a hate read. I kept thinking of Franklin Bruno’s infamous review of Our Noise by Jeff Gomez and the new Tales of the City books which I did not like at all.
The book brings together characters and plots from two previous books, which I read and thought were ok. The Sixteen Pleasures was a gift from my mom, and The Fall of a Sparrow was left by someone in my department student lounge. You would think that a book that evokes so many familiar places in Italy, not just Florence but also Naples, Rome, and Venice, would be delightful for me, but you would be wrong.
The book brings together characters and plots from two previous books, which I read and thought were ok. The Sixteen Pleasures was a gift from my mom, and The Fall of a Sparrow was left by someone in my department student lounge. You would think that a book that evokes so many familiar places in Italy, not just Florence but also Naples, Rome, and Venice, would be delightful for me, but you would be wrong.
June 26, 2018
Reading Hellenga made me want to book a flight for Florence with a stopover in Rome - immediately.
A master story teller in a subtle, understated style, Helenga engages the reader in all forms of art - including the art of living. History, myth, geography and BEAUTY adorn these pages and you'll regret reaching the end...
A master story teller in a subtle, understated style, Helenga engages the reader in all forms of art - including the art of living. History, myth, geography and BEAUTY adorn these pages and you'll regret reaching the end...
August 20, 2018
American born woman ‘on the hunt’ with lots of characters; sometimes hard to keep track of who is who; portions of the story are very well told, but the majority is just so-so; 2007, 340 pgs., purchased hardback
November 12, 2018
3-1/2 stars. Not deep, but what I needed right now. I hadn’t read the previous books, so they may have helped. The characters weren’t fully developed, and the ending was stupid, but I read it in a week. Love books based in Italy.
August 7, 2019
A lovely novel. Nothing too exciting just well written complex characters who take you on a journey in Florence as well as help you think about life.
July 19, 2009
An interesting book...mostly because it took place in Florence, to where i'm soon traveling...and drew heavily on locations in the city.
Two of the main characters, Margot and Woody, are characters in two of Hellenga's previous books..."The Sixteen Pleasures" and "The Fall of a Sparrow".
Despite not having read those two books, this one was easy to fall into. It's all about a group of characters involved in the filming of a book Margot wrote when she was a young woman in Florence. You can find that story in "The Sixteen Pleasures".
The plot flows from one charcter to the next...all moving together from different locations to Florence...then returning to where they came after the filming is complete. Some characters find something, some lose something...everyone learns something.
Dolce far niente. My new motto...popped up in this book...i was pleased to be able to read it and comprehend.
Two of the main characters, Margot and Woody, are characters in two of Hellenga's previous books..."The Sixteen Pleasures" and "The Fall of a Sparrow".
Despite not having read those two books, this one was easy to fall into. It's all about a group of characters involved in the filming of a book Margot wrote when she was a young woman in Florence. You can find that story in "The Sixteen Pleasures".
The plot flows from one charcter to the next...all moving together from different locations to Florence...then returning to where they came after the filming is complete. Some characters find something, some lose something...everyone learns something.
Dolce far niente. My new motto...popped up in this book...i was pleased to be able to read it and comprehend.
February 18, 2008
I was terribly, horribly disappointed in this book. I read The Sixteen Pleasures before I read The Italian Lover and I am let down. The Sixteen Pleasures was beautifully written. I loved all of the details of Florence, of book binding, of the language and the food.I loved the characters and felt that I knew them. I couldn't wait to start this book, continuing with the characters from Hellenga's last novel. Bah, that's what I have to say now. I may edit and improve my rating once I've had a chance to digest, but I had high hopes for this one. I'm grateful I didn't run out to buy all of his other novels, as was my instinct.
July 28, 2009
If you love Italy (I do!) and you love art and books (ditto!) you will enjoy this book. It is helpful to the plot if you have read two previous books by this author, "The Sixteen Pleasures" and "The Fall of the Sparrow" but not absolutely necessary. Hellenga takes the main character from each and writes a new story of what happens to them after the previous books each end. I have always suspected that the characters of my favorite books continue living once I close the covers on their books and now my theory has been proved. Bravo!
July 21, 2010
I like Robert Hellenga's writing...though I'm not sure I'd call it great literature. Certainly not just best seller stuff. This book is the third of a loose trilogy. Characters in each book reappear. "The Italian Lover" deals with the making of a movie in Florence based on the first book of the trilogy, "The Sixteen Pleasures" which I found delightful. I would recommend all three books (the second one, Philosophy Made Simple, deals with the father of the main character in the first and third books. It's quirky and great fun.)
September 4, 2010
Not the best of writing, & yet I found myself reading late into the night. Again, the story isnt that riveting (about the movie-making of a woman's life experience in Florence), but the characters are interesting & of course the descriptions of Florence are what really keep you reading.
At the end of the book I noticed the author also wrote "the 16 pleasures" which is the fictional book the movie is made after. Since the story was so heavily based on this other book, I am thinking it would be good to read....
A quick read, not the best, but something to read at night.
At the end of the book I noticed the author also wrote "the 16 pleasures" which is the fictional book the movie is made after. Since the story was so heavily based on this other book, I am thinking it would be good to read....
A quick read, not the best, but something to read at night.
February 15, 2008
I finished this book just in time for book group but will not be attending the meeting, alas. This was a pleasant read, and I especially enjoyed all the descriptions of food, and a little bit of insider look at film making, and book restoration. I never really felt the characters though, and was not all that invested in the story. I did like that there were several strong older female characters.
April 20, 2010
I enjoy this author's books because they follow the same characters from one family through various times in their lives. The family members meet people from the author's other books.
This story took place in Florence so I used my Eyewitness Italy Tour book to look up the places where the characters were visiting. I still liked the "Philosophy Made Simple" book the best, but this one was pretty good too.
This story took place in Florence so I used my Eyewitness Italy Tour book to look up the places where the characters were visiting. I still liked the "Philosophy Made Simple" book the best, but this one was pretty good too.
August 2, 2010
This is the sequel to The Sixteen Pleasures, and it takes place 25 years after the first book. In the intervening years, Margot wrote a book about her adventures that is being made into a movie in Florence. This brings all kinds of interesting characters into her life, and causes her to re-evaluate the choices she has made. Although I loved all the new characters, everyone is too perfect--even the bad guys are good guys. Reading this left me pining for Italy!
December 6, 2007
I LOVE Robert Hellenga. This is, like his other books, masterful. One of the really great things about him is that he writes very funny passages in the midst of serious drama, comic relief if you will. Like Fall of the Sparrow, I found myself laughing out loud several times. Important characters from Fall of the Sparrow and Sixteen Pleasures meet in this book.
April 20, 2008
I feel as if I know Robert Hellenga well, having read three of his previous four novels. In this one, we meet the characters from his first two books, Margot and Woody and it is like meeting old friends and catching up on their lives. The flow of the book is lyrical, the people are complex but understandable and there are many truths to be found here.
September 24, 2010
Oh man, I do not like this book. I recall Sixteen Pleasures being one of my favorite books, so I'm sticking with it, but it's a chore.
Follow up... ending up finishing it. By the end the characters became slightly more likable and less one-dimensional so I give it 2 stars. Sixteen Pleasures would have been better off without a sequel.
Follow up... ending up finishing it. By the end the characters became slightly more likable and less one-dimensional so I give it 2 stars. Sixteen Pleasures would have been better off without a sequel.
February 20, 2008
Good book. It is about a woman who is the author of a bestselling novel, who lives in Italy, and has her bestseller made into a movie. I've been to Italy a few times, and I love the culture. The book is a romance and very well written.
Read
April 9, 2009Poorly developed characters and disjointed storyline. By page 129 I realized "Who cares?" and gave it a toss. Too bad, I so throughly enjoyed Philosophy Made Simple that it encouraged me to read The Sixteen Pleasures which was not as good and now this one, which is downright bad. Sigh.
September 11, 2012
This story ties his other novels (Fall of a Sparrow & Sixteen Pleasures) together. Some shallow characters, but what good stories don't have them? It was nice to check in with Margot and Woody, bittersweet, but delicious! Good Read
March 27, 2010
It is a good story overall, but had too may dry spots that made this book hard to keep an intrest in. When you have several other books waiting to be read and returned to the library, a good overall story is not enough.
September 7, 2015
I greatly admired (and enjoyed) The Sixteen Pleasures. This "sequel" was dreadful--more reminiscent of The Bridges of Madison County than its actual predecessor. I finished reading it, but consider that process a dreadful waste of time.
August 27, 2010
While not as rich as his other books, this allows you to tie up loose ends with characters from The Sixteen Pleasures and The Fall of a Sparrow. And who can ever quarrel with a Hellenga book set in Florence?
October 19, 2011
I saw this book at the store at the Uffizi and since I had read and enjoyed The 16 Pleasures, I thought this might be a fun sequel. It lived up to expectation, but The Sixteen Pleasures was still better.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews