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Italian for Beginners
In this romantic whirlwind of a novel, follow Cat as she flies to Italy to rediscover who she is, and takes the chance of a lifetime.Thirty-four-year-old Manhattan accountant Cat Connelly has always lived life on the safe side. But after her little sister gets married, Cat wonders if she has condemned herself to a life of boredom by playing by the rules. To shake herself free from her old life, she decides to accept an invitation to spend a month with an old flame in Italy. But her reunion with the slick and gorgeous Francesco is short-lived, and she finds herself suddenly alone in Rome.Now, she must see if she has the courage to live outside the lines for the first time—and to face a past she never understood. It will take an unexpected friendship with a fiery Italian waitress, a whirlwind Vespa tour of the Eternal City with a handsome stranger, and a surprise encounter with an old acquaintance to show Cat that life doesn't always work out the way you expect, but sometimes you have to have fall in order to fly.
386 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2009
193 people are currently reading
4602 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Harmel
28 books16k followersKristin Harmel is the New York Times bestselling, USA Today bestselling, and #1 international bestselling author of The Paris Daughter, The Forest of Vanishing Stars, The Book of Lost Names, The Winemaker’s Wife, and a dozen other novels that have been translated into more than 30 languages and are sold all over the world.
Kristin has been writing professionally since the age of 16, when she began her career as a sportswriter, covering Major League Baseball and NHL hockey for a local magazine in Tampa Bay, Florida in the late 1990s. In addition to a long magazine writing career, primarily writing and reporting for PEOPLE magazine (as well as articles published in numerous other magazines, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Woman’s Day, and more), Kristin was also a frequent contributor to the national television morning show The Daily Buzz. She sold her first novel in 2004, and it debuted in February 2006.
Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there, as well as in Worthington, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her husband and young son. She is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.
Kristin has been writing professionally since the age of 16, when she began her career as a sportswriter, covering Major League Baseball and NHL hockey for a local magazine in Tampa Bay, Florida in the late 1990s. In addition to a long magazine writing career, primarily writing and reporting for PEOPLE magazine (as well as articles published in numerous other magazines, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Woman’s Day, and more), Kristin was also a frequent contributor to the national television morning show The Daily Buzz. She sold her first novel in 2004, and it debuted in February 2006.
Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there, as well as in Worthington, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her husband and young son. She is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
October 20, 2009
If this is your first chick-lit, you’ll enjoy it thoroughly. And if it’s your 55th chick-lit, you may not be blown away by the story but will still come away with a warm fuzzy feeling. I come under the latter category and ‘Italian for Beginners’ was a fun romp.
The plot has been done to death… Sensible yet single heroine on the wrong side of thirty…nosey relatives who love to drop poisonous barbs at every given opportunity (especially at embarrassing public gatherings like weddings)…unresolved issues with a deceased parent....a well-paying though dead-end job…and the cherry on the cake: a non-existent love-life. Say hello to our heroine:Cat Connelly.
Cat meets the seemingly perfect man, but things go awry when she learns that he is married. In a bid to break out of her safe mould, she scoots off to Rome (a place she has always loved), where she hopes to reunite with an old flame. But the book is 340-pages thick and Cat’s problems cannot be solved so soon. She encounters crazy situations and messy emotions that she could have done without. She learns to deal with her past baggage. She rediscovers her self…her self-worth…and people who prop her up with their buoyancy and sheer pig-headedness.
And the whole transformation was brought about in a glorious setting…the dusty, mellow around the edges, steeped in culture Roma . These were the parts I liked best. The author, Kirstin Harmel lets her love for the ancient city pour out through tiny but delicious descriptions, like:
I started off getting irritated with Cat’s seeming lack of backbone to feeling happy as I watched her grow, glow and shed her insecurities. A sweet light read that gives you a few moist-eyed moments; but mostly fills you with a strong yearning to wear a white sundress, a floppy straw-hat, gladiator-sandals and have your own l'il Roman Holiday
The plot has been done to death… Sensible yet single heroine on the wrong side of thirty…nosey relatives who love to drop poisonous barbs at every given opportunity (especially at embarrassing public gatherings like weddings)…unresolved issues with a deceased parent....a well-paying though dead-end job…and the cherry on the cake: a non-existent love-life. Say hello to our heroine:Cat Connelly.
Cat meets the seemingly perfect man, but things go awry when she learns that he is married. In a bid to break out of her safe mould, she scoots off to Rome (a place she has always loved), where she hopes to reunite with an old flame. But the book is 340-pages thick and Cat’s problems cannot be solved so soon. She encounters crazy situations and messy emotions that she could have done without. She learns to deal with her past baggage. She rediscovers her self…her self-worth…and people who prop her up with their buoyancy and sheer pig-headedness.
And the whole transformation was brought about in a glorious setting…the dusty, mellow around the edges, steeped in culture Roma . These were the parts I liked best. The author, Kirstin Harmel lets her love for the ancient city pour out through tiny but delicious descriptions, like:
I took a deep breath, soaking in the smells around me; baking bread from a nearby bakery; a hint of lavender perfume hanging in the air from the giggling pair of twenty-something girls who had just passed by; the slightly salty, slighty muddy smell of the Tiber river, drifting in from a block away.
I started off getting irritated with Cat’s seeming lack of backbone to feeling happy as I watched her grow, glow and shed her insecurities. A sweet light read that gives you a few moist-eyed moments; but mostly fills you with a strong yearning to wear a white sundress, a floppy straw-hat, gladiator-sandals and have your own l'il Roman Holiday
June 2, 2025
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/איטל...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/איטל...
April 6, 2022
הסיבה היחידה שקראתי אותו כי פשוט רציתי לקרוא משהו קליל שאני לא אחשוב עליו הרבה,
הספר הזה דומה לחמישים ספרים בעולם הזה
אישה בשנות ה30 שלא מצאה בעל אז כולם בחיים שלה לא לוקחים אותה ברצינות, קורה לה משהו ואז היא מחליטה לנסוע ולחפש הרפתקה.
הדמות הראשית הייתה די מעצבנת ולא סבלנית, כל ההחלטות בחיים שלה עשו אנשים אחרים. וכל הדרמה בספר הייתה יכולה להימנע אם היא הייתה פשוט עוצרת, מקשיבה ונותנת לו להסביר .
קצת עצבן אותי הספר הזה
הספר הזה דומה לחמישים ספרים בעולם הזה
אישה בשנות ה30 שלא מצאה בעל אז כולם בחיים שלה לא לוקחים אותה ברצינות, קורה לה משהו ואז היא מחליטה לנסוע ולחפש הרפתקה.
הדמות הראשית הייתה די מעצבנת ולא סבלנית, כל ההחלטות בחיים שלה עשו אנשים אחרים. וכל הדרמה בספר הייתה יכולה להימנע אם היא הייתה פשוט עוצרת, מקשיבה ונותנת לו להסביר .
קצת עצבן אותי הספר הזה
September 16, 2009
The only way I forced myself to finish this book was because I'd hurt my back the night before and this was the only book I could reach without getting up. :P
The idea is really not terrible (and neither was the descriptions of Italy and the ending was kind of cute, otherwise, I'd have given it only one star), but the execution lacked... something. I think I'd have preferred this as a short story. The word "wonderment" was used twice, and that's twice too many. Several characters' jaws dropped more than once (probably ever other page.) Everyone, including the men, murmured, smirked, and blushed. The main character is supposed to be mature and someone who's always had to take care of her family since her mother left, and then came back, and then died, but she has no faith in herself, and while she always martyrs herself and says it's because she has always been the dependable one (which I actually empathize with, but not in the way she goes on and on), she never says until the end of the book that it's because she always felt as if she had to be perfect or someone else would leave her, too, which makes her a lot more sympathetic. I think the short story version could have cut out a lot of the lengthy hemming and hawing of the main character (whom I hated, even at the end), and just let her have fun in Rome. She is a boring accountant in NY, but mentions constantly out of context how more in control of her life she feels when she's behind a camera, but she insists when people start lavishing her with compliments about her art and great talent that photography's just a hobby. She always thinks before someone praises her that they are about to either walk away without saying anything or else will tell her she sucks. It just got old. And the Roman Holiday parallels... enough already! Although now I do want to see the movie again. So at least there's that. :P
I think I'm just tired of typical chick lit, and that's not the author's fault. All in all, she had a good idea, but I doubt I'll read anything else by her unless someone else who didn't like this book thinks she improved later in her writing.
The idea is really not terrible (and neither was the descriptions of Italy and the ending was kind of cute, otherwise, I'd have given it only one star), but the execution lacked... something. I think I'd have preferred this as a short story. The word "wonderment" was used twice, and that's twice too many. Several characters' jaws dropped more than once (probably ever other page.) Everyone, including the men, murmured, smirked, and blushed. The main character is supposed to be mature and someone who's always had to take care of her family since her mother left, and then came back, and then died, but she has no faith in herself, and while she always martyrs herself and says it's because she has always been the dependable one (which I actually empathize with, but not in the way she goes on and on), she never says until the end of the book that it's because she always felt as if she had to be perfect or someone else would leave her, too, which makes her a lot more sympathetic. I think the short story version could have cut out a lot of the lengthy hemming and hawing of the main character (whom I hated, even at the end), and just let her have fun in Rome. She is a boring accountant in NY, but mentions constantly out of context how more in control of her life she feels when she's behind a camera, but she insists when people start lavishing her with compliments about her art and great talent that photography's just a hobby. She always thinks before someone praises her that they are about to either walk away without saying anything or else will tell her she sucks. It just got old. And the Roman Holiday parallels... enough already! Although now I do want to see the movie again. So at least there's that. :P
I think I'm just tired of typical chick lit, and that's not the author's fault. All in all, she had a good idea, but I doubt I'll read anything else by her unless someone else who didn't like this book thinks she improved later in her writing.
September 14, 2016
Nếu bạn thích nước Ý với vẻ nồng nhiệt và lãng mạn bất tử của nó, đây có lẽ là quyển sách phù hợp với bạn.
Nếu bạn đang hài lòng với công việc ngày làm 8 tiếng, mọi chuyện đều xảy như kế hoạch, và theo kế hoạch, bạn có lẽ sẽ ... đột nhiên thích cuốn sách này ... vì nó sẽ khiến bạn tự đặt câu hỏi mình, phải chăng đời mình đang quá tẻ nhạt. Có thể bạn sẽ cảm thấy muốn thay đổi, muốn thêm xíu màu mè vào cuộc đời êm ái xoay vần giữa sắc thái trắng-xám-đen hiện tại. Có thể từ đấy bạn sẽ tìm thấy mảnh ghép tuyệt diệu còn thiếu lâu nay.
Nếu bạn thích chick-lit (như tôi này), có lẽ bạn nên đọc quyển sách này, vì những câu chuyện như vầy luôn kết thúc có hậu, và khiến bản thân nhẹ nhõm.
Còn tôi, đọc xong, cười toét, nhủ rằng đời vẫn tươi chán, mình vẫn còn trẻ khỏe chán, đọc mãi đến 2am mà chả buồn ngủ. :)
Nếu bạn đang hài lòng với công việc ngày làm 8 tiếng, mọi chuyện đều xảy như kế hoạch, và theo kế hoạch, bạn có lẽ sẽ ... đột nhiên thích cuốn sách này ... vì nó sẽ khiến bạn tự đặt câu hỏi mình, phải chăng đời mình đang quá tẻ nhạt. Có thể bạn sẽ cảm thấy muốn thay đổi, muốn thêm xíu màu mè vào cuộc đời êm ái xoay vần giữa sắc thái trắng-xám-đen hiện tại. Có thể từ đấy bạn sẽ tìm thấy mảnh ghép tuyệt diệu còn thiếu lâu nay.
Nếu bạn thích chick-lit (như tôi này), có lẽ bạn nên đọc quyển sách này, vì những câu chuyện như vầy luôn kết thúc có hậu, và khiến bản thân nhẹ nhõm.
Còn tôi, đọc xong, cười toét, nhủ rằng đời vẫn tươi chán, mình vẫn còn trẻ khỏe chán, đọc mãi đến 2am mà chả buồn ngủ. :)
October 6, 2021
ספר די קיטשי אבל חמוד.
אמה של קט עזבה את הבית כשקט היתה בת 13, וקט לקחה על עצמה את ניהול הבית והמשפחה. גם לאחר שהאם חזרה, קט לא הסכימה לסלוח לה והאם לבסוף נפטרה מבלי שיתפייסו. קט בת 34, רואת חשבון, טרם הצליחה למצוא בן זוג שמצא חן בעיניה. קט אינה חובבת נטילת סיכונים, חייה שגרתיים והיא מגוננת מאוד על אביה ואחותה, שהיא ההפך הגמור ממנה. בעקבות חתונתה של אחותה ודייט לא מוצלח עם בעל מסעדה איטלקי, קט משתכנעת לנסוע לרומא כדי לחדש את הקשר עם פרנצ'סקו, שהיה אהובה בקיץ שבו בילתה ברומא כשהיתה בת 21. המפגש עם פרנצ'סקו לא צולח, וקט מוצאת את עצמה לבד ברומא. מלצרית בשם קארינה ובעל מסעדה שהיא פוגשת מתגייסים לעזור לה. ברומא גם גרה משפחתה של אמה המנוחה, וקט מתלבטת אם לסגור מעגל וליצור איתם קשר.
כל הבעיות נפתרות בספר יותר מידי בקלות, המסע שעוברת הגיבורה לא לגמרי אמין, אבל הספר מאוד חמוד ונעים לקריאה, ועשה לי חשק לראות את הסרט "חופשה ברומא" עם אודרי הפבורן. בסך הכול נהניתי.
אמה של קט עזבה את הבית כשקט היתה בת 13, וקט לקחה על עצמה את ניהול הבית והמשפחה. גם לאחר שהאם חזרה, קט לא הסכימה לסלוח לה והאם לבסוף נפטרה מבלי שיתפייסו. קט בת 34, רואת חשבון, טרם הצליחה למצוא בן זוג שמצא חן בעיניה. קט אינה חובבת נטילת סיכונים, חייה שגרתיים והיא מגוננת מאוד על אביה ואחותה, שהיא ההפך הגמור ממנה. בעקבות חתונתה של אחותה ודייט לא מוצלח עם בעל מסעדה איטלקי, קט משתכנעת לנסוע לרומא כדי לחדש את הקשר עם פרנצ'סקו, שהיה אהובה בקיץ שבו בילתה ברומא כשהיתה בת 21. המפגש עם פרנצ'סקו לא צולח, וקט מוצאת את עצמה לבד ברומא. מלצרית בשם קארינה ובעל מסעדה שהיא פוגשת מתגייסים לעזור לה. ברומא גם גרה משפחתה של אמה המנוחה, וקט מתלבטת אם לסגור מעגל וליצור איתם קשר.
כל הבעיות נפתרות בספר יותר מידי בקלות, המסע שעוברת הגיבורה לא לגמרי אמין, אבל הספר מאוד חמוד ונעים לקריאה, ועשה לי חשק לראות את הסרט "חופשה ברומא" עם אודרי הפבורן. בסך הכול נהניתי.
July 27, 2012
This book is a WOW! Such an amazing one! When i first saw the book, i wasn't interested at all 'cause i thought it's merely a guide for beginners wanting to be proficient in the Italian Language..But..i was wrong. This book now is one of my favorites!
I love Cat Conelly! Such a lovely woman, i guess. I admire her character being a loving daughter and a sister. There's Marco too, and i super love him!! He's so cool, kind-hearted and a real gentleman.. Haha, i'm actually fantasizing to be with a man like him. (oh well, there's only very few of them in this world i know). I feel like Marco deserve Cat better than anybody else including Michael. He's the one who encouraged Cat to face and overcome the issues with her mother,and of course because of him, Cat's Roman Holiday became so beautiful and worth remembering. I obviously want him to end up with Cat, unfortunately it didn't turn out that way:( I wish Kristin Harmel, made a different side of the story like......Michael found a different woman to love who is as nice as Cat, or.....He and Karina, Cat's friend and landlady, developed feelings toward each other and they end up together.Hahaha:)
I'm not a classic movie lover but this time i felt the urge of watching one, that is the Roman Holiday. Maybe soon, i still don't have the copy..But it's one thing that i look forward this weekend. I've never been to Rome as well. My top priorities in my destination list have always been Japan, Canada, US, London but I think I'm gonna include Rome this time..
Kristin Harmel did a good job in all her books. Two thumbs-up for "Italian for Beginners"! (haha..i wanna say it again, i want Cat and Marco together, could u make another story for them, Kristin?? Haha..oh well she'll never read this, i know!! hehe)
I love Cat Conelly! Such a lovely woman, i guess. I admire her character being a loving daughter and a sister. There's Marco too, and i super love him!! He's so cool, kind-hearted and a real gentleman.. Haha, i'm actually fantasizing to be with a man like him. (oh well, there's only very few of them in this world i know). I feel like Marco deserve Cat better than anybody else including Michael. He's the one who encouraged Cat to face and overcome the issues with her mother,and of course because of him, Cat's Roman Holiday became so beautiful and worth remembering. I obviously want him to end up with Cat, unfortunately it didn't turn out that way:( I wish Kristin Harmel, made a different side of the story like......Michael found a different woman to love who is as nice as Cat, or.....He and Karina, Cat's friend and landlady, developed feelings toward each other and they end up together.Hahaha:)
I'm not a classic movie lover but this time i felt the urge of watching one, that is the Roman Holiday. Maybe soon, i still don't have the copy..But it's one thing that i look forward this weekend. I've never been to Rome as well. My top priorities in my destination list have always been Japan, Canada, US, London but I think I'm gonna include Rome this time..
Kristin Harmel did a good job in all her books. Two thumbs-up for "Italian for Beginners"! (haha..i wanna say it again, i want Cat and Marco together, could u make another story for them, Kristin?? Haha..oh well she'll never read this, i know!! hehe)
March 21, 2020
I was hoping for a fun romantic book. Instead, I read a corny unimaginative predictable story. I expected a lot more from this author.
May 4, 2024
Very fun book to read as the author describes places I have been to. I really liked the story and enjoyed the character's journey.
September 21, 2020
קט, רווקה ניו יורקית בת 35 ורואת חשבון, עוברת השפלה קלה בחתונה של אחותה. כמה קלה? משהו שדי דומה למה שחווה רווקה ישראלית ממוצעת כמעט בכל חתונה. בכל מקרה, אצל קט זה מוביל לשרשרת אירועים שבסופם היא מחליטה לנער את חיי השיגרה הבטוחים שלה ולנסוע לרומא בעקבות אהוב נעורים. כשהיא מגיעה לרומא היא מגלה שאהוב הנעורים הוא לא אדם כזה נפלא ושהיא בעצם תקועה בעיר זרה בלי מקום לינה. מפה מתחיל סוג של מסע גילוי עצמי של קט.
הבעיה העיקרית של הסיפור היא הגיבורה שלו. קט היא אישה די מעצבנת. היא אמורה להיות דמות מרשימה שלקחה על כתפיה את הטיפול באביה ובאחותה הקטנה לאחר שאמם עזבה את הבית, אבל בפועל היא מצטיירת כדמות שלא מסוגלת לחשוב ולקחת החלטות בעצמה. כל צעד שלה בסיפור הזה מונע על ידי אנשים אחרים, גם ההחלטה על הנסיעה לרומא, גם ההחלטה איפה ללון ברומא, גם ההחלטה לפגוש את משפחת אמה וכך הלאה לאורך כל הספר. וגם כשניתנת לה ההזדמנות לעשות משהו בעצמה, היא מצליחה לפספס את זה בסירוב שלה לנהל תקשורת פתוחה ולהקשיב למה שיש לאנשים לומר לה. מכיוון שלא הצלחתי להתחבר לדמות של קט, היה לי קצת קשה להנות מהקתרזיס בסופו של הספר.
נתתי לספר 3 כוכבים בעיקר כי זה ספר טיסה קליל שנקרא במהירות, אבל מבחינת העלילה לא מגיע לספר הזה יותר מ-2 כוכבים. בקיצור, ספר של 2.5 כוכבים.
הבעיה העיקרית של הסיפור היא הגיבורה שלו. קט היא אישה די מעצבנת. היא אמורה להיות דמות מרשימה שלקחה על כתפיה את הטיפול באביה ובאחותה הקטנה לאחר שאמם עזבה את הבית, אבל בפועל היא מצטיירת כדמות שלא מסוגלת לחשוב ולקחת החלטות בעצמה. כל צעד שלה בסיפור הזה מונע על ידי אנשים אחרים, גם ההחלטה על הנסיעה לרומא, גם ההחלטה איפה ללון ברומא, גם ההחלטה לפגוש את משפחת אמה וכך הלאה לאורך כל הספר. וגם כשניתנת לה ההזדמנות לעשות משהו בעצמה, היא מצליחה לפספס את זה בסירוב שלה לנהל תקשורת פתוחה ולהקשיב למה שיש לאנשים לומר לה. מכיוון שלא הצלחתי להתחבר לדמות של קט, היה לי קצת קשה להנות מהקתרזיס בסופו של הספר.
נתתי לספר 3 כוכבים בעיקר כי זה ספר טיסה קליל שנקרא במהירות, אבל מבחינת העלילה לא מגיע לספר הזה יותר מ-2 כוכבים. בקיצור, ספר של 2.5 כוכבים.
February 6, 2017
i love this author. i love italy. i loved this story. i felt as if i were in Roma experiencung this life. Just what i needed!
January 25, 2010
My lifelong and recently-renewed love of Italy led me astray with this book. The plot felt contrived -- not true to how people really behave (if you have someone staying with you and you know they don't speak the local language, do you really walk off and leave them alone in an unfamiliar neighborhood in the middle of the night?) -- and I couldn't connect with the narrator at all. 1st person narratives only work for me if the narrator is an interested and articulate observer of what is going on around them, which this one was not.
Not the worst book I've ever read, but I probably wouldn't have bothered with it if I had picked it up in a bookstore instead of coming across it online, where I couldn't read a few pages. Live and learn -- and put this one in the give-away bag right away.
Not the worst book I've ever read, but I probably wouldn't have bothered with it if I had picked it up in a bookstore instead of coming across it online, where I couldn't read a few pages. Live and learn -- and put this one in the give-away bag right away.
January 19, 2018
More than 10 years ago, Cat spent a wonderful summer in Rome, Italy. Mostly thanks to her handsome Italian lover. Now she is 35 and has a somewhat boring life in New York City, at least that's what everyone is telling her. After a disappointing date with a man she initially thought she could fall for, she acts on a whim and contacts her ex-lover Francesco and plans a one-month vacation in Rome.
Turns out, that old memories better stay memories so that they don't get spoiled by the new light of day. But Cat soon finds new friends and gets to have a real "Roman Holiday". And she also faces up to another ghost from her past.
It was nice to accompany Cat to Rome. The setting was really a nice change from many other Chick-lit novels. The rest was just average, and I have to say that in the end I didn't really care if Cat ends up with a man and who it will be. She was nice, alright, but I just didn't feel emotionally connected.
At least it made me want to watch "Roman Holiday" with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn again. One of my favorites of the classic black-and-white romantic movies. I haven't watched it for probably 20 years or so, but thankfully I had it already on DVD and now finally a good reason to watch it.
Turns out, that old memories better stay memories so that they don't get spoiled by the new light of day. But Cat soon finds new friends and gets to have a real "Roman Holiday". And she also faces up to another ghost from her past.
It was nice to accompany Cat to Rome. The setting was really a nice change from many other Chick-lit novels. The rest was just average, and I have to say that in the end I didn't really care if Cat ends up with a man and who it will be. She was nice, alright, but I just didn't feel emotionally connected.
At least it made me want to watch "Roman Holiday" with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn again. One of my favorites of the classic black-and-white romantic movies. I haven't watched it for probably 20 years or so, but thankfully I had it already on DVD and now finally a good reason to watch it.
June 27, 2021
This was a fun read that made me feel like I was exploring Rome and got me even more excited to visit there next year. I enjoyed the quirky characters, cultural references and humor. A good book to read on vacation or if you feel like being transported to Italy.
August 13, 2024
At first I almost quit-it seemed like just another typical romance story with an overly self-analytical main character. But then it took a turn and a few more twists and it was interesting and make me want to grab a camera and go to Rome. I will look for some more of her books.
July 15, 2018
This story makes you feel like you're on a Roman Holiday. It's a solid sweet story !❤️
June 2, 2020
Nice story about a thirty something women's adventures in finding herself. Fun read!
July 30, 2021
Точната книга за ваканция! Предвидима, но и някак любима заради Рим!
January 7, 2024
I loved this story of one woman’s discovery of what she really wants from life while spending a month in beautiful Roma. Another great book by Kristin Harmel.
August 4, 2018
W sam raz na lato, idealna gdy wiesz, że lecisz do Rzymu za miesiąc :)
Wspomnienia wracają :)
Wspomnienia wracają :)
March 11, 2020
So predictable, so boring.
August 5, 2025
its cute, but at no point did she learn italian
March 4, 2017
Wow!! What a great story.... I felt as though I was right there watching it all happen!!!
October 9, 2010
This is one of the few books where the cover truly tells a part of the story. The young woman with her dark bobbed hair, the handsome man with a chiseled jaw, and a Vespa are instantly enough to bring to mind the famous Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday. That's actually a good thing, as the film plays an important role in the story--one that I found both unexpected and delightful.
As the novel opens, Cat is a bridesmaid at her young sister's wedding. Their grandmother (seemingly in early stages of Alzheimer's) causes a ruckus, asking Cat in the middle of the ceremony why she isn't married yet. Between that public humiliation, and a divine--but then disastrous--date with a man she met at the reception, Cat realizes that something has to change in her life.
Since she was 11 years old, she's always been the responsible person in her family. That was the year her mother left them, inexplicably, and Cat found herself trying desperately to be a mother to her younger sister and keep the household functioning. Her mother returned five years later, and Cat never forgave her--which became a serious problem for her when Cat's mother died unexpectedly a few years later, leaving so much unresolved between them.
At the instigation of her family and a friendly coworker, Cat decides to return to Rome. She'd been there once before as a junior in college, and she'd fallen madly in love with an Italian named Francesco. Maybe, she reasons, the reason that she's been so unlucky in love since then is because she turned her back on it so long ago . . .
Except that Francesco isn't the man she remembered. Finding herself stuck in Rome for a month, Cat decides that she's going to stay and make the trip something to remember. And does she ever. By taking chances and opening herself to new friendships, Cat begins the slow and painful business of confronting the ghosts of her past so that she can actually have a future.
I, too, lost my mother when I was young. I don't normally enjoy books about motherless daughters, especially when that is the defining fact of their character, but this one was different. I hate to call a book "relatable," as I think that's one of the worst sorts of adjectives. Books should be considered good whether or not a reader can relate to the characters. But I did see parts of myself in Cat, which causes a bit of a dilemma for me. So, instead of saying that I enjoyed this book because I found Cat to be relatable, I'll simply say that Harmel's characters are psychologically real and complicated, with uncertain motivations and desires.
I loved this title. I don't know if I'll read Harmel's other books, but Italian for Beginners spoke to me, and I recommend it highly.
As the novel opens, Cat is a bridesmaid at her young sister's wedding. Their grandmother (seemingly in early stages of Alzheimer's) causes a ruckus, asking Cat in the middle of the ceremony why she isn't married yet. Between that public humiliation, and a divine--but then disastrous--date with a man she met at the reception, Cat realizes that something has to change in her life.
Since she was 11 years old, she's always been the responsible person in her family. That was the year her mother left them, inexplicably, and Cat found herself trying desperately to be a mother to her younger sister and keep the household functioning. Her mother returned five years later, and Cat never forgave her--which became a serious problem for her when Cat's mother died unexpectedly a few years later, leaving so much unresolved between them.
At the instigation of her family and a friendly coworker, Cat decides to return to Rome. She'd been there once before as a junior in college, and she'd fallen madly in love with an Italian named Francesco. Maybe, she reasons, the reason that she's been so unlucky in love since then is because she turned her back on it so long ago . . .
Except that Francesco isn't the man she remembered. Finding herself stuck in Rome for a month, Cat decides that she's going to stay and make the trip something to remember. And does she ever. By taking chances and opening herself to new friendships, Cat begins the slow and painful business of confronting the ghosts of her past so that she can actually have a future.
I, too, lost my mother when I was young. I don't normally enjoy books about motherless daughters, especially when that is the defining fact of their character, but this one was different. I hate to call a book "relatable," as I think that's one of the worst sorts of adjectives. Books should be considered good whether or not a reader can relate to the characters. But I did see parts of myself in Cat, which causes a bit of a dilemma for me. So, instead of saying that I enjoyed this book because I found Cat to be relatable, I'll simply say that Harmel's characters are psychologically real and complicated, with uncertain motivations and desires.
I loved this title. I don't know if I'll read Harmel's other books, but Italian for Beginners spoke to me, and I recommend it highly.
October 10, 2010
Italian for Beginners by Kristin Harmel tells the story of Cat Connelly, a New York City accountant. Cat’s life is not very exciting- she goes to work and spends time with her father and her sister with a few not so hot relationships thrown in here and there. She is the definition of dependable.
After her little sister ties the knot, Cat knows she needs to change something in her life. After much debate, she decides to go to Rome, where she spent a semester as a college student. She e-mails her old Italian fling Francesco and goes to Italy to see if what they had was real.
When she arrives in Rome, she learns that Francesco certainly isn’t the same charming Italian man that she remembered. Feeling defeated she almost books a flight home, but decides to stay and finish the adventure she set up to begin.
I knew I’d love this book solely based on the fact that it takes place in Rome and is called Italian for Beginners. I studied abroad in Rome this past summer and I had the time of my life. This book brought me back to all those places I’d grown to love.
Cat is definitely a relateable character though there were more than a few times I wanted to scream at her to just sit down and think a situation through before making snap judgments. I had a hard time believing that she was so completely stubborn at some points throughout the book regarding a certain man.
I loved all of the side characters who quickly became a huge part of the story. You’ll quickly find yourself falling love with the people Cat meets on her journey throughout Rome and you’ll feel like you’re traveling right along with her.
Ever wanted to travel to Rome but couldn’t? The fabulous description of the cobblestone streets of Rome and the quaint shops and piazza’s will make you feel like you’ve been there all your life. Harmel does an excellent job with description and painting a beautiful picture for the reader.
After her little sister ties the knot, Cat knows she needs to change something in her life. After much debate, she decides to go to Rome, where she spent a semester as a college student. She e-mails her old Italian fling Francesco and goes to Italy to see if what they had was real.
When she arrives in Rome, she learns that Francesco certainly isn’t the same charming Italian man that she remembered. Feeling defeated she almost books a flight home, but decides to stay and finish the adventure she set up to begin.
I knew I’d love this book solely based on the fact that it takes place in Rome and is called Italian for Beginners. I studied abroad in Rome this past summer and I had the time of my life. This book brought me back to all those places I’d grown to love.
Cat is definitely a relateable character though there were more than a few times I wanted to scream at her to just sit down and think a situation through before making snap judgments. I had a hard time believing that she was so completely stubborn at some points throughout the book regarding a certain man.
I loved all of the side characters who quickly became a huge part of the story. You’ll quickly find yourself falling love with the people Cat meets on her journey throughout Rome and you’ll feel like you’re traveling right along with her.
Ever wanted to travel to Rome but couldn’t? The fabulous description of the cobblestone streets of Rome and the quaint shops and piazza’s will make you feel like you’ve been there all your life. Harmel does an excellent job with description and painting a beautiful picture for the reader.
Read
August 2, 2011One of my favourite types of books to read are those where the characters are in a different country, where I can learn about a new culture, language, etc. I knew I'd love Italian For Beginners because I love Europe. I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Italy, however Harmel's descriptions of the sights and places in Rome are enough to create a fantastic picture if your mind. I find Harmel's writing style very similar to my own, therefore creating a stronger connection to her work than anticipated. The plot was definitely somewhat predictable, but that doesn't take away from the obvious talent Harmel possesses. Anyone wishing to escape to a foreign location without paying the big bucks to do so, should pick up this book. I look forward to reading her other works!
May 9, 2012
Not her best work but is still pretty good. It was a heart warming story about a girl's relationship with her mother more so than a romance story. I could identify with the character's lifestyle of never living outside the box she created for herself. Reading this made me wish to travel and find an adventure of my own. I felt at times the story seemed to be lacking but i suppose that is only because I am so used to the overly dramatic love tales Harmel usually spins. It was enjoyable to read just not exactly what i was expecting.
April 22, 2018
I have mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed the charm of the story and the nod to Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday, I was a bit taken aback by the behavior of the heroin in the story. Cat was described as someone who doesn’t take risks. It therefore seemed very uncharacteristic for her to sleep with a man that she hadn’t seen in 13 years right off the bat. Then just a short time later, she slept with another. The story would have been just as good without that. I honestly didn’t like Cat for that.
November 15, 2009
I thought this book would be total fluff - I picked it up from the library shelf because it reminded me of Roman Holiday. Come to find out, that's not by accident! While it's a location piece that extolls the virtues of Rome and all thngs Italian (mostly, the food and wine, and the men too!) - it was actually a good life lesson book. The main character learns alot about herself and causes you to think yourself. A good read - quick, weekend fare, but actually substantial as well.
October 2, 2013
I've always been in love with Rome and with the Italian language, so I really enjoyed this book. It was so much fun to read about Cat, her Italian heritage and her old flame in Italy, and I loved the way that the film Roman Holiday was woven into the storyline. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to go back to Italy and find that handsome Italian guy you met on your study abroad trip years ago, then this is the book for you.
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