"Un Amico Italiano: Eat, Pray, Love In Rome" by Luca Spaghetti
I picked this book up at our Book Sale and didn't really know what it was about. I was pleasantly surprised that it was a book about Luca Spaghetti, a character first described in Elizabeth Gilbert's smash memoir Eat, Pray, Love. Personally, I didn't really love that book like a lot of women. The only part I enjoyed was the Italian trip, so this book was right up my alley. Once I figured out Luca Spaghetti was THE Luca Spaghetti, I knew I'd like it since he was my favorite character in the book. In Un Amico Italiano, Luca Spaghetti describes his life in three parts: his early upbringing in Roma, his life-long dream trip to the United States (while taking the Zephyr out West, which sounds so cool), and finally his meeting with Elizabeth Gilbert and the time they spent together when Eat, Pray, Love was happening. First of all, Luca Spaghetti has a ridiculous name but has an enchanted life. I'm not kidding, this guy has had some pretty amazing life experiences which are so coincidental and incredible. In his Roman childhood, he details being a Lazio soccer fan for most of this section. I was most interested in reading more about the famous sites of the city. Sure, I dream of going to Rome, but what would I do once I got there? He details visiting many churches and of course the tourist traps, and I would actually bring this book with me if I ever ventured that way. Also, Luca's exuberance and fun spirit translated well in my opinion. He was obsessed with American music especially James Taylor (who he somewhat stalks when he visits Italy... I'm not kidding, Luca Spaghetti has really fantastic luck. Trust me, I've tried getting back stage at Deer Creek a few times and it was pretty much impossible, and I am a girl!) Elizabeth Gilbert meets Luca through a mutual friend in America, and when they meet, the book definitely picks up a bit more. Luca is afraid Elizabeth will be hard to deal with and impress, but they both just clicked.
Overall, this was a fast and easy read. The new Italian part of me liked reading about all the fun pasta dishes. (and of course all the Italian profanities).
Jen's Rating: ***