One Summer Day in Rome

June 5, 2017
A mysterious blue tile connects the lives of two elderly British women, a middle-aged American couple in a rut, and a young woman escaping her New York life in Lamprell’s (The Full Ridiculous) sparkly Roman romance. Narrated by a mystical “quantum mechanic” who arranges matters of love in the Eternal City, the novel follows three almost completely separate stories. Shy college student Alice travels to Rome from New York to escape the dreary life her powerful mother has laid out for her and meets a group of young British students. Meg, an interior design blogger, and Alec, the owner of a lighting retail conglomerate, plan to find the tile maker who crafted the gorgeous blue tile Meg has carried with her for years—but their madcap mission threatens to break their marriage. And in the final thread, Constance makes the trip to Rome with her sister-in-law so they can spread her late husband’s ashes, and maybe find some answers about his life. As in many romantic comedies that rely on interconnected stories to fuel the plot, none of the three tales firmly stands on its own, and the tile, although an interesting metaphor, barely ties the three tales together. Despite these flaws, the characters have enough spirit to carry them through tropes that haven’t aged as well as the ancient city where they play out.

The genie of the city of Rome narrates this tale of love, performed in a soft voice by Steve West. Three couples and their stories become intertwined on a single day in Rome. Alice, a student from New York City; a couple whose marriage is shredding at the seams; and a woman and her sister-in-law are all in Rome for various reasons. Using diverse accents, West delivers most of the story steadily, yet at times his voice fills with passion. The three-part plot takes a long time to coalesce, testing the patience of listeners. But the descriptions of Rome are romantic, exciting, and scary, feelings experienced by lovers the world over. M.B.K. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine