Here are my favorite books associated with Italy. Click on a book title or image to purchase.

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A Room With A View – E.M. Forster

Lucy has grown up in Edwardian England with a strict set of societal expectations that her life is governed by. When she accompanies her cousin on a trip to Florence, her notions of the world are flipped on their head by the curious characters staying at her hotel. Mr. Emerson and his son George are the most peculiar. Lucy finds herself drawn to them, despite their unconventional way of thinking and her cousin’s disapproval. Her strange encounters with the Emersons change the way she sees the world. As a result, when Lucy returns home, she struggles to fit back into the life that her family been so carefully curated for her.

Thoughts: This book is a little dated, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. At the beginning, Lucy is a girl with no original thoughts who emulates the boring women around her. Italy changes her into a young woman capable of forming her own opinions and acting on her own beliefs. The book has a lot of inner dialogue where Lucy questions her thought process, which becomes increasingly interesting as her character matures. Forster gives beautifully detailed descriptions of Florence that left me yearning to return.