Rating: 
Summary: The best book I've read in a long time
Review: When I first read this book, I loved it so much that I did what I usually do when I love a book, movie, piece of music...I waited a week and then read it again, only slower. Everything was the same, only better...Margot's great purchasing of takeout in French, the stopping of the train, the great Harvard underwear scene, the description of their mother's last words (not), the wonderful walk to Settignano, the incredible love affair, and the great auction scene...It was an incredible book...I am going to Florence this July, and on my list of things to do, is to walk to Settignano and have a glass of wine at the Cafe de Popolo. I can hardly wait. Read this book--you'll be changed!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, Bravo
Review: A love story, a flood, a history, and Italy. I love these kinds of books. Unfortunately I lent it out and never got it back.
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Summary: If this were a movie (too)...
Review: then I would want to star... (ha-ha). I LOVED this book. I totally related to Margot and could visualize the story as it progressed through la bella Firenze. Having a MA in Art History and a definite interest in "cose italiane/i" I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable. If you are going to Florence and plan on seeing the art (of course you are!) read The Sixteen Pleasures. Not only is it a great read, but it makes an okay fan and a terrific mosquito swatter! Just don't drip your gelato on it!
Rating:
Summary: A love song to Italy
Review: This book definitely keeps your attention, as well as provoking comparisons to one's own choices in life. I found it remarkable this book was written by a man (unless Robert is a pen name!). Hellenga's ability to convey a young woman's feelings is very impressive, and he most certainly loves Italian culture.
Rating: 
Summary: What the critics have said:
Review: "Fascinating entertainment.with a sympathetic heroine, a suspenseful plot, a cast of colorful characters and illuminating meditations on life, art and love."
--Chicago Tribune
"Part mystery, part romance, part guidebook.A lively first novel that communicates the heady peril, as well as the adventure, of Florence after the flood."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Elegantly moving.Everything about the narrator and heroine of this novel is appealing right from the first paragraph."
--The New Yorker
Rating: 
Summary: I did not like the book
Review: I felt that Hellenga did not do a good job at showing a woman's point of view of things. For example, right at the beginning were the main character is on the train in Italy with the two other women from America after the two women discover that she is not Italian but American and listened in on their conversation without letting on she could understand what they were talking about. Specifically I am talking about after the main character goes and gets the food from the train station and comes back and the three women eat and then get ready for bed. I am not uncomfortable changing clothes in front of other women, however, most women that I know wouldn't bond with other women after bumping naked into them on a bumpy train ride as they were getting ready for bed. It seemed like some sort of male fantasy, and not at all a womans perspective. It also felt like to me that he was writing about his own fantasies about what it must be like for women to be wooed into making love, breaking up etc. I did not find it erotic in any way. I belong to a book group and we all agreed after reading this book that it was not at all how a woman would feel. It was not a book that I could not put down. I was rather diasappointed. I did enjoy learning about how books the books were restored.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful novel of self-discovery
Review: I haven't been to Florence in years, but this book certainly evoked wonderful images of the city. However, I was much more entranced with the narrator's emotional journey. I share her philosophy on life -- always wistful for the past, but determined to shape the future. The book is full of interesting artistic, historical and literary references. I enjoyed her interpretation of Ode on a Grecian Urn (Keats) and The Road Not Taken (Frost). There are some hilarious sexual episodes and tender moments with her family and lovers. Altogether a wonderful first novel, and I am eagerly anticipating a second. Try Robertson Davies' "What's Bred in the Bone" for a magical book on art and self-discovery. Also, try "Remains of the Day" for a different and sadder perspective on choosing which "path" to take in life.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as I had expected
Review: I didn't think that this book lived up to its hype. It was ok- it kept my interest, but I can think of other books of the same subject matter that are better written. Maybe the prude in me is coming forth, but I didn't like the part about the mother's affair.
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Summary: Erotic and intellectual....
Review: This was my favorite book read during seven months in a bookstore reading group. I found it a very erotic and compelling story, grounded in a realistically drawn and exotic location. Robert Hellenga, with very few exceptions, was able to convincingly portray the heart and mind of a young woman. Not an easy task for most men! As a librarian with a Ph.D. in English, I was enthralled by the descriptions of book conservation work, as well as the auction scenes! Not for people looking for shoot-em-up, car chase adventure, but rather for those who are looking for an adventure of the heart and mind.
Rating: 
Summary: A twist on the American abroad story and a lesson in book re
Review: A young woman heads to Italy on a whim to help salvage and restore the ancient books that have been damaged by floods. The story takes place in 1968, but it is timeless. The erotic tale of a woman finding herself in a foreign land, through love, religion, and work, is interesting and informative from start to finish. The protagonist, Margot, is assisting in the rescue of a convent's library, living among the sisters, when they discover an ancient volume of the Aretino, a sort of medievil Kama Sutra, with original illustrations of sexual positions, bound inside a religious manuscript. The point of view of a young woman is convincingly rendered by author Robert Hellenga, and the story has much to teach about Italy, and the art of book binding and restoration. An enjoyable read, if not top-notch writing.
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