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The Other Language Francesca Marciano Books

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The Other Language Francesca Marciano Books

I'd rate this 4.5 stars.

Change can be difficult to deal with, and how we handle it defines us as a person. Whether it's a change in a relationship, career, location, age, even the death of a loved one, change is often unexpected and it can produce some tumultuous results.

The characters in Francesca Marciano's story collection, The Other Language, are all facing change of one sort or another. Marciano's stories take place in foreign countries—Italy, Greece, Tanzania, Kenya, India—but although the settings may be different from what we're used to, the themes are universal and many of the characters' struggles will seem familiar.

In "Roman Romance," an Italian woman deals with the return of an old boyfriend, who is now an iconic rock star—and must continue to confront people's suspicions that one of his most famous songs is about her. "Chanel" follows a filmmaker and her best friend/roommate as they struggle with the end of their relationship, which culminates with her buying a Chanel dress for a film awards show, although she cannot afford it. In "The Presence of Men," a woman's difficulties becoming acclimated in the small Italian village she has moved to becomes more complicated with the arrival of her film agent brother and one of his most famous clients. The long-married characters in "An Indian Soiree" find their relationship tested by dreams of past loves and the promise of new ones. And in the moving title story, three children on the cusp of adolescence spend two summers on a Greek island following the death of their mother, which changes their relationship with their father, even as they are trying to figure out who they are as individuals.

I thought this was a really terrific collection. I enjoyed all nine stories tremendously, and thought Marciano created such vivid, complex, and emotionally rich characters. And honestly, there's something about the locations of these stories, and the fact that the majority of the characters were foreign, that made them just a little more exotic and intriguing, even as they were dealing with familiar feelings and crises.

These stories are at times funny, at times poignant, and all tremendously interesting. I've never read anything by Marciano before but I'm definitely interested now, as this collection really showed off her talents. Definitely pick this one up—and I would be surprised if you don't want to travel after you read these stories, as I'm totally jonesing to go to Italy now...


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The Other Language Francesca Marciano Books Reviews

I like the way she writes so I am biased. These are good short stories. Perfect for reading 15-30 minutes right before bed.
These short stories - although very different in tone and perspective - all contain a single voice which grew and developed as I read each story. In fact, by the last story, you might say that the collection is of a whole piece because of her beautiful voice winding its way throughout.
I really enjoyed all of these short stories, some are contemporary others seem to take place in a near distant past. The author has a wonderful writing style tinged with regret, melancholy and a realistic perspective of life and digs in relatively deep even within just a few pages. Just wished the stories were novels so I could keep reading!
Marciano draws the reader into her stories with language that is elegant and smart. The characters' dialogue rings true, and the stories' locales, which function almost like characters themselves, are rendered with a presence that engages the reader as an intimate spectator. To Marciano's credit, she does not rush the narrative, but permits the action to propel each story so it unfolds naturally.

I was sorry to come to the end of the last story. This is a book I will reread, as I do Ann Beattie and John Updike.
If you like short stories than you should like this book. The stories are from a female perspective but the characters resonant with all readers. Marciano writes from personal life experiences and adds some unanticipated but believable and clever twists to relationships. Only someone who was never afraid to take chances in life and love could write like this.
They say a collection of short stories sell as well as potato peelings in Idaho, but sometime an exception comes along that defies this logic.

The Other Language is a wonderful collection that transports you to a different time and place with each chapter. The voice is always female, but the time, place and experience places you in a very different world each time. The exotic locales and different timeframes keep it interesting. I was totaly absorbed with each character and felt I had witnessed a little peak into the protagonists life.

I am looking forward to reading more from this author. She is able to nail her characters, find an authentic voice and create the world she lives in with elegance and grace. I left each chapter wanting more.
I am a short story fan, but often find collections have a few duds among the gems. Not here. This entire book is a dream. As a traveler, I loved the locales — from India and Italy to a remote African island. The characters rang true throughout and their realizations were often poignant, if not earth shattering. I thought the author's name was familiar and then remembered reading her earlier novels about living in Kenya many years ago. She's evolved beautifully. As I finished the last story, I was amazed the book had ended and was sorry to leave the worlds the author created. My only complaint, if you could call it a complaint, is that the perfection of the first story, "The Other Language" was marred by going on too long. The first half taking place on the Greek island was so real, I could feel the sunburn and taste the fish. The second half where the main character was grown up seemed out of place, but a small comment in an otherwise unforgettable reading experience.
I'd rate this 4.5 stars.

Change can be difficult to deal with, and how we handle it defines us as a person. Whether it's a change in a relationship, career, location, age, even the death of a loved one, change is often unexpected and it can produce some tumultuous results.

The characters in Francesca Marciano's story collection, The Other Language, are all facing change of one sort or another. Marciano's stories take place in foreign countries—Italy, Greece, Tanzania, Kenya, India—but although the settings may be different from what we're used to, the themes are universal and many of the characters' struggles will seem familiar.

In "Roman Romance," an Italian woman deals with the return of an old boyfriend, who is now an iconic rock star—and must continue to confront people's suspicions that one of his most famous songs is about her. "Chanel" follows a filmmaker and her best friend/roommate as they struggle with the end of their relationship, which culminates with her buying a Chanel dress for a film awards show, although she cannot afford it. In "The Presence of Men," a woman's difficulties becoming acclimated in the small Italian village she has moved to becomes more complicated with the arrival of her film agent brother and one of his most famous clients. The long-married characters in "An Indian Soiree" find their relationship tested by dreams of past loves and the promise of new ones. And in the moving title story, three children on the cusp of adolescence spend two summers on a Greek island following the death of their mother, which changes their relationship with their father, even as they are trying to figure out who they are as individuals.

I thought this was a really terrific collection. I enjoyed all nine stories tremendously, and thought Marciano created such vivid, complex, and emotionally rich characters. And honestly, there's something about the locations of these stories, and the fact that the majority of the characters were foreign, that made them just a little more exotic and intriguing, even as they were dealing with familiar feelings and crises.

These stories are at times funny, at times poignant, and all tremendously interesting. I've never read anything by Marciano before but I'm definitely interested now, as this collection really showed off her talents. Definitely pick this one up—and I would be surprised if you don't want to travel after you read these stories, as I'm totally jonesing to go to Italy now...