One Summer Day in Rome
by Mark Lamprell
Flatiron Books, 2017

The briefest exposure to the day’s news headlines is enough; there’s scarcely an additional need to reach for the nearest novel that seems carefree, that promises whimsy with a touch of romance, and that breathes the worry-free airs of summer. And if the book in question has “summer” in the title, so much the better.

No shortage of such books, of course, regardless of the season, but Mark Lamprell’s new novel One Summer Day in Rome is just about as confident and winning an example of the type as readers are likely to encounter in bookshops before Labor Day shuts down the carnival for another year.

Published in Open Letters Weekly, August 17, 2017