Book 1, Beads 19-36 Summary and Analysis

Liz eats, retires her yoga mat, and makes friends. Two are American writers also named Elizabeth. One is married to an Italian, writes for Gourmet, and knows the best places to eat. Giovanni urges Liz to be "polite" with herself as she is learning the language. Sophie, who is often with Dario, is Liz's best friend from class. They practice new idioms every day by the Tiber. Liz feels haggard when a cab driver takes Sophie for her daughter. Maria, and American fluent in Italian, is married to Giulio, a filmmaker who wants to learn English and becomes Liz's second "Tandem Exchange Partner." Liz's newest friend is Lucca Spaghetti, a tax accountant who often takes her to obscure restaurants with rough cuisine like baby lamb intestines. Lucca cannot imagine living anywhere but Rome (near mama) or Liz...