New Jersey

Described as "an existence," New Jersey was the home base of the narrator before she left for a year in Paris. Her husband taught Italian literature at Rutgers University while she taught English literature at Fordham University. The family cut all ties with New Jersey and sold their house there in order to take a year's sabbatical in Paris, France.

Paris, France

The author and her family took up residence in Paris, France, for a year as a response to her cancer diagnosis. They rented an apartment in the Rue du Conservatoire neighborhood in Paris' 19th arrondissement. The author stated she had always wanted to live someone else's life--that of a Parisian, specifically, so this setting is the heart of the memoir.

Florence, Italy

Florence, Italy, was the childhood home of the narrator's husband, Alessandro. Alessandro's mother, Marina, still makes her home there, and the family spent...