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Authenticity and Sacredness
Improvising in Italian is a heartfelt memoir that shares your journey of moving to Modena, fueled by a blend of optimism, romance, and idealism, and the personal unraveling that follows. Why was this an important book for you to write?
When we moved to a small town in northern Italy, we were surrounded by beautiful scenery, ate delicious food, and met wonderful new friends, all while dealing with the country’s notorious bureaucracy. The typical things you’d expect from Italy. But our experience living there ended up being a unique one. We found ourselves in crazy, once-in-a-lifetime situations like getting involved in trying to sell Stradivarius violins and a Raphael painting, and we met colorful people. Then, when COVID-19 hit, we were in strict lockdown, and this put a strain on our marriage. All this made me reflect on my childhood living in various countries around the world, my mother’s death, and raising my children.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Some of the themes in my book center around the idea of freedom, change, being categorized – the world broken down into clubs – and our search for the perfect meal, especially traditional dishes made with unprocessed ingredients, which represents authenticity and sacredness.
What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?
The most challenging part of writing my memoir was exposing my vulnerabilities and ignoring the voice in my head that worried about what people were going to think of my story.
The most rewarding thing about writing this memoir was being able to look back on an interesting but difficult time and learn something from it.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
That life is about change, and even though there are no guarantees that things will turn out as planned, we should be open to new possibilities.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Amazon
Improvising in Italian, narrated with candor and humor, is an honest appraisal of the romance and pitfalls of being a global nomad in a fast-changing world. It follows the couple as they survive missteps and setbacks-while struggling to maintain their love and friendship-improvising their way through it all.
Improvising in Italian
Improvising in Italian is a heartfelt memoir by Jennifer Artley that traces the winding path of a woman who moves to Italy in search of meaning, healing, and perhaps a sense of permanence. The story centers on her family’s relocation to Modena, fueled by a blend of optimism, romance, and idealism, and the personal unraveling that follows. At the core is the difficult departure of her teenage daughter, who chooses to return to the U.S., leaving Artley grappling with loss, identity, and questions about the life she has built. Through lyrical scenes and sharp reflections, Artley threads memories from her nomadic childhood with the chaos of present-day expatriate life. Food, family, and place become the fabric of the tale, stitched together with bittersweet honesty.
Reading this memoir felt like sitting across from a friend at a kitchen table, talking long into the night. Artley’s voice is vulnerable and unguarded. She tells it like it is. What struck me most was her ability to blend humor with heartbreak. One minute, I was laughing at her chaotic car rides through Italy, and the next, I was floored by the quiet grief of watching her daughter slip away. The writing flows easily, but it’s far from simple. She nails those small, aching truths of parenting, how love and guilt and hope get tangled up. I could feel how much she wanted this dream in Italy to work out, and I ached with her as that dream slowly fell apart.
What also stood out was her attention to detail, especially around food and culture. The way she described the tortellini in brodo or the smell of balsamico vinegar aging in attics. But more than just a tour of Italy’s cuisine, the book becomes a meditation on what it means to belong. Artley doesn’t hide her doubts or frustrations. Italy isn’t romanticized. It’s messy, inconvenient, beautiful, and frustrating all at once. That complexity made the memoir land in a very relatable way. Her decision to root herself, despite the chaos, is an act of quiet courage. And there’s a raw admiration in how she holds space for both her own heartbreak and her daughter’s independence.
This book will speak most to people who’ve taken big risks and had to live with the consequences—parents, expats, wanderers, or anyone trying to find home in a world that keeps shifting. It’s not a feel-good story in the conventional sense, but it is a deeply felt one. I’d recommend Improvising in Italian to readers who appreciate memoirs that pull back the curtain and show the vulnerable moments.
Pages: 204 | ASIN : B0DX3Q9NW1
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