Revenge fantasies begin to fade when an American divorcee finds sanctuary and adventure in Italy. While recovering from her losses she enjoys the intimacy of small town life, ponders the future from her window on a lake, and revels in a succession of both comedic and serious lovers.

Her memoir is about the islands one finds on a map - others, places where she says "arrivederci" to her former existence and embraces life Italian style: high heels on motorcycles, prosecco toasts atop a castle in Rome, sensual nights which end when the sky grows light - exhilarating moments provided by the...