This was my first experience of Lahiri's fiction, the only other thing I had read being her short nonfiction The Clothing of Books. I loved her writing in that and was keen to try more.

This book definitely lived up to my expectations. The writing is beautiful and the stories themselves compelling. I'm not always a fan of short stories, particularly as I always want to know what happens next. A lot of these stories are slice of life that feel like they end in the middle, but I still really enjoyed most of them.

The book starts off strongly with The Boundary, a 9 part story about a fifteen year old girl and the family who rent the property where her father is caretaker. Over the course of the week we hear bits and pieces about the family as well as the unnamed narrator's life. It was a very simple story in some ways but I was absorbed into the atmosphere and the ending was really clever. This was one of my favourite in the collection.

Other favourites were The Reentry, The Delivery and The Procession. The Reentry and The Delivery both have powerful depictions of racism and I especially felt for the Professor in The Reentry. I really wanted more of her story. I'd have liked more about the couple in The Procession too.

A Well-Lit House and Notes also dealt with racism and were really heartbreaking, although the characters themselves end on a note of hope. P''s Parties reminded me a bit of Kazuo Ishiguro, it had a dreamlike quality and the narrator reminded me of the 'lost men' that Ishiguro writes so well. The Steps was less of a success for me, I liked how it linked all the different people's lives but I'd have liked it to come full circle. The only story that really didn't work for me, though, was the last one, Dante Alighieri. I couldn't get on board with that one and found it tedious.

Overall, though, this was great and I had a good experience with it. I look forward to reading more Lahiri and I can see myself revisiting this collection in the future.

I'd like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

While I am a very big Jhumpa Lahiri fan, this latest short stories collection did not resonate with me. Set in and around Rome, which is in in self a central character in the stories, the most amazing thing about this collection of nine short stories is that the stories were all originally written in Italian, the authors adopted language. and where she now resides.

I would class these very much as "high, contemplative" literary fiction. While I have given this collection a 3 star rating, it will not deter me from reading any of this authors future works.

Fascinating short stories. Potentially not quite to my taste, but I appreciate what Lahiri is doing here

Feels almost unnecessary to review this—nobody does a short story like Lahiri, and this collection is just further proof.

Roman Stories is a lovely collection of stories depicting vintellrious facets of life i Rome. A subtle but intelligent reflection on relationships and society. I would recommend this to fans of more slow-burning, musing style of story, slightly lacking in pace and action for me at times, but nevertheless the writing is beautiful, the characters are relatable and believable, and this is a very impressive collection.

Absolutely beautiful. These stories encapsulate the eternal city with such vivid intensity. I love Rome and reading this book transported me back there. Magical.

A beautiful heart warming collection of short stories. Jhumpa Lahiri can paint with her words and this book proves that again. Her style of writing makes this book what it is. It is a comfort read with prose that is beautifully woven together.

Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange of my unbiased review.

A beautiful collection of stories by one of my favourite writers.
Jhumpa Lahiri has written this book in Italian and then translated these to Italian with the help of Todd Portnowitz. I find her writing lately has become clean and cold, but at the same time so elegant. It is different to when she wrote in English, but absolutely enjoyable still. The stories are quiet, but surprising, and sometimes just breathtaking.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC.

In this interesting collection of short stories, Lahiri shifts between various perspectives on what it means to be from and know a place, especially Rome, which eludes most of its characters whenever think they know it best.

Whether it is characters moving away and no longer understanding how it works, or suddenly seeing things in a new and fresh way after years, this book was a beautiful love letter to both Rome and to belonging.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Perfectly crafted short stories with nameless protagonists who give the reader a beautiful view from the perspectives of the new Romans.

'Roman Stories' is another book from Lahiri with her own brand of a unique and lonely atmosphere. It transports readers to Rome, offering a diverse glimpse of life in the city. The stories are like pieces of a mosaic, each contributing to Rome's multifaceted existence.

What stands out about this book is its ability to seamlessly weave together a range of characters, each with their own perspectives and struggles. From lonely immigrants navigating life in a foreign land to aging residents reflecting on love and loss in Roman piazzas, these characters feel honest and deep. The stories have an atmospheric quality, a lingering sense of melancholy that makes them feel real.

Jhumpa Lahiri's writing in this collection is exceptional. It harkens back to her earlier style, filled with descriptive language that paints Rome as a character itself. The descriptions, colours, and language make the city come alive on the pages. Lahiri explores themes such as aging, love, emigration, and race in her inimitable way.

While some stories may resonate more with readers, the overall quality of the collection is consistently excellent. Lahiri's ability to delve into human emotions and relationships creates a connection between the reader and the characters.

She's one of my favourite authors and I'd probably read her shopping list with relish but a great collection for fans and new readers alike.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

I’m not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I've given a rating on the basis of the book description and the book cover.

“Certain stories are hard to bear, as are certain things we’ve lived or observed or fumbled or explored with great care.”

Despite best intentions and flawed characters - this book by Jhumpa Lahiri on settlers in Italy fails to evoke the same pathos you felt in her other books. What does home mean if you constantly long for someplace else where you belong, she asks.

Set in Rome, a city that is straddled with it’s past more than the today, the 9 stories bring in many characters who feel alienated. Whether it is an African help who gets shot point blank by two kids her son’s age or a tourist who gets mugged on the streets or a migrant family who are bullied out of the settlement, the book seems to be filled with anger.

Is this all there is to Rome you ask? What did not work for me is the lack of attempt to connect the characters with the reader. I mean, why does a husband who cheated on his wife given more perspective than the wife or a woman who walked out on her family the one narrating her bad experiences with the city? Human, yes - but the choice of narrators in the context of alienation did not work for me.

I don't know if something got lost in translation, but surely the prose was far too dry to my liking. Not the book if you are starting with Ms.Lahiri.

I found this collection of stories singularly unimpressive. Pleasant enough, and well-crafted, but already I’ve forgotten some of them, so little impact did they have. Set against the background of Rome, Lahiri explores the lives of the marginalised, the immigrants and outsiders, but there’s a remarkable lack of emotion or jeopardy here, with the narrative voice drowning out any authentic character voice. Understated everyday stories which seemed to merge into one. Rome itself never comes alive – in fact the stories could have been set anywhere, which makes them universal but this lack of specificity I found puzzling, seeing that the title of the collection is Roman Stories. The diversity of life portrayed here could apply to any big city. The writing felt flat and lacklustre and was a disappointment after Lahiri’s earlier novels, which I very much enjoyed.

I usually shy away from short story collections but Jumpha Lahiri's writing is too good to pass on by.

These stories about people in and around Rome give us a glimpse of life in the city. I liked the range of characters, the strong sense of place and variety of issues explored throughout the book. The stories felt atmospheric, honest and a little lonely. As expected some grabbed me more than others but what never failed to blow me away was the writing - it was wonderful.

I really enjoyed this collection, as a huge fan of both short stories and Jhumpa Lahiri. I had found her other work translated from the Italian to be much more spare than her English prose but this collection feels closer to her old style of writing. The stories are varied in length and theme, though the motifs of Rome, the immigrant experience and the vagaries and disappointments of long term relationships are present throughout. Highly recommended and many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Few things are better than a good short story collection, and this one is very good.

These are slice of life stories, set in and around Rome, mostly about the immigrant experience. You get an insight in the lives of the people who left their home country for economic or political reasons, their often poor working and living conditions, and especially the subtle (and not so subtle) racism they are inevitably confronted with.

The book makes good pairing with Nicola Lagioia's City of the Living that I just read - both portraying today's Rome as a city of incredible contradictions, deeply rooted problems surrounded by extreme beauty and extreme ugliness. Lahiri's calm and pleasant style is very different from Lagioia's urgency though.

The stories are very well written, but no 5 stars because I found the best stories the first ones, and missed tension in the second half.

A gentle collection of short stories based in the city of Rome, which is now the authors home country. Dealing with immigration, racism, and the feelings of being an outsider these stories have a poignancy about them, but despite the subject matter they are still very readable, Unfortunately , I don’t feel that any one story stood out for me, although I am prompted to read more by this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of these stories in return for an honest review.

Great short stories following a series of differing family dynamics, showing resilience and fortitude in times of uncertainty.

A thought provoking collection of short stories that really give a different view of the Eternal City, unusually for a collection of short stories I enjoyed them all equally.