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lsparrow's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! the discussion about language and home/roots. The connections that we have to language and the ways that it moves and shapes us.
durva_1401's review against another edition
4.0
“But you can't float without the possibility of drowning, of sinking. To know a new language, to immerse yourself, you have to leave the shore. Without a life vest. Without depending on solid ground.”-Jhumpa Lahiri, In Other Words.
This is the 3rd Jhumpa Lahiri book that I have read. I would rank ‘In Other Words’ as the best of 3 novels I have read by this author. ‘In Other Words’ is an autobiographic record of the author’s linguistic journey. The author has originally written and published this book in Italian which was later translated by another author and published in English.
She extensively talks about her journey of learning a completely new language from scratch; of being obsessed with the Italian language to the point of moving to Italy along with her family for the sake of getting well-versed in the Italian language. She talks about her quest of learning Italian with the help of metaphors.
She gives a detailed account of her learning process, like carrying a dictionary everywhere and maintaining a diary to note down all the new words and their meanings; reading only Italian newspapers and novels, thinking in Italian and noting down her thoughts in Italian only; taking classes from various teachers to understand the grammar and pronunciation of the language; failing a lot of times, but being open to mistakes and learning from them.
After having successfully published 4 novels in English and winning a Pulitzer Prize; it takes guts and determination to publish a novel in a language learned from scratch.
You will relate to this novel if you are in the process of learning a new language too or if you are obsessed with something that the world fails to understand or if you want to find the right amount of motivation to accomplish your goals and overcome your fears.
Ann Goldstein has beautifully translated the book from Italian language. The simple writing style keeps you hooked. Reading this book has inspired me to learn a new language.
#jhumpalahiri #inotherwords #dndiareading #translatedworks #autobiography #memoir #language #namesake #lowland #italy #italian #rome #readersofinstagram #bookstagramindia #booktok #explorepage #explore
This is the 3rd Jhumpa Lahiri book that I have read. I would rank ‘In Other Words’ as the best of 3 novels I have read by this author. ‘In Other Words’ is an autobiographic record of the author’s linguistic journey. The author has originally written and published this book in Italian which was later translated by another author and published in English.
She extensively talks about her journey of learning a completely new language from scratch; of being obsessed with the Italian language to the point of moving to Italy along with her family for the sake of getting well-versed in the Italian language. She talks about her quest of learning Italian with the help of metaphors.
She gives a detailed account of her learning process, like carrying a dictionary everywhere and maintaining a diary to note down all the new words and their meanings; reading only Italian newspapers and novels, thinking in Italian and noting down her thoughts in Italian only; taking classes from various teachers to understand the grammar and pronunciation of the language; failing a lot of times, but being open to mistakes and learning from them.
After having successfully published 4 novels in English and winning a Pulitzer Prize; it takes guts and determination to publish a novel in a language learned from scratch.
You will relate to this novel if you are in the process of learning a new language too or if you are obsessed with something that the world fails to understand or if you want to find the right amount of motivation to accomplish your goals and overcome your fears.
Ann Goldstein has beautifully translated the book from Italian language. The simple writing style keeps you hooked. Reading this book has inspired me to learn a new language.
#jhumpalahiri #inotherwords #dndiareading #translatedworks #autobiography #memoir #language #namesake #lowland #italy #italian #rome #readersofinstagram #bookstagramindia #booktok #explorepage #explore
bmziggy's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
A great book for those who understand what it is to question your identity in different languages and/or learning to embrace a second language as an adult
bianbr's review against another edition
2.75
Didn't really enjoy it up until the last few chapters. The first half felt repetitive and shallow. I kept waiting for her to explore her motivation in depth (which is why I kept reading at all, since some reviews I had read before picking this up mentioned she does), and when she moved to Italy with her family, I was expecting to read at least a few lines about their experience and how they all adjusted to that change. All of that started coming up only in the last 5 chapters or so. I really liked those, and I also really enjoyed the two short stories she shared in between the chapters.
But as much as I enjoyed the last few pages, overall the book fell a bit short of my expectations. I understand why I've seen so many reviews raving about it, it just wasn't for me. But the author's writing is lovely (and it's super impressive she was able to write this so beautifully, considering Italian is not her mother tongue), I would love to read some of her fiction work
But as much as I enjoyed the last few pages, overall the book fell a bit short of my expectations. I understand why I've seen so many reviews raving about it, it just wasn't for me. But the author's writing is lovely (and it's super impressive she was able to write this so beautifully, considering Italian is not her mother tongue), I would love to read some of her fiction work
schmidtytwoshoes's review
4.0
The author is undoubtedly talented and writes beautifully even if the writing style is one I struggled to finish and not my typical choice. She did such an amazing job describing the incredible joy and endless frustration of studying a language as an adult. That at the same time you are meeting a new world and new version of yourself, you are also in a constant uphill battle over things that would be blindingly simple in a native language. I haven’t ever read anything that so perfectly describes the duality of learning a language as an adult and the constant feeling of being not quite “there”.
ninakeller's review
4.0
This is the first I’ve read by this author, and I really enjoyed this book. I felt connected to her experiences as a language learner, with all the joys and frustrations, the identity reflection inherent in learning, making mistakes, immersing into life with native speakers. I also appreciated reading her perspective as a Bangladeshi-American, constantly struggling to fit in and be perceived as belonging, whether in her mother tongue (Bengali), her native and professional language (English) and her passion and acquired language (Italian). Very well-written and unique, as she wrote the book in Italian and the copy I read in English was translated, though not by her—and her explanation why is revealing and compelling.
beatrice_readsforonce's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
I really liked this. I read it mostly in Italian, as that is my second language and I wanted to work on it a bit, but I did translate some sentences with the English on the other side. I found her writing to be very simply but beautiful, which made it easier for someone who isn't totally fluent to understand. I found it really interesting to read about her journey with Italian, especially as someone learning the language and someone who lived in Italy for a time, but I also think anyone could enjoy this.