In Farthest Seas is a new translation of an Italian classic detailing the first 4 years and last 4 months of the author’s great love. The prose was flowy and lovely, however difficult to follow the narrative as a long list of characters were referred to as if already known to the reader without background. While I appreciate the author’s tribute to her husband that likely meant a lot to her and those who knew them, the novel seemed to me more the dementia-written musings of an older woman to her grandchildren who were forced to visit her at the nursing home. I struggled to finish this short work as the stories were all over the place and was written as two long walls of text without breaks. I think this book appeals to a certain type of reader - one who values poetry or long flowing prose and less a plot- driven story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press Classics for the eARC.

Sadly DNF’d this book, for me, the prose didn’t stick out and I found it challenging to engage with the text as I was reading. This would be a great read for someone who enjoys slower pace without emphasis on plot, unfortunately that is not me.

In Farthest Seas by Lalla Romano is a quiet, meditative novel that took time to settle into. Its vignette-style narrative, initially disorienting, gradually reveals a tender tribute to a lifelong love—a story not of dramatic highs, but of small, deeply personal moments. It’s a book that asks you to slow down and listen closely, to sit in the silences between words.

The emotional core of the book becomes more apparent in the second half, where the reflection on partnership and memory begins to take clearer shape. Romano’s prose is thoughtful and lyrical, though its restraint sometimes created a sense of emotional distance. I admired the intent and could feel the sincerity behind the words, but I struggled to fully connect to the characters or their inner lives. For me, it lacked the emotional weight that makes reflective stories like this truly resonate.

Still, it’s a delicate, earnest exploration of love, aging, and remembrance. Readers who are drawn to quiet literary fiction and don’t mind a more abstract, fragmentary structure may find this novel quietly devastating in its intimacy.

For readers who like:
-Literary fiction with sparse, poetic prose
-Meditative stories about memory and long-term love
-Fragmented narratives

Final Verdict
Not a story I’ll revisit, but one I can still respect. It didn’t move me as I hoped, but I can see it being the right book at the right time for someone else. If you’re patient with its form, In Farthest Seas may unfold into something quietly profound.

Grateful to NetGalley, Steerforth & Pushkin and Lalla Romano for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

intricate, tender, and poetic, in the farthest seas felt, to me, like a letter to love and grief, and the many ways in which they both shape everyday life into a melancholic, but beautiful, collection of moments. i deeply enjoyed romano’s lyrical writing style and was incredibly moved by the themes and messages interwoven through the vignettes, but both the pacing and structure of the story made it difficult for me to get into and navigate. overall, i think, while the book did not fully captivate me, other readers, those who appreciate quiet and contemplative stories, could definitely enjoy it.

— all opinions are my own, and i thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC for review.

In Farthest Seas is a bit of a challenge. I enjoyed the vignettes but found some of the references hard to follow. Once I let go of trying to follow all of them, I really enjoyed the author's intimate, emotional prose. I also liked the general structure of the "before" of courting followed by a larger chunk of the story that focused on the before-and-after of death. There is nothing extraordinary in the story or characters themselves, but that's what makes it relatable. Those who like quiet, tender stories will appreciate this one.

Honestly, I had a hard time getting into the book, even though it was short (160 pages), it choked me.

Although the reflection on the loss of her husband and the everyday moments they have lived together have been very nice and associated with melancholy, I feel that it has not been my kind of book.

The book is not bad, the only thing is that the way it starts is a little difficult and different for the reader, making it a little difficult to continue.

Lalla Romano was een Italiaans auteur, kunstenares en journalist. Ik ben vast niet de enige die nog nooit van haar gehoord had, maar onlangs werd haar werk Tetto Murato uit 1957 naar het Nederlands vertaald en uitgegeven bij uitgeverij Oevers en nu is er dan ook de Engelse vertaling van Nei Mari Estremi uit 1987, uitgegeven bij Pushkin Press, met de titel In Farthest Seas. Het is duidelijk dat er pogingen ondernomen worden om Romano’s werk uit de vergetelheid te halen, en afgaande op In Farthest Seas zijn die pogingen terecht.

In Farthest Seas is vertaald door Brian Robert Moore en houdt het midden tussen een roman en memoires. Romano beschrijft de eerste vier jaar en de laatste vier maanden van haar relatie met Innocenzo Monti. Romano beschrijft de ontluikende liefde en hun huwelijk in het begin, maar beschrijft ook uitvoerig de ziekte en de dood van Monti. Aan de hand van korte, fragmentarische hoofdstukken krijgt de lezer een beeld van de meest betekenisvolle momenten uit hun relatie.

Dubbel
Boeken die bestaan uit korte fragmenten hebben altijd iets dubbels. Aan de ene kant zorgt het fragmentarische karakter ervoor dat het moeilijk is om echt binding te krijgen met de personages, maar aan de andere kant vind ik het heel erg positief als de auteur niet alles uitspelt en je als lezer zelf verbanden laat leggen en betekenis laat ontdekken.

Dat is voor In Farthest Seas niet anders. Ik ging gaandeweg zeker niet houden van Monti, door de fragmentarische aanpak houdt Romano de lezer in zekere zin op afstand en vind ik het moeilijk om hier een echt hoog cijfer aan te geven. Dat neemt niet weg dat ik heb genoten van de manier waarop Romano voor haar betekenisvolle momenten neerzet, daarbij veelvuldig gebruik makend van verwijzingen naar andere literaire werken.

Intens
Wat ook direct opvalt is dat het eerste deel, dat de eerste vier jaar van haar relatie met Monti toont, veel korter is dan het tweede deel, dat slechts over de laatste vier maanden gaat. Het toont dat een ontluikende liefde intens kan zijn, maar dat het verliezen van een geliefde – in dit geval door ziekte – misschien nog wel veel intenser is en dat er, naarmate je iemand langer kent, ook meer belangwekkende momenten ontstaan.

Hoewel ik het beschrijven van het verliezen van liefde wel een stuk indrukwekkender vond dan de beschrijving van het ontstaan van liefde, komt mijn favoriete citaat juist uit het wat kortere eerste deel: “And for a moment I felt an attraction for him that was violent, secret, but I believe already tenaciously deep. It wasn’t an idea, it was a sensation: head-spinning, but not unsettling. Rather, familiar.” Wat mij betreft een prachtige schets van hoe het moment voelt waarin je pure liefde ervaart.

Afstandelijk
Er is dus genoeg moois te ontdekken in deze fragmenten over een diepe liefde, maar ik kan niet zeggen dat ik er diep door geraakt werd. In Farthest Seas is een fijn boek, tevens ook erg goed vertaald, maar hoewel het fragmentarische karakter goed werkt, is het ook juist de valkuil van dit boek, omdat het de vertelling toch wat te afstandelijk maakt. Neemt niet weg dat ik benieuwd ben geworden naar haar minder autobiografische werk.

interesting and deeply touching work, although it took a bit to actually sink into the story. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

A collection of poetic vignettes detailing a life and a love. A bit difficult to follow at times but so many gorgeous lines

Thank you to the publisher for the e-copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

There is a certain language of aimlessness in literary fiction that tends to force readers into a desire to propel forward. We flip pages back and forth in anger, frustration, awe, or sincerity and ask ourselves whether the next few pages will be worth it. Lalla Romano’s In Farthest Seas, a novel comprised of vignette-style chapters, confronts that desire. Poised with a tale of absence, loss, and love, the landscape of Cuneo, Italy invokes in readers the lusciousness of desire and the sting of death. The beauty is in the crafting of the sentences and the weaving of the physical with the emotional. Where I found the novel to fall flat, however, was the briefness of time spent understanding who the characters are outside of their grief. Romano has us ‘[correspond] between bodies’ but does not show us how those bodies were propelled towards each other; we are just there. “It’s a fleeting image in the span of a long life; and yet eternal: in the sense of ‘for ever’. From which you can’t go back.” (Romano)



I would have loved to see more than just the ‘image’ of the characters, more than just a snapshot of the Great War—that is to say, if the author had given us more character-shaping in each chapter, it would have created a fuller world for those reading. This is a form-bending work, with sections leaning into fiction while others feel more autobiographical. Can we truly know who our characters are in that sense? But I can understand the appeal and intention behind these stylistic choices. "To die is to set out towards absence.” (Romano 128) The readers must feel as reserved (yet romantic) as our narrator does in the pages.

In Farthest Seas is a beautiful (and somewhat haunting) retelling of the beginning and end of Romano’s relationship with her husband. The writing is lyrical and has a dry humor that reminded me of Natalia Ginzburg’s. The autobiographical novel is full of snippets of Romano’s poetry, references to artists, musicians and writers, and mentions of family and friends — making it feel very rich for such a short book. The writing was so deeply personal and yet the feeling of loving and losing someone so dear was familiar enough that it was impossible to have dry eyes by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately I really struggled getting through this book. I did really like the short chapters and the way it was laid out but found the book just didn'tkeep my attention. The way she writes about the relationships between different people is interesting but it can be hard to keep track of who everyone is. Definitely not a bad book and other people would really enjoy it but just not for me.

A melancholy depiction of the loss of a husband, filled with moments of the little things that make a mundane life beautiful.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

In Farthest Seas was initially a challenging read, with its vignette-style narrative requiring time to settle into. However, as the story unfolded—particularly in the second section—it began to resonate more deeply.

The novel feels like a deeply personal tribute from the author, a heartfelt homage to a lifelong partnership. While it didn’t fully captivate me, the emotional depth and quiet beauty of the story are evident. It’s a tender reflection on enduring love, and those who connect with its tone and structure may find it profoundly moving.

I was really impressed by In Farthest Seas, not having come across Lalla Romano before. Don’t go into the book expecting a conventional plot however. It is much more impressionistic. In approach. Even though it is divided into two sections, relating broadly to the first 4 years and final 4 months of the narrator’s relationship with her husband, Innocenzo (that name), it offers a series of scenes from a relationship, which are short, subtle and captivating. There’s lovely writing here and should ideally result in Romano becoming much better known in English language contexts.

A lyrical journey through loss, longing, and discovery, In Farthest Seas reads like an ode to memory and the vastness of the human heart. The novel’s oceanic metaphor isn’t just thematic—it’s embedded in the rhythm of the prose itself. The author crafts a narrative that feels fluid and immersive, with emotional depth mirroring the literal depths of the sea. There’s a quiet melancholy to the book, but also moments of shimmering hope. The pace meanders, much like a tide pulling you in unexpected directions—but the destination is worth it.

In Farthest Seas by Lalla Romano movingly depicts the love in a relationship and the loss of that person.

I was mesmerized by the book cover and the description. My book genre taste varies a lot and I am currently on my contemporary mood reads, which was another reason why I chose In Farthest Seas. However, I have to be honest and this one was very hard go get into.

My opinions are subjective. That said, I believe this title is not for me. I struggle to get transported whenever I pick it up. Every chapter, there seems to be a jump of timeline, which is another obstacle. Not including the numerous names and their backstories thrown at me almost every sentence.

It reads more of a poetry and literary. There were parts where it felt emotional, yet I can't find myself connecting with the characters. I tried to get into it for approximately a week now and I decided this is not for me. I do to think that there is a very specific target audience who would appreciate this work more. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

*DNF* 40%

This was a delicate read, but honestly a bit hard to get into. The writing is thoughtful tho but I never really felt connected to the people in it. It focuses on small, intimate moments, but sometimes it just felt too distant. I get what it was trying to do and I can see it hitting hard for some readers but for me, it lacked emotional weight.

Beautiful in its way, but not something that fully landed.

3 stars

The following review will be posted on Goodreads on August 19, 2025, one week before the publishing date.

[ 3 stars ]

In Farthest Seas is a work of literary non-fiction. Part memoir, part love story, it’s the embodiment of the saying that grief is love preservering.

Lalla Romano weaves a beautiful and tragic tale of a love cut short by tragedy. She recalls the early courtship between her and her husband Innocenzo and then the four years they spent together as husband and wife before Innocenzo’s death.

I found it difficult to get through in the beginning due to the vignette-style of storytelling, but Part 2 was incredibly beautiful. It was hard to read, not because of the writing style, but because I could feel the heartbreak, the helplessness, and the grief.