Florence buy Ecstasy

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Florence buy Ecstasy

A young woman arrives in Florence from Boston, knowing no one and speaking little Italian. But Hannah is isolated in a more profound way, estranged from her own identity after a bout with starvation that has left her life and body in ruins. Hannah joins a local rowing club and is drawn into Florence's vibrant present: soccer mania, eating, drinking, sex, an insatiable insistence on life. Purchase options and add-ons. Report an issue with this product. Previous slide of product details. Print length. Unnamed Press. Publication date. See all details. Next slide of product details. Review 'Jessie Chaffee's debut is an unflinching look at a woman's attempt to outrun her demons Chaffee's fierce debut brings Hannah's struggles, discoveries, and sweet triumphs to life. Hannah is never defined by her illness alone, but by the breadth of her intelligence and the depth of her emotional life. This is a remarkable debut--frank, serious, eloquent. Jessie Chaffee writes all this, and more, with a lyrical, fierce fragility. In perfectly calibrated prose, Jessie Chaffee depicts a woman in the throes of a devastating existential reckoning. Find her at www. About the author Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. Jessie Chaffee. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Read more about this author Read less about this author. Customer reviews. How are ratings calculated? Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness. Review this product Share your thoughts with other customers. Write a customer review. Images in this review. Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews. Top reviews from Australia. There are 0 reviews and 0 ratings from Australia. Top reviews from other countries. Verified Purchase. While the story centers on Hannah's struggles with an eating disorder, her beautifully evoked thoughts and feelings will also be particularly meaningful for those who suffer from alcoholism or other mental health issues. There is much to enjoy here, as Hannah finds her way as an expatriate American in Florence, Italy -- a setting full of life, food, wine, art, and love. As she explores her new home, Hannah is attracted to the struggles of the women saints who denied and starved themselves for God, but also to the vitality of the local rowing club, where she makes friends, and spends happy hours rowing on the Arno River. Highly recommended. Interesting story and characters. Not your typical American woman in Italy romance by any means. Thoughtful, touching, agonizingly raw at times. Would have liked a happier and less abrupt ending. I was recommended this book from a friend of mine who shares the same love affair with the city of Florence as I do. This book follows the main character Hanna as she recovers from a trauma by traveling to this city on her own and discovering who she is and what she lost by discovering the hidden stories in the city she inhabits. The writing is unbelievable, you are immersed and really feel a part of the true 'small town' that is Florence. I felt like I was there again and was gripped by the story that Ms. Chaffee beautifully told. So glad I loved the book! Gave it as a gift to another friend who I traveled to Italy with! I forced ,yself to finish it in one sitting because I wanted it to be over. The writing is good, but I just never connected enough with the main character to be emapthetic to her situation. She aroused my annoyance more than my compassion. I connected more with many of the side characters. This story and writing are so unique. You can't rush through the pages as they are filled with descriptive imagery that transport you to Florence and surrounding towns. It transported me back to studying abroad and the isolation and excitement you feel when you're living in foreign city. I found myself really puzzling over Hannah's motivations and some of her actions. It reminded me of the way it feels to try to get to know a new friend, how it can be hard to truly know them, and yet you are fascinated and want to know more. The novel is well researched and thoughtful with characters that feel real. I highly recommend it! See more reviews. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Back to top. Get to know us. Make money with us. Let Us Help You.

Florence in Ecstasy

Florence buy Ecstasy

Jump to ratings and reviews. Want to read. Rate this book. Florence in Ecstasy. Jessie Chaffee. A young American woman arrives in Florence from Boston, knowing no one and speaking little Italian. But Hannah is isolated in a more profound way, estranged from her own identity after a bout with starvation that has left her life and body in ruins. She is determined to recover in Florence, a city saturated with beauty, vitality, and food—as well as a dangerous history of sainthood for women who starved themselves for God. Both sides pull Hannah in: challenging her, defeating her, lifting her up. Loading interface About the author. Jessie Chaffee 4 books 25 followers. She lives in New York City, where she is an editor at Words Without Borders , an online magazine of international literature. Write a Review. Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book! Community Reviews. Search review text. Displaying 1 - 30 of reviews. She struggles with an eating disorder, which she relates to the struggles of the mythical saints, women who also experienced isolation and ecstasy through self-denial. While in Florence, Hannah joins a local rowing club, where she meets Luca, a welcoming and open man with whom she soon gets involved. The story follows Hannah's search for connection and stability as she navigates Florence, both the city and what it brings out within herself. I found certain parts of Hannah's character so relatable. As someone who dealt with anorexia and as someone who now provides therapy for people with eating disorders, I found Hannah's desperation for control and belonging and her neurotic concerns about interpersonal relationships super real and raw. The passages of the book that pertained to her eating disorder and its effects felt the most poignant and important to me, and I appreciate Jessie Chaffee for her research and writing on this still stigmatized mental disorder. I found other elements of the novel distracting though. I admit I am biased because I am not much of a travel person, but I found the focus on Florence dissatisfying. Hannah's connection to the saints came across as compelling enough, but the other parts pertaining to travel struck me as a little problematic. Instead of seeking treatment for her eating disorder, Hannah escapes to Florence - a move that requires some amount of privilege - and then falls in love with a man, as if falling in love with a man is tantamount to self-reflection and self-healing in the face of a serious mental illness. I wish the book contained more background and information on Hannah as a character, like her upbringing, her feelings and thoughts, and her process of recovery and relapse, instead of focusing so much on Florence as a city, especially Luca. Overall, an okay read I would recommend to those intrigued by the synopsis. Lisa Carey. Author 9 books followers. This novel remained in me long after I'd finished it. Quiet but powerful, heart-breaking but humorous, with writing so delicious I couldn't decide whether to savor slowly or gulp down all at once. It took a subject I mistakenly thought I understood and turned it upside down. The writing is gorgeous, and the landscape of Florence exquisitely rendered. You feel, hear, smell, and taste along with Hannah; Jessie Chaffee has that unique ability to draw you so close to her narrator you exist on the pages with her. Reading this book is like living it, and, as only the finest novels can manage, finishing it is like leaving a bit of your soul behind. Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee is a beautifully written novel about a young woman, Hannah, who moves to Florence, Italy in an attempt to recover from an eating disorder that has left her body and life in ruins. Hannah is immediately welcomed into the city's vibrant present by Francesca and Luca, two locals who introduce her to the complex social dynamics at her new rowing club, the excitement of soccer mania, and the delicious food and wine of Florence. However, Hannah is also constantly drawn back to the city's past; its countless religious relics and artworks hint at a history of women who have starved themselves for God. The beauty of Chaffee's writing lies in her ability to perfectly capture both the present and past of Florence simultaneously, giving readers a rich and multifaceted view of the city. The characters that populate Chaffee's novel are equally well-developed, with each one bringing their own unique perspective to the story. Luca, in particular, is an intriguing character; though he seems like a dependable and steady presence in Hannah's life, there are moments when he reveals a darker side that makes him feel more complex and real. Ultimately, Florence in Ecstasy is a captivating novel that provides a unique glimpse into the beauty and complexity of Florence. Chaffee's lyrical writing and skillfully drawn characters make this novel a must-read for anyone interested in Italian culture or simply looking for an absorbing read. Lee Foust. Author 10 books followers. The founding principle of every moral system I can think of is the sacredness of life. To love others as we love ourselves and to hold all life on Earth inviolable is the bedrock of both our secular ethics and religious moralities. Unfortunately, the biological conditions of existence on this planet include the daily consumption of other living things. All earthly creatures must eat some form of living matter, either animal or vegetable, in order to survive. So, how do we reconcile our need to kill in order to subsist with our moral imperative regarding the sacredness of life? This is one of the most profound contradictions of human existence and one with which Christian mystics have long struggled. To be someone is often to be like no one else, to change, to transform oneself—and these are frequently dangerous propositions that get labeled as illness by a world full of conformity to cultural norms often no less self-destructive—fossil fuels, processed food, and hopelessly inefficient political economies. Hannah is a narrator whose voice I will carry with me for a long time. For I, too, have struggled with my own interior search for individuality through otherness, with self-destructive urges born of a desire to transcend and to become more myself, and I felt as close to her and her experience as I read as she did when reading the testimonials of the Italian mystics. Just read this again as I added it to my foreign Writers in Italy course and found it just as good the second time around: profound, moving, a great read. It was also very popular with my study abroad students here in Florence--the most 'relatable' text I assigned and the perfect way to end the fall semester. Third time through, teaching it again. Still beautiful and the students were again quite impressed. Holds up well to multiple readings, always packs a whollup. Nell Beaudry. There are many things that need to be said about Jessie Chaffee's Florence in Ecstasy. It is painful, raw, ecstatic sorry , with a rhythm both absorbing and jarring. When I sat down to read it, I gobbled pages down without realizing that, suddenly, somehow, 80 pages had happened. But it was difficult to pick back up, so intense were Hannah's anguish, hope, and anxieties. That, to me, is the true sign of a good book - I could not eat it all in one sitting, I had to sit back, let pieces digest, sit with passages for days before diving back in. In that way, Florence in Ecstasy mimics Hannah's own obsessions. She is an engaging main character, one for whom I felt extreme tenderness and compassion. She is both fragile and impossibly strong, and these facets of her core are explored with a sparkling intimacy. Chaffee does a remarkable job of ensuring that the reader empathizes with her protagonist. I'll admit to similarities between myself and Hannah that perhaps paved the way for my own ease at identifying with her, but I don't think it would have been possible had Chaffee not written her with the incisive, generous warmth that seeps through the pages - it would have been too easy, otherwise, to pick apart flaws and flip that switch off completely. That's always a danger in reading a book in which a character suffers as you have suffered; my heart broke for Hannah, and I think maybe it broke a little bit for me. But Florence in Ecstasy is, above all, a triumph. It is a triumph for Hannah, a triumph for Florence, a triumph for the saints Chaffee illuminates in Hannah's obsessive spirals, and a triumph, most importantly, for Chaffee herself. She breathes life into a city, as Florence is just as much a character as Hannah, as Luca whom I love, who I could dedicate a whole review to, but I won't, except to say that the supporting cast is realistic and charming and is, in some ways, the backbone of the story , as Lorenza and Peter and Francesca. Florence makes this story what it is, and it would be somehow colder, somehow less, set anywhere else. I've never been to Florence, but I might as well have been sitting along the Arno although probably not rowing up it , sipping espresso while chatting with Hannah, so intimate and alive are the components of Jessie's book. I would recommend this again and again, over and over, as an example of the ways in which a human spirit can experience trauma and yet come through, not to the other side, but to a place where one can sit with ones trauma, know that it is there, acknowledge it as a part of oneself, and still stand victorious, still stand stronger and better and grounded in the knowledge that one isn't defined by it if one doesn't choose to be. That moment that shines through, right at the end, is Chaffee's gift to every reader who picks up Florence in Ecstasy. Also, Luca. Luca is a treasure. Bree Hill. It gave me a center. That void became my center. It had the capacity to kill me, but it was exciting. On the brink, always. Of death, of life. I could do anything because I was outside of everything. Hannah has been battling an eating disorder and has come to Italy to in a way escape, get better.. Crazy because Italy is a place known for amazing food, so in social situations to keep her secret she has to eat. While there she takes up rowing and also starts working at a library and becomes fascinated with different female Saints from throughout history. Svetlana Petrova. I do not write many reviews, but this book is different. The story is very powerful. One can become frustrated with the main heroine, Hannah from Boston, but she is so alive and multilayered. Hannah's struggles to understand her mental health issues are described so well that one cannot help but wonder if the author had experienced them herself. It was unusual to think about all the female saints from the point of view provided by the author. Plus, I was in Florence and Sienna last year, and it was such an experience to read about places Hannah visited and being able to visualize them so vividly. A great book! I have to admit the primary reason I read this novel was the titular setting. Much like the protagonist Hannah, if there were any foreign city I would choose to flee to it would be Florence. And on this point, I was not disappointed in the least as Chaffee, quite vividly made me feel as I was walking the streets and piazzas along with Hannah along with a whole bunch more intangibles that is Italy. But still Chaffee certainly creates empathy and insight down into a deep and dark well. And continuing to fold in Italian culture, Chaffee does a fine job using religious saints -- often of the 'in ecstasy' variety -- as a discovery vehicle for Hannah re: self-inflicted deprivation and pain with it providing some inexplicable pleasure for a higher cause or purpose. This symbolism could have been heavy-handed, but here quite deftly handled. Some readers may quibble with the coy-ish, never quite full reveal of Hannah's past or what felt like a tad too quick ending, but it all still felt like something 'new' while returning me to something 'old' via one of my favorite cities in the world. Paulette Ponte. Hannah moves to Florence, Italy to escape her demons and her messed up life. Hannah is starving herself. She has lost her job and alienated her family and her lover. In Florence, she discovers the stories of saints and mystics who have lived lives of self denial. Maybe it was the only way a woman could distinguish herself in the medieval times. The story also brings Florence to life as Hannah slowly engages in rowing and a cautious romance. It's a hard, powerful read. It is uplifting when Hannah starts to heal herself but as with any addiction she knows that she may slip into masochistic behavior at any time. We don't actually find out what actually sent Hannah into the destructive behavior with ruled her life, she is 29 and it seems that her illness was fairly recent. Hannah's struggle and inner thoughts are amazingly and beautifully written. Cocco Nicole. Toate acestea amintindu-i de propriile sale lupte. This book was so stunning, for its expertly detailed setting to original subject matter. I rooted for Hannah, empathized with her, was interested in her journey. Il confine dei libri. Salve Confine, ennesima recensione di un romanzo dal tema importante e delicato che mi ha catturato fino alla fine. La vita di Hannah va a rotoli. I personaggi sono psicologicamente ben delineati e si riesce facilmente ad immedesimarsi con il lavorio mentale della protagonista. Io sono entrata in piena sintonia con Hannah, vivendo con lei l'angoscia, la sofferenza e la solitudine, ma anche la speranza di una ripresa. Il fatto di non riuscire a capire fino alla fine se Hannah sia destinata a vincere contro la malattia e contro la parte oscura di se stessa, tiene il lettore, o quanto meno me, incollato alle pagine. Molto bello ho trovato l inserimento dell'elemento religioso vissuto come una ricerca. La protagonista comincia a studiare la vita delle sante, di quelle misitiche che digiunavano per raggiungere l'illuminazione divina. Sono stata veramente contenta di aver scelto di leggere questo romanzo a cui molti non avrebbero dato una chance e lo consiglio fortemente se avete bisogno di una lettura introspettiva che lascia il segno. Buona lettura. TWs: EDs, rape The protagonist is completely void of insight. She acts without knowing why. There is her memory of a fight with her ex and a rape? Even then she never seems to make the connection. This was too good for me to write a review. I loved this book a lot and I knew I could not do justice. Joe Halstead. Author 2 books 49 followers. It was a special thrill to read this book. Jessie Chaffee is a brilliant writer. This was very exhausting to listen to. I don't really enjoy the 'people fuck up their lives at home and go to a different country because everything is better abroad' trope. It always feels a bit cheap and unrealistic, most of all if the person suffers from severe problems like Hannah and her eating disorder. I didn't like Hannah at all, I thought she was a very draining character and I hated how badly she treated her sister. And also everyone around her. The connection with the asceticism of former Italian martyrs and other famous religious women felt very This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Show full review. Synopsis An American woman, Hannah, arrives in Florence from Boston on a mission of self healing and growth. She knows no one, and speaks very little Italian; however, Hannah has secluded herself in a more profound way. Estranged from her identity by an illness that has left her body in ruins. Both sides of Florence draw Hannah in, as she discovers herself, and tries to find the goodness of life and let go of her past. Jessie Caffee is an incredible writer, and this was an amazing debut. I enjoyed that, although this is a literary fiction novel, it reads like a contemporary, without taking away from the whimsical and lyrical prose. As someone who has had the same struggles, this book was a very accurate representation of what it was like for me , to suffer from an eating disorder this is not a spoiler. I do know that mental illness is subjective, so not everyone may relate to the same story, but for me, this novel was a very accurate representation of what it is like to suffer from Anorexia. I really enjoyed the setting: Florence. I felt like I was there, and I so badly wanted to be eating the same delicious food, as well as go to all of the adorable little cafes that Hannah would walk to for her daily lunch. My only issue with this book, and I believe it to be solely a personal issue, is that there seemed to be some kind of awkward disconnect between myself as a reader, and the characters in the story specifically Hannah ; but, I will say, that I think that this also could mean that Jessie Chaffee is THAT good at creating the feeling of isolation that someone experiences when they are suffering from an eating disorder or other various mental illnesses. My Rating: 3. Judy Abbott. Author 2 books followers. Florence in Ecstasy is a sensitive, moving portrayal of a woman in the grips of a serious eating disorder. Author Jessie Chaffee tackles protagonist Hanna's struggle against herself masterfully, and the entire book is raw and gorgeous. The city of Florence itself becomes a secondary character, its sights and smells coming vividly to life on the page. A heart-wrenching, but hopeful, book. I read this book slowly, savoring the descriptions of Florence and the gradual getting to know the character of Hannah with all her virtues and flaws. It's a beautifully written account of a fragment of one woman's life, thoughtfully exploring her discoveries of the city and of herself. Natalia B. Terrible writing and irresponsible treatment of the subject matter. I mean, come on It's magical and mesmerizing and warped and achingly beautiful. Basically it's a story about a woman with an eating disorder who, instead of going to rehab, decides to face or not face her demons by holing up in Florence, Italy for a few months, depleting her meager savings, joining a rowing club, and more or less prowling about aimlessly. During all this, she becomes fixated on the mystical saints of the middle ages and begins blurring the lines between their lives and her own. I've realized I pretty much only like religion in fiction when the protagonist is twisting it into what she needs it to be to feed her own mania. Fire Sermon toyed with that mechanism but was too earnest for my taste. I prefer anti-heroines like our Hannah di Boston. Hannah is steeped in that specific expatriate blend of loneliness and perplexity that I found deeply familiar. Other themes include obsessive control, distortion of reality, and cleansing. The old-world melancholia of Florence really fuses well with Hannah's denial and hunger-induced haziness. A few excerpts: The world was foggy but I was clear. I could feel each of my vertebrae, buttons against the stone column, shallow ditches dug around the bone. My ring was loose, my pants were loose, my joints were loose, unbound. I was changing form. I pull—my muscles shaking—and watch the wooden arms fold forward, taking with them a gulp of river. Catherine in ecstasy, arms open, ready to receive. The writing fades a little in the final quarter, but in general this novel seems to be an overlooked gem. For the right audience, of course. Ana Gabriela. Florence in Ecstasy is the story of Hannah, an American woman who finds herself in Italy for reasons not immediately clear to the reader. All we know when we meet her is that she is lost, unhappy, and running away from her life back in the States. I found it to be a fascinating look into the history of eating disorders. I had never considered whether some of the saints were really that devout, or if they used religion as an excuse to starve themselves. Overall, this offers some good insight into the insidious, unrelenting nature of mental illness. If psychology and European history are your thing, this is well worth checking out. Another quick audiobook. I enjoyed this much more than the previous one. The descriptions of Florence, including the art, the food, and the city itself are lovely. Her internal monologue, her anxieties about her body, and her hesitancy to open up to others all felt authentic to me. Certainly I think world travel can be restorative, but the idea that American women are so fucked up we need foreign men to fix us is stupid and I hate it. This book refrains from that sort of conclusion. Thank god. More reviews and ratings. Join the discussion. Can't find what you're looking for? Help center.

Florence buy Ecstasy