Playing Away: Roman Holidays and Other Mediterranean Encounters

Mewshaw ( Short Circuit , Year of the Gun , etc.) here gives the reader a hodgepodge tour of his life as an American expatriate resident in Rome. Although falling under the category of travel literaturevignettes of Marrakech, the French Rivera and other locales are scattered throughoutthe book is more an exploration of the rewards and frustrations of living abroad. The reader comes to understand why, despite incredibly complex laws governing foreign nationals and a bureaucracy as blank-faced and obtuse as any in the world, Rome, for example, is in many ways a haven for creativity. And Mewshaw presents portraits of well-known writers (Graham Greene and Gore Vidal, for example) who have chosen to make their homes in other than their native countries. While somewhat lacking in focus, this is an energetic and intelligent work. (Nov.)