So, yeah. I have gone crazy. And in my craziness, I ended up taking another language, la bella lingua, Italian. But when you start learning a new language, you discover yet another method of learning one. Which amuses me a lot. This time, without many resources, without much guidance, I checked the books in my collection and on a whim, selected this one. And, I am not definitely disappointed by my choice.

This book doesn’t even come close to top 10 resources for learning Italian on the web. I didn’t have any among the top 10 actually. And I have so many eBooks with me, that I can’t go online to read reviews of each and every one. At this point of time, I think readers need a background, since I have talked about possessing a lot of books in some earlier posts as well. A senior of mine gave me this collection of 3-4k eBooks he had accumulated from various sources because he knew how interested in books I am. Although, I never came about studying/ reading many of them, I do, sometimes, take up one or two. And this one also, I found lying in the same collection.

As every book has its pros and cons, this one is no exception. And of course, it isn’t suitable for everyone. You might like it, you might not. I definitely have enjoyed it, till now. I have finished just 1st part of the book (rather in one month, unlike Genki, which is taking years despite me having exam in July *yelp*)

This book is just like your typical grammar book, similar to those taught in schools, but with more content. I love the way it flows. I find it quite interesting that the writer Gabrielle Euvino has used Italian words in between the English sentences and it makes the whole reading process so rhythmic, so liquidy. It is one of those books in which I don’t even realize when I have finished a chapter (and trust me, those kind of books are very rare). Some might find first few chapters a little boring but after 3rd chapter, real grammar lessons start. I wouldn’t recommend the learners to skip those 3 chapters though.

Little bit sized cultural info is a plus. Definitely doesn’t let you get bored. I really like the in-depth details till now and the exceptions are listed pretty well. And so much vocabulary, I ended up making Anki deck myself, which is again the first time. I have always given up on making Anki decks for myself after sometime but I think I would definitely finish one for this book.

Only cons are lack of exercises to practice. There are just some fill in the blanks types of exercises after some of the topics, nothing else. Nonetheless, I am not using the book alone. Duolingo is the second source I am using with it. They compliment each other well actually, although totally unrelated (coz I didn’t find any explanations in Duolingo and it has its own units and flow).

Also, for some, it might be overwhelming that they have put so much content at once. I have skipped most of the vocab for now, since I’ll be making flashcards out of them anyway. And I am taking a break after the chapter on verbs from Part 2 of the book, to properly learn whatever I have studied till now. I will revise it all for the next week and then continue with the book. You can decide your pace on your own.

One other thing, some point out is, lack of listening material to go with it (I am talking about 2nd edition, I have no knowledge of further editions of the book). Well, for me, duolingo does some of the work. I am trying to find episodes of Winx Club and W.I.T.C.H. in Italian with English subs (though, with no success). They were the childhood cartoons I used to love, wouldn’t mind to try the original Italian versions. If nothing else, then I would give up on subs (might actually be better that way). But for now, my dependency is on Duolingo only.

I haven’t used any other sources to study Italian except the book and Duolingo, so I can’t really compare them to others. According to other reviews of this book online, you would reach the intermediate stage in Italian after finishing it (and I am so looking forward to that)

With this, I will finish my review of the book. I won’t say “highly recommended” because as I said, I haven’t tried any other source. But if you really don’t know where to start or want to complement your studies from Duolingo, you can definitely pick this one up. I am sure, you will enjoy it!

PS: Someone, help me get over “Can’t do Genki no more” fever. I need to finish it before June end 😦 Or suggest me something else which, by the end of it, would make me at at least N4 in grammar. Please! たすけてください!