Urge to Rome by Kyra Robinov

Release: Oct. 4, 2021
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Dancing in the Dark Press
Source: Suzyapproved Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, TBD

I could have gone to a shrink. But a year in Italy sounded so much more appealing. My fantasy was that by changing my address, my insecurities would vanish and I would magically become the sexy, sultry, and migraine-free woman I was always meant to be.

After 9/11, the stress of daily life in NYC consumed me and everyone else. Throw in a couple of aging parents, two adolescent children, a workaholic husband, and a defective I-can-and-must-do-everything-perfectly gene, and it’s probably not unexpected that migraines had become a way of life for me. The idea of moving away, combined with visions of a slower, quieter life where we’d have time to “chew” our food, “breathe” the air, and take frequent weekend jaunts, was extremely enticing.

When the stars aligned enough to make our adventure possible, we jumped at the chance. Little did we know what awaited us.

About the Author:

Kyra Robinov is a Manhattan-based writer who works in many genres—fiction, non-fiction, musical theatre, and children’s literature.

After fictionalizing her grandmother’s story of a young mother surviving the Russian Revolution in her historical novel, RED WINTER, Kyra decided to focus on her father’s life. Her recent nonfiction release, HiSTORY, spotlights a daughter’s perspective on a bygone era and a man who struggled before ultimately achieving financial and personal success.

Kyra Robinov’s passion for the arts and storytelling originated in ballet and drama, and often, but not always, relates to her Russian Jewish heritage. She has worked on multiple live theater pieces. Kyra wrote the book and lyrics for TO DANCE, a musical inspired by the true life of Russian Jewish ballet dancer Valery Panov, which was featured at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2015.

Her whimsical Nature Stories In Verse—MATT McFLACK & HIS FLYAWAY KITE, DANCE OF THE SEASONS, and THE FOLLY OF POLLY THE PENGUIN—introduces young readers to the importance of perseverance, the different times of the year, and combatting climate change. The books are also available on Audible.com.

Next up is URGE TO ROME, a personal recollection about the challenging year she and her family spent while following their dream to live abroad.

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Urge to Rome Review:

If you ever decide to move to Italy with your family (or any European country), you need to read “Urge To Rome.”

I loved the author’s simplistic style of story-telling. She writes the story delightfully where you feel like you are reading about your family members. I loved how personal she made the memoir by the conflicting emotions to settle in Rome.

I have traveled to Europe and can say that language is a challenge. It is challenging to communicate and navigate if you don’t have a form of communication available. I loved the scenes where the author touches on how her daughter Galina picks it up faster than her. Moreover, it was interesting to see how the author felt self-conscious in her family, adjusting to the new background more quickly than her.

Speaking of children, I also liked how the author focuses on dealing with her children’s problems. For instance, I thought she handled the scene nicely when she talks to Nicholas about being the center of attention instead of Galina. There are also situations the author faces that also tests her relationship with Kevin. The author also shares an amicable relationship with her mother, and I particularly liked the second part when her mother visited.

Moreover, the author adds thrilling moments to the tale as Nicholas faces an accident and the family has to deal with hospital bills. Even though the situations and the characters are down to Earth, the author tells it beautifully where you feel like you are reading a family member’s vacation diary entries.

Overall, I liked “Urge To Rome” and felt the author executed the travel memoir nicely.