The story's protagonist is Serena, a normal twenty-five-year-old girl. On the surface, she seems to lack nothing to be happy with: she has a beautiful family who loves her, she's about to graduate and move into the house her grandfather left her. While she waits to achieve the goal she's always dreamed of, she supplements her income by working as a waitress at the Chiosco, a Milanese bar frequented by a diverse crowd. There, she meets Cri, Vivi, and Angelica, with whom she develops a close bond that, over time, becomes a friendship. Then she meets Leonardo, who quickly begins to play a significant role in her life, but just as quickly reveals himself to be spoiled and unsuitable for her. Serena has very little self-esteem and few goals for her future. She hasn't yet figured out her place in the world; she simply observes everything around her, but is unable to choose her role.

In this novel, Serena talks objectively, describing herself from the outside. It's a book with a beautiful and engaging plot. While reading it, I found myself immersed in the story, even though I've felt uncertain and invisible to others. Personally, I really appreciated the author's writing style; she manages to beautifully describe the protagonist's emotions and feelings, and she has excellent observation skills. The narrative pace is at times very slow; this is due to the description of Serena's point of view and reflections on the world around her. She, in fact, looks at the world as if she were not participating in the life unfolding before her. I recommend this book to all young women, as it makes them reflect on the fact that, if you want love from others, you must first love yourself.

I had quite a hard time reading the book Se mi guarda da fuori.

The novel tells the story of Serena, a girl who works at a kiosk in Milan and is about to discuss her thesis.

The story is full of descriptions that, in my opinion, obscure the meaning of the story and sometimes make it unclear. The teenagers described seem addicted to drugs and alcohol, lost in the wrong love affairs: they don't provide a good example to follow.

I couldn't identify with the protagonist because she's a closed-off girl who feels inadequate in situations and inferior to others.

She falls in love with Leo, a boy her own age, but more mature, sometimes violent and dishonest.

The story ends when Serena, thanks to the help of her friends at the Kiosk, manages to overcome her complexes, break away from Leo and go live on her own, feeling fulfilled.

The text was difficult for me to follow because it gets lost in psychological reflections. There are also many characters that I often confused, and at times the author uses words that are all linked together, making them unclear.

I think it's more appropriate for my age to read less psychological texts, but with a clearer plot.

Serena, the protagonist of this book, rarely mentioned by the author, has a peculiar life tied to a few essential aspects: it seems she can exist solely for the kiosk, where she works to earn a living before graduating—which is about to happen. But in the meantime, new acquaintances, the new house inherited from her grandfather, and the prospect of a new potential love turn her simple life upside down.

Serena still doesn't know what dream to pursue, what kind of woman to be, but above all, she doesn't know how to feel adequate and inappropriate in any situation, unless it's waiting tables: she's slowly become very good at this.

Among her new friends and the kiosk's customers, she's afraid of going unnoticed and feels as if she's "invisible," until she notices someone trying to catch her attention: Leo, the handsome guy of the group who usually shows up at the kiosk on Saturday nights for a drink before going out to party.

As time passes, Leonardo seems to take on an increasingly important role in Serena's life, and their story will bring her to a harsh realization: that often, behind smiles lies pain, and that it's not difficult, if you pay attention, to find someone who can appreciate you for who you are, even if you're not obvious. Serena will understand the importance of making choices in your life, not just conforming.

In this book, the characters, those who live in a cold, everyday Milan, seem devoid of feelings; they seem to constantly be acting out roles; from his work colleagues who soon become his friends, to the customers at the kiosk.

The author effectively captures the protagonist's feelings, often appearing as the narrator of the story as she observes the world and what is happening from an external and objective perspective, almost as if she herself were not part of the story.

The narrative is very often slowed down by the girl's reflections and points of view, which are made explicit very often throughout the book.

The author portrays a cold and apathetic Milan, populated by people always with a drink in hand and a quip ready, always superficial without ever delving deeper. A sterile city, in short, where feelings seem to have no place, and where the people who inhabit it, and who enter Righetti's field of observation, always seem to be acting out a part; with this, the author demonstrates her ability to characterize and describe characters. Righetti managed to engage me with her excellent writing and her ability to analyze the characters' inner world, especially when she effectively captures the protagonist's thoughts. Often, in fact, Serena looks at the world as if she weren't participating in the life unfolding around her, as if she were observing herself from the outside. Most of the book revolves around the girl's point of view and reflections, slowing the pace somewhat.

The book focuses on growth, fears, and the fragility of an age poised between being a teenager and becoming an adult, an age I know well, having experienced it firsthand.

When I started this book, after just a few pages, I was already ready to dismiss it and brand it negatively. The reason is simple: the usual clichés, for which I harbor an almost visceral hatred, had led me to believe that the author was trying to offer me the same repetitive story I've read over and over again, about young people who are unhappy for no reason, who spend their time drinking and smoking, unsure of what they want from life, only to end up with the perfect man who comes to our heroine's rescue. I was already resigned to struggling through the reading, with a constant raised eyebrow. But no. Absolutely not. Or rather, not entirely, because, even if the genre isn't considered one of the best (at least in my personal taste), she was able to excellently tell the story of Serena, a girl like many others, the classic fictional girl, because in the end, with her treacherous pen, she managed to deal with themes that deeply touched me and that made me, unthinkable to say, feel a strong sympathy and even, at times, identify with the protagonist.

A girl who is almost a woman, standing on the edge of her own life, almost as if she were a spectator and never had an active role. She speaks little and observes everything that passes before her, and her best vantage point is the Kiosk, where she works and where, like a kind of nature reserve, she sees different humans approaching life: the Marinas, the Count, the Mothers... all different and all the same: vacant and indifferent gazes, even if they pretend otherwise. And it is here that Serena feels constantly out of place, invisible, wrong, because she has nothing to share with those people except the air she breathes.

The characters are very distinctive and well-written, using a light, uncluttered approach to leave room for the true essence of the novel, the crux of the matter: the normal course of life for every man and woman who, as such, encounters life's problems.

As far as I'm concerned, the novel as a narrative novel has nonetheless provoked some reflections and emotions in me, so it still deserves a more than positive evaluation.

The novel flows easily, its language simple yet highly effective. It tells the story of a shy and pessimistic girl who works at a kiosk. There, she meets a boy named Leonardo with whom she begins a romantic relationship. However, their relationship quickly ends, and Serena reverts to her usual negativity.

Descriptions play an important role in the novel; they're very thorough and detailed—too much, in my opinion. The story itself doesn't have much meaning; it's flat, with no twists and turns, and as a result, the novel isn't intriguing.

The author lacked imagination, and the novel certainly wasn't a huge success. Despite this, it's easy to see the author's remarkable writing skills.

I must confess that I struggled to read Teresa Righetti's entire book, "Se mi guardo da fuori." The author has a degree in literature, a fair amount of experience as a waitress, and this is her first book.

The novel, written in the first person, seems autobiographical, recounting a couple of seasons in the life of Serena, a girl who is about to discuss her degree thesis and works in a kiosk/bar in Milan.

It has many descriptions that, although beautiful and well-written, are detrimental to the plot. Perhaps I didn't like them because I don't know the places and environments being discussed. If the author had talked about

In Savigliano or Cuneo, I might have appreciated her descriptions; even the somewhat snobbish people who frequent the kiosk and surround the protagonist are unfamiliar to me. The young people described seem more like empty adolescents, addicted to alcohol, drugs, and easy love, than university students from the upper-middle class of Milan.

The only place I recognized was Liguria, but I don't think at all like Serena, who loves the Adriatic coast because she doesn't like swimming, but rather walking in the sea on the sand; on the other hand, I love swimming and Liguria is my second home.

Serena, the protagonist, is very introspective, she feels inferior, inadequate, unloved.

She falls in love with a customer at the kiosk, Leo, who, despite being her age, is immature and violent.

The story ends when the protagonist, finally, thanks to her work and the friendship of her colleagues at the Kiosk, matures, frees herself from Leo and his complexes, and goes to live on her own, finally feeling fulfilled.

I found the text difficult to read, partly because it's written in a colloquial style, with sentences made up of words all stuck together. The characters, though well-developed, are numerous, and perhaps because of the abbreviated names and nicknames, they get confused and create a bit of confusion.

I prefer to read simpler, more adventurous, less psychological novels with a good plot, perhaps because I'm still a little immature myself.