Rome in Love

Amelia Tate, an up-and-coming actress, has landed the plum role in a remake of Roman Holiday. Ducking out of a press event early and disguising herself as a hotel maid, Amelia meets Phillip, a journalist from whom she withholds her identity. In a narrative that draws heavily from both the film and the life story of its lead, Audrey Hepburn, Amelia is beset by heartbreak and then suddenly smitten, navigating all Rome has to offer with her new friend Sophie, who has secrets of her own, and a cache of unsent letters from Hepburn herself to guide her. Those familiar with Roman Holiday and Hepburn will delight in the retelling, especially with Hughes's own imprint on it in the end, imbuing Amelia and Philip, and a few secondary characters, with the traits of the 1953 movie's characters, although the few brief racier passages are incongruous. The minor story lines add texture and depth to a charming love story.