Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes has long been on my to read list. Unfortunately, though, I found it really challenging to stay engaged in this meandering memoir. Some paragraphs and phrases capture my attention because they capture a certain beauty. For the most part, though, the book reflects...
Edit: I mentioned in my review that the author paid $1,000,000 for this abandoned villa because she said in the book that she wrote "milione" at the closing so many times. But Ms. Mayes sent me a tweet questioning where I got that price and that it was a fifth of that or $200,000. That was when I...
As someone who is moving to Tuscany soon, and as a fan of A Year in Provence, I thought I'd enjoy this book. The truth is that it's OK, but nothing special. There are some great depictions of the Italian countryside, Italian people (especially workers), and lots of great descriptions of Italian food...
I watched this movie when it came out almost two decades ago (gah!) and liked it, but thought it was sort of awkward - especially the whole romance part. Now I know why. There is no romance part in the book: she in already in a relationship when the book begins and they buy the house together. I ...
I thought this book was really good. I enjoyed the recipes that she put in the book. I only saw the movie, not knowing it was a book. Then, I read the book, totally not in line with the movie and vice versa. Yes, they stuck to some of the books characters, but Frances was still married when she and ...
Reading this memoir of an American woman who buys and renovates a three-story Italian Villa with her husband, I can understand why so many love and so many others hate the book. I feel mixed myself. To understand how readers feel, let me quote you her description of their new Summer residence, just ...
Reading this memoir, I see that the film adaptation was really only inspired by the book rather than based upon it. Still, both are entertaining individually. In this memoir, Frances Mayes tells of how she and her boyfriend Ed (now her husband) buy Bramasole, a run down villa in Cortona, Italy, the ...
First let me tell you what this book isn’t. It’s nothing like the movie; it’s not a romance; and it isn’t even a book with much of a plot. Instead, it’s a beautiful collection of anecdotes loosely tied together by the progression of time. The primary focus is on the author’s experiences restoring a ...
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