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Summary: Taste it, See it, Live it!
Review: Bella Tuscany allowed me to drift from my world into rural Tuscany. I could explore the countryside, sense the antiquity, and best of all, I could taste the food!
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Summary: Good News if you HATE this book
Review: I was able to recycle mine on Amazon auctions. This is the nicest thing I can say about a dreadful book.
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Summary: Overall, a disappointment.
Review: I adored Under the Tuscan Sun and couldn't wait to read Bella Tuscany. But like so many others who have reviewed the book here, I had trouble finishing it. It simply did not have the beauty or the charm of the first book. In addition, the constant sniping really got on my nerves. In my opinion, if you are lucky enough to have a villa in Tuscany and to live "the sweet life," you shouldn't be complaining about the mafia in Sicily or your never-ending parade of rude houseguests. Mayes should have included fewer gripes and more recipes. But worst of all were the unbelievable number of typographical errors in the book. Is it possible that a university professor can be such a poor speller and that her editors could fail to correct so many mistakes? The errors drove me absolutely to distraction and sent the message that Mayes was rushing her second book into print before it was ready, just to capitalize on the success of her first book. I would say that parts of the book were pleasant to read, but all in all I would have been just as happy not picking up the book at all.
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Summary: this book was recommended to me. . . .
Review: and i guess it was because my friend thought it would be a good joke to torture me. this is some of THE MOST pretentious prose that i have ever come across. as literature in the tradition of Steinbeck and Hemingway or even the moderately o.k. under the tuscan sun, reading this work is mental hari kari. the author needs to find a fresh voice.
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Summary: No sour grapes -- just plain disappointment
Review: I finally had to remove Bella Tuscany from my bedside table because I knew I was never going to finish it. It's been sitting there for months waiting patiently to be finished and the guilt is killing me. I am a huge fan of Mayes and adored Under the Tuscan Sun. I couldn't put the book down and I sighed, daydreamed and planned a vacation to Italy through the whole book. I snapped up Bella Tuscany ready to soak up a bit more of Tuscany and their lives there. Instead of sweet, leisurely Tuscan days it was a disappointing bitter pill. I never got into the book and had to force myself to read 100 pages. Ever since I abandoned Bella Tuscany I thought if I could get "in the right mood" I would adore it. But, I realize that's not going to happen. Hopefully book number 3 will be better. If not I will cherish Under the Tuscan Sun and find other travel writers to read.
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Summary: OK since I didn't know any better...
Review: I listened to this book on a drive up the eastern seaboard to Montreal. I was completely captivated-- but I hadn't read UTTS first. Now that I have I see where others' negative comparative comments come from. The other thing that I definitely did not enjoy was the author's reading of the book. I did not find here voice at all pleasant.
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Summary: The next best thing to going to Italy!
Review: It you can't afford a trip to Italy, this book is the next best thing to going there. Francis Mayes shares the sights, sounds, and tastes like a native Italian. She has a talent for bringing you to a place beside her--sharing Italy through her eyes. This is a delightful book--a good surrogate to the real thing--at a fraction of the cost.
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Summary: Made me green with envy!
Review: Personally I enjoyed "Bella Tuscany" more than I enjoyed "Under the Tuscan Sun", something I wouldn't have thought possible after loving "UTTS" so very much. I sighed for days after I finished it, in a perpetual state of jealousy. Why can't I have a villa in Tuscany? Why can't I buy all these wonderful things to creat my ultimate dream home in a country I love? It's just not fair! *sigh* (See!!) I had expected to be disappointed because I was so excited about this second book, and usually high expectations lead to disappointment. Not so this time! I wouldn't go so far as to say the title is misleading, as some have remarked. The book is still about Tuscany, with snippets of the other locations that are important in Mayes' life. It's a MEMOIR for goodness sake! And I think the whole "package" gives a better insight into who the author really is and why Bramasole is so important to her. After all, she is creating a contrast between her life in California and her "sweet life in Italy." This is a MUST READ for anyone who loves travel, loves Italy, loves good food, good company, dream homes or gardening. My only query: I want to know who the mysterious Ed is, and where can I get my hands on his poetry? The dustjacket noted that Mayes is now writing a novel. I can't wait to read it.
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Summary: Excellent Book! Makes you want to call your travel agent.
Review: If you have never been to Italy and want to find out what it like--read this book. On page 179 she takes a train trip as a child and remembers it "at night" ---probably a very early morning train ride, quite common back then.
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Summary: why is it called Bella Tuscany?
Review: I keep wondering why she chose the title "Bella Tuscany". I feel the title only fits if the book takes place pretty much completely in Tuscany. However,the book takes us to various locals in the US as well as to regions in Italy other than Tuscany. I feel the title of the book misleads people into thinking they'll get the focus on Tuscany that her first book had. I feel it would have been more effective for the book to have a title that would more acurately reflect its content.
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