Rating: 
Summary: Charming memoir of how Tuscany used to be
Review: "A Tuscan Childhood" has the flavour of an oral history and is a little like listening to your favorite grand aunt's stories of her days gone by - a little rambling, punctuated with references that aren't too relevant, but with the occasional flash of charm that livens the account. The book is at its most interesting when she recounts Tuscan village life and food before WWII, and how the war affected the Italians of Aulla and Florence. But while one half of the title is "Tuscan", the other half is "Childhood", and Kinta Beevor also takes us through her memories of her family and their friends, and her growing up years, and unfortunately, her writing was never incisive or lively enough to interest me in the lives of people I never knew and would never know. Here, the book just reads like the indulgent memoirs of a diarist, penning a personal account of her history for her family. Worthwhile reading only for its very personal account of a Tuscany that (as is made evident in the last chapter) has disappeared or is disappearing.
Rating:
Summary: Charming memoir of how Tuscany used to be
Review: "A Tuscan Childhood" has the flavour of an oral history and is a little like listening to your favorite grand aunt's stories of her days gone by - a little rambling, punctuated with references that aren't too relevant, but with the occasional flash of charm that livens the account. The book is at its most interesting when she recounts Tuscan village life and food before WWII, and how the war affected the Italians of Aulla and Florence. But while one half of the title is "Tuscan", the other half is "Childhood", and Kinta Beevor also takes us through her memories of her family and their friends, and her growing up years, and unfortunately, her writing was never incisive or lively enough to interest me in the lives of people I never knew and would never know. Here, the book just reads like the indulgent memoirs of a diarist, penning a personal account of her history for her family. Worthwhile reading only for its very personal account of a Tuscany that (as is made evident in the last chapter) has disappeared or is disappearing.
Rating: 
Summary: Addendum to Kinta Beevor review
Review: Eric Newby, an excellent travel writer wrote two books on the Tuscan region, one where he was a virtual prisoner of war during WWII in Tuscany, "Love and War in the Apennines", and a follow up book where he comes back to Tuscany in 1967 with his wife to renovate a farmhouse. While these are out of print in the USA they are availbale on the Amazon.co.uk site.
Rating:
Summary: MEMORIES OF A GARDEN IN THE SKY
Review: GIST: A high-society British family resides in a castle in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. Written by the late Kinta Beevor (whoever SHE was). HAMMOCK-TIME: You'll need several days' rest in your hammock, or beach chair to finish it. Some sections are sluggish. Yet the insightful characterization of people, countryside, and events is a potent incentive to finish the book. SKIMMING QUOTIENT: You might easily skip a section towards the end, an overemphasized recollection of the author's jaded coming-of-age society years. STYLE: Interesting blend of the stiff British upper-lip attitude and subtle, dry humor, with a more down-to-earth vulnerability gained, as if by osmosis, from the Italian staff members whom Ms. Beevor befriended. SUBSTANCE: Intriguing, at times, humorous exploration of a childhood in Italy, as part of an expatriate British family. My favorite passages center on a roof-garden, that became an idyllic retreat for the family and their guests. QUIBBLES: Is there anyone the author or her relatives didn't know, in high society during those early eras of the century? The name-dropping gets a bit much, but does not really affect the overall charm of the book. BROWNIE POINTS: I was happy to see that Ms. Beevor engages only rarely in patronizing behaviour towards Italians. She seems to enjoy learning from them, absorbing their knowledge of the land. It's a surprising feat, viewed against the aloofness that the rest of her family, and the rigid social class in which she is reared, displays. As an Italian-American, I find her attitudes refreshing. Sometimes I worry about Italy: all these rich foreignors settling, usually in Tuscany, where they are squeamish about the food, the art, the social structure, the Italianness (horrors!) of natives of Italy. Haven't we read enough books by that sort? COMPLEMENTARY BOOKS: There's a current barrel of books on Tuscany. Perhaps you might approach the region from a different angle. Try exploring one book entitled, Tuscany: The Beautiful Cookbook, which displays memorable photos and recipes. Logistically, it's a huge book, reminiscent of how delightfully big our books seemed to us as children, in managing the pages. The dishes outlined are intriguing - every one I tried turned out delicious so far, although it's a chore stuffing those closed-petal squash blossoms (yes, stuffing them). # # #
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and charming
Review: I found this autobiographical account of childhood refreshing and uplifting, but then I AM prejudiced - I had a close Italian friend, who was married to an Austrian, but who unfortunately has returned to Italy now. A more charming and faithful couple I have never come across. The numerous black-and-white photographs illustrated the text well, as did a number of drawings of countryside, architecture and people. However, I would have liked there to have been a glossary of Italian expressions and an index of people and place names. I found it necessary to scan through the text a number of times in search of previous references to the same character.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful & magicial read
Review: I have read so many different books already in my life, and I don't think I will ever be able to choose one as my favorite but this novel is way up there. Kinta Beevor for this being her only book, did an excellent job writing it. I was never bored once, and just kept turning page after page for more as it was so enthralling and in one word, great. It was so interesting to read about early 20th century life in Italy from an upperclass English person. It starts in 1916 when WWI is ocurring, Kinta and her brother playing with the Italian soldiers that are at the castle to defend it, and look for the Austrians, and ends in the late 20th century, when Kinta has lead a full life, and seen so much from her Italian years. It's just plain wonderful
Rating: 
Summary: Charming childhood story brings Tuscany to life
Review: If you want a colorful and romantic yet realistic picture of Tuscany in the years between the two world wars, you will love this book. It captures the heart and soul of the Italian people in a way that only someone who grew up with them could do. I loved all the descriptions of the traditions surrounding the harvest times, the almost sacred preparation of food, the love of wine and the warmth of the Italians. It is the great fondness with which the author writes that makes this account so enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to escape to Italy.
Rating:
Summary: Charming childhood story brings Tuscany to life
Review: If you want a colorful and romantic yet realistic picture of Tuscany in the years between the two world wars, you will love this book. It captures the heart and soul of the Italian people in a way that only someone who grew up with them could do. I loved all the descriptions of the traditions surrounding the harvest times, the almost sacred preparation of food, the love of wine and the warmth of the Italians. It is the great fondness with which the author writes that makes this account so enjoyable. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to escape to Italy.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: Kinta Beevor, author of only this book, comes from a family of writers, including her son, the reknown author, Antony Beevor. It must be a genetic feature that families produce wonderful writers.
She draws you into her world, like a welcoming friend. You will experience historic events and the world as it was in Tuscany in the 19th century and the early 20th century. You will get to know many of the distinguished and famous persons who visited the Waterfields and best of all, you will become acquainted with "Aunt Janet", the famous English writer, Janet Ross.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Tuscany and in warm and inviting family experiences and how they are influenced by world events.
Rating: 
Summary: For Die Hard Tuscan Fans Only
Review: Let's face it, would we be reading this book, or would it be published if the author grew up in Belgrade or Prague? Probably not. But Everything Tuscan is hot right now. Even the Seinfeld show has made fun of the latter, with their episode, and line: You can't go to Tuscany, it's booked up! I can't really recommend this book before you read all the other books on Tuscany by you know who (Frances Mayes), or Tim Parks, or even William Hoffman (his was on Umbria). In fact read Peter Mayles books on Provence first. He can write. Seek out Eric Newby's book on hiding out in Italy during WWII. It's a gem. Kinta's memoirs are too full of "And then we did that...". I will give her credit for finding a written "voice" of a child as she writes. It does not read like a book written by a woman in her 80's -- which she was when she wrote this. There is little attempt to develop people as real characters, although some truly real characters spent time with her family. Her beloved brother dies in WWII in but one sentence. You never really get a any sense at all about Kinta, who she was, etc. Read anything by Primo Levy, Carlo Levi or Natalia Ginzburg first. They can write about real life in Italy. I'm afraid Kinta's book is merely family oral history which may have sounded better as told to her children. She seemed to have lived an interesting life. That doesn't make it a great read.
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