A Valley in Italy

Rating:
Summary: Mayes With a Sense of Humor
Review: This was a delicious book that brialliantly chronicles the author's life in Italy, with humor and joy- two components starkly absent in Under the Tuscan Sun. Perhaps because she is British, or bcause she is a bit wacky, Ms. St. Aubin de Teran writes with great affection and truly captures the eccentricity of the Italian village and its villagers. Her tales of her children and her au paires and their interaction with the villagers and their new villa invoke a warmth and tone found only with someone who really loves her subjects. This book was all that Under the Tuscan Sun should have been, and I'm not sure why it has been less popular. It's just great!

Rating:
Summary: Mayes With a Sense of Humor
Review: This was a delicious book that brialliantly chronicles the author's life in Italy, with humor and joy- two components starkly absent in Under the Tuscan Sun. Perhaps because she is British, or bcause she is a bit wacky, Ms. St. Aubin de Teran writes with great affection and truly captures the eccentricity of the Italian village and its villagers. Her tales of her children and her au paires and their interaction with the villagers and their new villa invoke a warmth and tone found only with someone who really loves her subjects. This book was all that Under the Tuscan Sun should have been, and I'm not sure why it has been less popular. It's just great!

Rating:
Summary: Crazy, Italian Style
Review: Those who enjoy reading about very eccentric, irresponsible and self absorbed people who seem to have difficulty relating to others, particularly their own children.... the elder of which is referred to always as 'the child'.... might truly like this book. The writing is good, occasionally funny and paints a nice picture, BUT the author and her family are so unappealing that by the end of the first chapter I was ready to toss the book in disgust. Since I was stuck in an airplane waiting out a thunderstorm and had little choice, I read on.... hoping it would get better. It didn't. After reading several books about people restoring Italian homes and making a life for themselves in Italy, I've come to realize that the author's personality must be tolerable for you or the book will not be. This woman is from another planet. I just can't warm up to someone who would endanger her children's health, at a minumum, and seems to have almost no interest in them, except to chronical their exploits. Her husband is a real case, her daughter, 'the child', is following in Mom's footsteps of crazydom. Only the little boy might have a chance at normalcy, but it's hard to tell. Anyway, if crazy characters seem like fun, this may be the book for you. (Italy, by the way, is only incidental in the book.) If, on the other hand, you want sane, touching, funny, real people you'd like to know and their very charming, very Italian story, ready The Hills of Tuscany by Mate.