Rating: 
Summary: Mouth-watering page turner!!
Review: Frances Mayles book was like a vacation. It makes your high-stress, regular ol' life disappear for a few hours. It transports you to Italy, the dry, hot sun bleaching your hair, the cool clay floors and the marvelous robust foods. This book was delicious and I've reread it several times!Yum!
Rating: 
Summary: My book club all agreed, why was this a NY Times bestseller?
Review: Our group of 10 found this book to be boring, inconsistent in the writing, and too much like A Year in Provence to be original. Why would this be a bestseller? Nothing ever comes to a conclusion, characters appear and then are never heard from again, the writing seemed to have been fleshed out from magazine articles and tinkered with, when one should have left well enough alone. Not one we would recommend to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible, painful, awful
Review: This book was a horrendous waste of precious free time. Mayes is pretentious, boring, and a bad writer to boot. I have no idea why the book was so critically acclaimed. The renovations are so laboriously described, I wanted to scream. Her sprinkling of cute little Italian words everywhere is so very precious--it's like Mayes is saying, 'Look at me, I speak Italian! Aren't you jealous?'. Well, I speak French, and this book is merde. I almost bought the book, but luckily ended up borrowing it instead. If I had spent money on it, I think I would have to write to Mayes and ask for my money back.
Rating: 
Summary: Take the book for what it is, and it will return much more.
Review: Although this book has appeal for a very broad audience (thus its success), she's not writing for anyone -- or any particular genre. If you are looking for a practical travel guide, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a renovation guide, ditto. If you are looking for a story about her love for Ed, you won't get it. If you want it as a cookbook, you will be bored by everything else.However, if you pick up the book as none of those things above, simply as one woman's collection of memories -- a portrait of her summers with a focus on the land and its pleasures -- you will be enraptured. You will not regret this book if you expect it to be full of little gems of information. Instead of tedious details, look at her close description of everything she does as poetry. Immerse yourself in her unique and rich language, and the book will warm your soul.
Rating:
Summary: A Boring Book
Review: This book was a total bore, and a struggle to complete. I found the details of the renovation project to be tedious. I'd rather take a quick tour around Home Depot. I also didn't care for the author's condescending attitude to the locals, workers, etc. I've been to Italy a few times and found this unrealistic and disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Would have been better as three magazine articles
Review: This book essentially had three themes that could have been boiled down to three magazine articles: the renovation of the house, the cooking, and the Italian travelogue. The house renovation was very interesting, but left my thirsting for pictures (perhaps I'm too literal). The recipes were interesting, and I may try a few. The travelogue put me to sleep.
Rating:
Summary: A Delightful Journey -- An Inspriation
Review: Instantly I felt transported to a wonderful countryside. The descriptives had me aching to be in Tuscany and enjoying the delights of the people, foods, history, churches, homes, beaches... Thank you, Frances Mayes, for sharing such an intimate part of your life, not to mention the recipes! I bought herb plants and a mini food processor during my reading -- the pesto is exquisite! Many thanks...
Rating:
Summary: Richly written - a great escape
Review: As someone who is used to taking frequent Mediterranean vacations but was marooned stateside this past summer, I thanked my lucky stars for happening upon this book. It was just the escape I needed. As I got deeper into it, I felt myself becoming more and more enamored with Tuscany, Bramasole and its cast of characters. Mayes hits her stride with rich, textured detail of her environment after the first 50 pages or so. Before that, she gets a little too bogged down in renovation process. I really felt that I was there, right down to hearing the crickets singing in the hot summer sun. Unlike so many others who reviewed this book, I was not offended at all by her descriptions of the Tuscan locals or the lifestyle. She was very complimentary and respectful of everyone she wrote about. One thing that could have been left out - the references to Mayes childhood that screamed "I'm wealthy!" The recipe chapters were an added bonus and inspired me to get cooking. Try the mushroom lasagna with bechamel sauce in the later food chapter - it's divine. The bottom line - if you're looking for a wry, humorous account of life as an expatriate, a la Peter Mayle, this book won't do it for you. But if you want to immerse yourself in a richly written tribute to the rolling hills of a gorgeous, faraway land, Tuscan Sun is not to be missed.
Rating: 
Summary: re: the audio version..read in a twangy, dull monotone.
Review: I looked forward to the audio version of Under the Tuscan Sun, but after just 5 minutes, I knew I had made a mistake. I would suggest listening to a portion of Under the Tuscan Sun before purchasing it. It is read in a monotonous, heavily accented manner which becomes annoying pretty quickly. Too bad! Toujours Provence is much more enjoyable if you're looking for something along these lines.
Rating:
Summary: Carried It With Me Everywhere...
Review: ...Read by the visor light in the car! Very entertaining, as much about the renovation of a life as much of her house in Italy. However I did not enjoy "Bella Tuscany" at all. It's gathering dust. Why? Same author, same country, same writing. But something is off-center. Barbara Grizzuti Harrison's "Italian Days" is the perfect antidote. Followed by "Eating In Italy." Enjoy.
|
