Rating: 
Summary: Engaging account and analysis of Sicily in transition
Review: Although it sometimes seemed padded, I enjoyed Mary Taylor Simeti's journal of the changing seasons and their festivals in northwestern Sicily (Palermo and her husband's ancestral estate southwest of the city) in 1992-93. In the year covered by the book she also makes or recalls visits to a number of other sites, mostly in western Sicily, and draws on many earlier accounts of how festivals were celebrated in ancient Magna Grecia and in 18th and 19th century Sicily. Although preoccupied with ancient Greek celebrations, particularly their botanical foci, and with the disappearances and revivals of Sicilian folk culture, Simeti's account does not ignore the Mafia. 1992 was the year in which General dalla Chiesa and his young wife wereassassinated. Outrage at that marked the beginning of public condemnation of the Mafia and the violence that culminated in the 1996 assassinations of the magistrates investigating the Mafia was escalating. (And 1993 was the year that a lava flow from Mt. Etna was diverted by dynamite.) Focusing on Demeter and Persephone has a clear feminist agenda. Simeti expresses eloquently her ambivalence as an expatriate American (of 20 years standing at the time), alternately enchanted and infuriated by Sicilian ways. I was particularly struck by the more widespread (than Sicily) resentment at "living in a world where rite and tradition are becoming ever more a private affair that has fallen squarely into the woman's lap" (66-- I know that ancestor worship is similarly being increasingly dumped on wives in Taiwan, for another instance). The characters are not as clear as those in _Out of Africa_ or _Cross Creek_, but in writing engagingly about residence in a land that is strange to the author, Simeti deserves a place on the shelf with those much-loved classics.
Rating: 
Summary: Honest, Evocative, and Delightful
Review: I couldn't put this book down. Surely it's partially because my heritage is from that area of Sicily and I haven't ever been there. Mary Taylor Simeti's book was so descriptive that I now feel like I've actually visited. The dialect of the people is as if I was reading about my own grandparents. As an American she true-ly captured the flavor of the Sicilian people so vividly that I sometimes could smell the food as I was reading the pages. I also recieved an education on Greek Myth. Gratzia Mary Taylor Simeti from Denise
Rating:
Summary: Haven't ever visiting Sicily I now feel I've been there!
Review: I couldn't put this book down. Surely it's partially because my heritage is from that area of Sicily and I haven't ever been there. Mary Taylor Simeti's book was so descriptive that I now feel like I've actually visited. The dialect of the people is as if I was reading about my own grandparents. As an American she true-ly captured the flavor of the Sicilian people so vividly that I sometimes could smell the food as I was reading the pages. I also recieved an education on Greek Myth. Gratzia Mary Taylor Simeti from Denise
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and evocative book!
Review: I first read this book while living in Sicily in the 1980s, and have read it twice since then. It's not only one of the most interesting books about Sicily, a fascinating place, but also one of the best written. Ms. Simeti's beautifully crafted prose and keen insights do justice to this complex land.
Rating: 
Summary: ON THE ISLAND OF DRECK
Review: It irks me that Mary Taylor Simeti is in possession of any of my money! That any publisher found ON PERSEPHONE'S ISLAND worthy of print astounds me! Be warned, you get exactly what is promised, a journal! Simeti's is a dry account, devoid of humor, insight and passion and is written with a lofty phraseology: a deadly combination that had better not be contagious! To be honest, I found the book so dull I was unable to read it straight through, so after eighty pages, I began skiping around in search of entertainment, since there is no story. I found none! If you're searching for an escape to another place, a glimpse into another life or culture, or just plain fun, look elsewhere! You will find none of the above here! Half a star-because the cover is very nice, if misleading!
Rating:
Summary: ON THE ISLAND OF DRECK
Review: It irks me that Mary Taylor Simeti is in possession of any of my money! That any publisher found ON PERSEPHONE'S ISLAND worthy of print astounds me! Be warned, you get exactly what is promised, a journal! Simeti's is a dry account, devoid of humor, insight and passion and is written with a lofty phraseology: a deadly combination that had better not be contagious! To be honest, I found the book so dull I was unable to read it straight through, so after eighty pages, I began skiping around in search of entertainment, since there is no story. I found none! If you're searching for an escape to another place, a glimpse into another life or culture, or just plain fun, look elsewhere! You will find none of the above here! Half a star-because the cover is very nice, if misleading!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: Mary Simeti and I are star-crossed. We both had the exact experience with some notable difference. She married an Alcamese and stayed in Sicily. I married an Alcamese and brought him to America. I believe she made the wiser choice as her book clearly demonstrated to me that while an American can become a Sicilian, a Sicilian can never become a true American. I was impressed by her use of language and how she managed to masterfully depict Sicily. It is obvious that she has been seduced by the Sicilian way of life but still clings to her American origins. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person and she is as lovely as her book would convey. This is not just a book about Sicily--it is an intelligent, scholarly work from a writer mesmorized by a mysterious but wondrous culture. Although I had a special interest in this book, anyone who enjoys poetry and history disguised as prose will adore this book.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: Mary Simeti and I are star-crossed. We both had the exact experience with some notable difference. She married an Alcamese and stayed in Sicily. I married an Alcamese and brought him to America. I believe she made the wiser choice as her book clearly demonstrated to me that while an American can become a Sicilian, a Sicilian can never become a true American. I was impressed by her use of language and how she managed to masterfully depict Sicily. It is obvious that she has been seduced by the Sicilian way of life but still clings to her American origins. I had the pleasure of meeting her in person and she is as lovely as her book would convey. This is not just a book about Sicily--it is an intelligent, scholarly work from a writer mesmorized by a mysterious but wondrous culture. Although I had a special interest in this book, anyone who enjoys poetry and history disguised as prose will adore this book.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful read
Review: Picked this book because of its previous rating and read it prior to visiting Sicily. I found the book a delightful read and Simeti's images to accurately describe the Sicily we saw four weeks after finishing the book. She describes well a beautiful and complex island as enjoyable to visit as her book is to read.
Rating:
Summary: A delightful read
Review: Picked this book because of its previous rating and read it prior to visiting Sicily. I found the book a delightful read and Simeti's images to accurately describe the Sicily we saw four weeks after finishing the book. She describes well a beautiful and complex island as enjoyable to visit as her book is to read.
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