[.ca] Under the Tuscan Sun (ISBN 0553455982)

From Amazon.com:
In this memoir of her buying, renovating, and living in an abandoned villa in Tuscany, Frances Mayes reveals the sensual pleasure she found living in rural Italy, and the generous spirit she brought with her. She revels in the sunlight and the color, the long view of her valley, the warm homey architecture, the languor of the slow paced days, the vigor of working her garden, and the intimacy of her dealings with the locals. Cooking, gardening, tiling and painting are never chores, but skills to be learned, arts to be practiced, and above all to be enjoyed. At the same time Mayes brings a literary and intellectual mind to bear on the experience, adding depth to this account of her enticing rural idyll.

Unintentional Self Parody:
At least Frances Mayes had some ostensible reason for being in Italy -- she was using American dollars to buy an Italian house, thereby doing her part to drive up the cost of Italian real estate to the point that ordinary Italians can't afford to buy a house in their own country. So Frances Mayes is not a "tourist" or a "foreigner" she reminds us repeatedly -- she is now an Italian resident. Nevermind that she doesn't speak Italian beyond a few words and Berlitz-style phrases; Mayes carefully cultivates the perception among her readers that she does understand Italian. The fact is that if she'd had a real conversation in Italian, she would have recorded it. Instead she tries to analyze random Italians on the street based on their appearance and occasional gestures. Her social commentary on Italy is thereby reduced to conversations with fellow expats and her glimpses of Italians in public life, such as watching people in the street or purchasing things in the store. In the store, she goes so far as to request the price for a brother, not the price for a foreigner. She knowingly insinuates that the shopkeeper is going to charge her more, then pretends she deserves a discount because she has the means to buy a villa and spend half the year renovating it (rather than engaged in other meaningful employment). In fact, I own this book and open it at least once every two months. I love it. Naive American Goes Native in Tuscany. Frances Mayes could not have done a better parody of herself if she'd tried.

Fall in Love With Tuscany:
Frances Mayes has written a beautiful memoir about her home in Tuscany. Along with Mayes you experience all of the crazy unsettling ups and downs of purchasing a home abroad and attempting to renovate it on American time. Both humerous and faithful to Tuscan life this book inspires new life, new dreams and new hope even in the deadest of hearts. Mayes will leave you hungry physically and emotionally for a life well lived. She introduces characters who adapt to the whims of an American woman with no idea of how Tuscan life really works until she becomes absorbed in her new life and home. The book is FAR better than the movie and the recipes included will leave your taste buds in heaven. I recommend fresh air, a sip of Tuscan wine, good cheese, olive oil, and a dinner of sage and butter pasta and I believe you will melt into this book like I did.

Bascially "A Year in Tuscany":
I, like many other readers, was put off by the author's flippancy at spending money. The book was full of complaining about the costs of extreme renovations and their inconviences. I was also quite irritated when the author insinuates those that try to get a crash course in Europe, i.e. those who CAN'T afford an Italian farm house and the ability to spend 3-4 months away from there domestic jobs, are inferior to people like herself. Additionally, I found her writing to be rather unstructured. Perhaps, I would have enjoyed this more if it had been written by a poor, stuggling graduate student sleeping in hostels and taking odd jobs.

Lovely, lovely Tuscany:
Even if you never plan to visit Tuscany, it is worthwhile to saturate yourself in Tuscan sunshine, inhale the aromas of Italian meals and feel the heartbeat of the countryside by reading this book. Mayes' words are so evocative that the scenes she describes transport you from your armchair to Tuscany immediately. I put off reading this for quite a while thinking it must surely be overhyped. I'm glad I got past that and allowed myself the pleasure of seeing Tuscany through Frances Mayes' eyes. I think some of the negative reviews on Amazon carry overtones of jealousy. Sure we would all love to have the funds to have a second home in a scenic spot on the planet. Wouldn't we enjoy having the summer off to indulge ourselves playing lord of the manor? I sure would, but reading her book gave me the chance to experience it vicariously and I thank her for that.

Audio version comment:
The content of this is very good - but don't read it when you are travelling along empty stretches of highways and you are hungry! It's torture! I have read the first in this series -Under the Tuscan Sun and listened to the audio of In Tuscany, read by the author. I think another reviewer commented that F. Mayes obviously does not speak Italian. Well, I'm not sure whether she does or doesn't but I can certify that she has absolutely no Italian accent. Not a shred. I found that the audio was not as appealing as it might have been had it been read by someone else with a better acting voice and a facility for an Italian accent for the Italian phrases.