“This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s so delicious, read it first yourself.”—USA Today The 20th anniversary edition of the classic, updated with a new afterword. Don’t miss Frances Mayes in PBS’s Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special! Frances Mayes—widely published … Italy: Tuscan Sun Special!
Frances Mayes—widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer—opens the door to a wondrous new world when she buys and restores an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. In evocative language, she brings the reader along as she discovers the beauty and simplicity of life in Italy. Mayes also creates dozens of delicious seasonal recipes from her traditional kitchen and simple garden, all of which she includes in the book. Doing for Tuscany what M.F.K. Fisher and Peter Mayle did for Provence, Mayes writes about the tastes and pleasures of a foreign country with gusto and passion.
Now with an excerpt from Frances Mayes’s latest southern memoir, Under Magnolia
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Although the tranquil life in the Italian countryside is almost a cliche by now, I read this book in one sitting accompanied by a lovely bottle of wine. Go ahead, get lost in this good read.
Loved everything about this book especially the food. Shopping each day for the fresh meals beats pulling something out of the freezer.
The author has an incredible ability to describe things she has experienced until they become real to the reader as well. I had long, boring episodes that described only landscapes, sites, and food, and I read it all, mainly thanks to the fact that I could almost see all the scenes, feel the unique atmosphere in the historical sites and taste the …
The author made me feel like I was right there with her. Very detailed, but not to the point of being repetitive. What an interesting life they led! I later watched the movie and it is nothing like the book. The movie made her out to be a wimpy, helpless, divorced woman who couldn’t do anything for herself. The true story, (the book,) was a …
Enjoyed the book and the journey of someone leaving the known and walking straight into the unknown.
Love the movie and now I love the book as well. I have been to Italy and know the area this book took place in. What a great love story. Like the saying goes ” when life give you lemons, you make lemonade!”
I throughly loved reading but was disappointed that it was unlike the movie which I saw a number of years ago. It was more of a documentary on how the villa was remodeled and how the people involved made it their own. Since I have a deep dream to move to Tuscany it did move me to the possibility.
Ok, look. If you need a book that has an exciting, twist-and-turn plot, this is not for you. If you watched the movie and think you might like the book, this is not for you. So many bad reviews from people who fall into one of the above categories. Let me spare you the trouble of starting something you may or may not enjoy. This book is about a …
A vacation without leaving home.
Could not put it down! Best book I have read in a long time. Outstanding character descriptions
I read this book a long time ago and it inspired me to go after my dreams; dreams, at the time, I didn’t even know I had.
I just recently obtained dual-citizenship with Italy, and Maye’s book, in a roundabout way, is what helped with that.
Thank you for bringing to life you story in such a way, that I wanted to live a similar passion …
What can I say? This was terrific!
I have read this many times. I like any books about Italy.
I know, I know, this one has been around the block a few times, but it still defines
the word “evocative” in travel memoirs. Dreaming of whisking yourself away to the
Tuscan hillsides? Look no further. A memoir of crumbling ruins to restore, olive
oil to cook with, and chianti to be drunk, this one will fly you to Italy without fail.
Loved it. Couldn’t put it down.
Heart Warming and fun
Enjoyable
How many times have you thought – what would life be like if I moved to Italy? Lived in Tuscany? This is the quintessential travel story, of being deposited into a new world, for an adventure of delightful cuisine, and the people you meet, and the hearts that open, in a new country. Wonderfully written, it’s half-love story to Italy, half recipes …
light reading – pleasant.
I loved the movie… But the book is better! Highly recommend!