Under the Tuscan Sun (Audio CD) Audio CD – Abridged, January 20, 1998
Author: Visit ‘s Frances Mayes Page ID: 0553455982
.com Review
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.
–This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Mayes’s favorite guide to Northern Italy allots seven pages to the town of Cortona, where she owns a house. But here she finds considerably more to say about it than that, all of it so enchanting that an armchair traveler will find it hard to resist jumping out of the chair and following in her footsteps. The recently divorced author is euphoric about the old house in the Tuscan hills that she and her new lover renovated and now live in during summer vacations and on holidays. A poet, food-and-travel writer, Italophile and chair of the creative writing department at San Francisco State University, Mayes is a fine wordsmith and an exemplary companion whose delight in a brick floor she has just waxed is as contagious as her pleasure in the landscape, architecture and life of the village. Not the least of the charms of her book are the recipes for delicious meals she has made. Above all, her observations about being at home in two very different cultures are sharp and wise.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Audio CDPublisher: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (January 20, 1998)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0553455982ISBN-13: 978-0553455984 Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 0.9 x 5.6 inches Shipping Weight: 8 ounces Best Sellers Rank: #1,625,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #2114 in Books > Travel > Europe > France > General #2176 in Books > Travel > Europe > Italy > General #3536 in Books > Books on CD > General
You enjoy it while it lasts, get a little heartburn about half way through, and you feel a little funny after you’re done. And you know that it’s all just empty calories…
I was debating whether or not I should do a cycling tour of Tuscany when I spotted this book. I took it as a sign from above, so I immediately purchased it in hopes of being inspired to do the tour. Well… I WAS inspired, but not as much as I would’ve hoped.
Much like others have said, the first third of this book is quite sweet and captivating. It does a great job of drawing a sparse, beautifully concise mental picture of the Tuscan countryside. I really enjoyed her literary ‘frugality’.
However, the only frugality she exhibits appears to be in her prose… As the book drags on, it becomes more and more the transcribed diary of a spoiled little rich girl who has trouble keeping the reins on her pocketbook. I found the references to shoe-shopping addictions to be particularly shallow.
And after the umpteenth complaint about cost overruns on the house renovations – followed by inexplicable spending sprees – I began to hear the phrase, "Awwww, the poor wittle baby" going through my head more and more. If everything’s so darn expensive, why do you keep buying, and buying, and buying?
But I must admit that there is the odd sprinkle of profundity throughout the text. Every twenty pages or so, there was something – perhaps only one sentence – that would strike a chord within me, and would make me put the book down, look out the window, and remark to myself, "So, so true." In particular, her description of travel and its effect on the traveller was especially meaningful to me. It put into words what I’ve felt in the past, many times, but was unable to explain.
I was thoroughly dissatisfied with this novel. Due to extreme stubbornness, I forced myself to finish after several grueling months. After seeing the movie, which I adored, I starting searching for this book expecting it to be even better. The book, however, is not even slightly similar to the movie. The movie chronicled the main characters search for romance. The book, however, is a true story focusing on the restoration of an old Tuscan house Frances Mayes, the author, and her husband purchased. She describes ever step of remodeling her house in painful detail; there was an entire twenty page chapter focusing on the removal and replacement of old linoleum. Do not worry, we are also told in detail about the disposal of the aforesaid linoleum! Several other lengthy chapters were dedicated to Mayes and her husband having a custom made wrought iron gate constructed and installed. Other chapters are dedicated to the reconstruction of a stone wall around their house and, of course, we are told in depth about the various building requirements, tools, workmen, and disposal of any unusable stone. Also, the reader is allowed the thrill of excruciatingly long chapters dedicated to the remodeling of bathrooms and kitchens which, as we all know, is a subject of endless fascination. As if this is not exciting enough, the reader receives lengthy dissertations on the author’s shopping trips chronicling everything she bought from bed sheets to silverware. Later, as the excitement builds to a climax, the reader is allowed a exhaustive chapter on her cleaning the floors and windows as well as painting the walls. Often, she would include entire chapters of recipes, which could have been enjoyable if it were included as a bonus at the conclusion of the novel and not an actual part of the story.
Amazon com Under the Tuscan Sun Audible Audio Audio CD Abridged Please retry Under the Tuscan Sun is a feast for all the senses 1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing 0553455982 Under the Tuscan Sun Audio Cd by Under the Tuscan Sun At Home in Italy by Frances Mayes and a great selection of similar Used New and Collectible Books available now at AbeBooks com Amazon com Customer Reviews Under the Tuscan Sun Audio CD Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Under the Tuscan Sun Audio CD 20 hrs of work per It s time to toss out your copy of Under the Tuscan Editions of Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes Editions for Under the Tuscan Sun 0767900383 Paperback published in 1997 0767902807 Mass Market Paperback 0767916069 Paperback published in 2003
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