Frances Mayes lives in Cortona, Italy and San Francisco, where she teaches creative writing at San Francisco State University. A widely published poet as well as a prolific food and travel writer, she has written for the New York Times, House Beautiful, and Food and Wine.
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. --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.
From Library Journal
In a carefully written story, poet Mayes (Ex Voto, Lost Roads, 1995), who chairs the creative writing department at San Francisco State University, recounts the purchase and renovation of an abandoned Tuscan villa. She begins with the 1990 search with her companion, Ed, for a summer home to take the place of the rented farmhouses of past years. They finally decide on Bramasole ("Yearning for the Sun"), a villa with 17 rooms and a garden that has been standing empty for 30 years. There is the ordeal of getting money transferred via the tangled Italian banking system, as well as bringing together the owner, builders, and government officials to get the necessary work done. The daunting process requires several years. Meanwhile, Mayes finds Italian country life a healthy antidote to hectic San Francisco, enjoying, for example, the fruits of her own garden, friends in the village, and the first olive harvest. This is an unusual memoir of one woman's challenge to herself and its successful transformation into a satisfying opportunity to improve the quality of her life.?William R. Smith, Johns Hopkins Univ. Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
The New York Times Book Review, Alida Becker
an intense celebration of ... "the voluptuousness of Italian life." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From AudioFile
Let the Tuscan sun warm you. Listeners can savor the delights of the countryside, fresh food, flowers and Italian village life through Frances Mayes's memoir of restoring a stone villa in Tuscany and her exploration of the surrounding countryside. For listeners who prefer to hear authors reading their own works, poet, teacher and food critic Mayes reads this abridgment version. While clear and engaging, her voice reflects her Georgia upbringing and caused this reviewer some consternation as she described an endearing Italian scene with a Southern accent. Mayes's intent is to guide readers as one would a guest, showing them all the delights of the place she finds so magical. One additional plus, a small booklet includes actual recipes from some of the memorable meals. Despite her accent, listeners will find themselves immersed in her vivid perceptions. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
From Booklist
It takes a determined effort to read this account of restoring and enjoying a Tuscan farmhouse without experiencing a violent attack of adolescent jealousy. Why her and not me, you'll be screaming as writer and professor Mayes describes languorous lunches on the patio, local wine flowing freely and olive pits casually pitched toward the nearby stone wall. Yes, there were problems--wells running dry, workers vanishing--but the image Mayes creates of her house, the Italian countryside, and her summers there with fellow professor Ed and sundry visitors is nothing short of idyllic: a real-life version of the film Stealing Beauty, but without the funny-looking sculpture scarring the landscape. Mayes' delightful recipes, evocative descriptions of the nearby village of Cortona, and thoughtful musings on the Italian spirit only add to the pleasure. This is armchair travel at its most enticing. Can we really blame ourselves for wanting to strap Mayes down in some ratty armchair while we go live in her farmhouse? Bill Ott --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
A New York Times Notable Book of 1997
"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
"Irresistible...a sensous book for a sensous countryside."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"An intense celebration of what [Mayes] calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life'."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Armchair travel at its most enticing."
--Booklist
"Mayes [has] perfect vision."
--Los Angeles Times
Review
A New York Times Notable Book of 1997
"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
"Irresistible...a sensous book for a sensous countryside."
--Minneapolis Star-Tribune
"An intense celebration of what [Mayes] calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life'."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Armchair travel at its most enticing."
--Booklist
"Mayes [has] perfect vision."
--Los Angeles Times
Product Description
Now in paperback, the #1 San Francisco Chronicle bestseller that is an enchanting and lyrical look at the life, the traditions, and the cuisine of Tuscany, in the spirit of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence.
印象中居住过的房子每一个房间都有自己独特的味道. 说不出来,或者只是一连串由记忆引申出的幻象. 可闭眼还是可以感觉温暖的气息穿过身体. 这本书让我第一个想到的就是阳光的味道. 是对我来说舒适感的代表. 昆明阳光干燥强烈且风大,再厚的衣物一下午就能干. 晚上躺在晒过的被...
评分原文:http://yemaiji.com/b/article.asp?id=74 你有时间吗?你知道白鸽每分钟叫多少次吗?你知道虫躲在草丛中的鸣声吗?你知道小猫喜欢在哪个角落睡觉吗?其实,这一切的一切,我们都曾熟悉过,可如今,它们却离的好远好远了。 说实话,见到“托斯卡纳”这四个字的时候,我...
评分10几年前的一个深夜,我不知道是因为什么心事,辗转反侧,最终我一个人跑到客厅打开电视,CCTV8海外剧场正在放一部电影《托斯卡纳艳阳下》,转了一圈别的台实在没别的电视好看,只好看这个了。结果却深深被这部电影打动。它浅浅的,悄无声息,没有波澜壮阔的剧情和画面,但就是...
评分著名的连岳说过:“每次我最爱引用这句话‘你要按你所想的去生活,否则,你迟早会按你生活的去想’,但总有人说,你想就能行吗?中国这种地方太多无奈!请注意,这类人就是那类‘迟早按你生活去想’的例证。尖锐敏感如连岳这样的文字工作者都能没有放弃追求理想梦想、过上属于...
评分印象中居住过的房子每一个房间都有自己独特的味道. 说不出来,或者只是一连串由记忆引申出的幻象. 可闭眼还是可以感觉温暖的气息穿过身体. 这本书让我第一个想到的就是阳光的味道. 是对我来说舒适感的代表. 昆明阳光干燥强烈且风大,再厚的衣物一下午就能干. 晚上躺在晒过的被...
电影跟书还是有不少差别,书更像是散记;托斯卡纳的生活好美好,但是全文阅读起来略琐碎。。
评分电影跟书还是有不少差别,书更像是散记;托斯卡纳的生活好美好,但是全文阅读起来略琐碎。。
评分非常喜欢~
评分看得出来作者对自己的生活着了迷,不过书写得拖拉又琐碎,真是读不下去。
评分非常喜欢~
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