Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes

Title: Under the Tuscan Sun Author: Frances Mayes Genre: Non-fiction, cultural Rating: 10/10 # pages: 327 Date read: December, 2007

Summary: 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.

Review: I was about 100 pages into it before I realized it was non-fiction rather than fiction - it read like a novel! I'm now starting to understand Valancy's fascination with John Foster's books in The Blue Castle.

"Under the Tuscan Sun" is amazing. From the very first page I was hooked, and by the time I'd finished the book, I had such a desire to go to at least Italy, perhaps even Tuscana and experience the culture and atmosphere so eloquently described in the book.

It's a book that'll make you really, really hungry for good Italian food. Fortunately it has lots of recipes included, so I know what I'll be making for dinner the next couple of days.

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