Customer Reviews

Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(45)

 

 

OK--Many of the customers who wrote previous reviews about Bella Tuscany have some valid complaints. It is several chapters too long and we do get tired of Mayes' whining. We have little pity for her trying to restore two houses at once and we don't need to hear about every meal and shopping excursion. It certainly does not surpass her first effort, "Under the Tuscan Sun." Still, as someone who has never been to Tuscany (or Italy for that matter), many of the descriptions in "Bella Tuscany" are little treasures. Who wouldn't want to live where you can go to one local farm for ricotta, another for pecorino romano and a third for wine? Or where Roman and Etruscan ruins are to be found in so many unsuspecting places? Or where fabulous meals can be made with only the simple ingredients you grow in your garden? Or where every small local church has a major work or art or two? I do have two recommendations that would have made this book more enjoyable; a map of Tuscany and Italy would have been helpful in identifying the many places Mayes visited. Also, I would have enjoyed more photographs other than those on the dust jacket. Maybe the few "teaser" pictures are to whet our appetite for her 3rd book, "In Tuscany." In any case, while this book has some character flaws, I think potential readers need to try to overlook these and to dig deeper for the jewel within.

I adored Under the Tuscan Sun and couldn't wait to read Bella Tuscany. But like so many others who have reviewed the book here, I had trouble finishing it. It simply did not have the beauty or the charm of the first book. In addition, the constant sniping really got on my nerves. In my opinion, if you are lucky enough to have a villa in Tuscany and to live "the sweet life," you shouldn't be complaining about the mafia in Sicily or your never-ending parade of rude houseguests. Mayes should have included fewer gripes and more recipes. But worst of all were the unbelievable number of typographical errors in the book. Is it possible that a university professor can be such a poor speller and that her editors could fail to correct so many mistakes? The errors drove me absolutely to distraction and sent the message that Mayes was rushing her second book into print before it was ready, just to capitalize on the success of her first book. I would say that parts of the book were pleasant to read, but all in all I would have been just as happy not picking up the book at all.

I really can't understand why so many reviewers have complained about this sweet little book. Although I'm French, not Italian, I have traveled all over Italy and I found Bella Tuscany to be a sweet and interesting book that provides a few evenings of lighthearted and entertaining reading. In Bella Tuscany, Mayes travels to regions outside Tuscany, such as Sicily and Venice, as well as to the many castle towns, fishing villages and islands. Many reviewers have complained about the chapter on recipes, but I found them quite interesting and delicious! Although I don't think Mayes captures the essence of Tuscany with quite the wit and verve of Peter Mayle, writing about Provence, Bella Tuscany is still a sweet and lighthearted look at one of the world's most beautiful regions.

Another disappointment. This dribble has little to do with Italy and no plot. This best part of the book is the picture of the house. The chapter on Sicily appears to be plagerized from On Persephone's Island by Mary Taylor Simeti who has lived in Sicily for years, speaks the language and in contrast to Ms. Mayes really knows the people (published 1986). it is disgusting to see a writer mention her sadness about prostitution in Italy and then move on to discuss hiring full time garderners and choosing between tile or marble for the bathrooms. Also, it is suprising for a woman who claims to love teaching to portray the students she has as "uh like idiots".

Frances Mayes has brought Italy to me here in Webster, New York. The first book, "Under the Tuscan Sun," made me hungry for more about Tuscany, the people, the foods & recipes, the history & geography, and especially the descriptive manner in which Ms. Mayes tells a delightful story along with everything else. "Bella Tuscany" has moved me more than any other book I have read. I lose myself in each one of her chapters. Then I find myself, understanding why, as an Italian, I interpret things the way I do, feel the way I feel, and relate to people of all nationalities the way I do. I savor each chapter, reading each word, and sometimes having to close the book because I cannot see the words through my tears. I have never traveled to any European countries and hopefully, one day soon, I will. Cortona and Venice will be on the top of my list. One of the most moving thoughts in the book, was her description of an old widow who was selling her home and of course wanted to sell it for more money than it was worth. Ms. Mayes states that the house probably looked the same way it did in 1750! The emotional value of the home seemed to override the real physical worth of the structure. Ms. Mayes tells us that the old widow reached out to her, took her hand, and pulled her into a different world. She wanted to cry out because the woman's grip was so strong, but she didn't. As a child growing up in Rochester, New York, and having grandparents that lived in an area populated by Italians (mostly Sicilians), I have met women like the old widow. They hold you so tightly...maybe thinking some of that youthfulness will rub off on them. When they spoke of their homes in Sicily, I used to wish they had pictures of the people and towns, but I only knew of those places from their descriptive reviews. I wished I could see and feel the beauty they described, beauty that they missed, coveying that feeling only in tearful eyes. They were always so happy to see you, even if you had just been there the day before. I will happily anticipate Frances Mayes next book on her life in Cortona. I would like to see a Frances Mayes PBS special! Thank you for this opportunity to voice by opinion of this wonderful book.

This is a charming read if you love Italy, but the author gets lost about half way though the book and pads out what is basically a very long travel piece. From someone who teachers creative writing you'd expect something a little less self absorbed.

I loved her first book, but "Bella" was a letdown in many ways. "Tuscan Sun" had a spontaneous, joyous feel to it; but "Bella" felt very self conscious. When the author took off for Sicily, I got the distinct feeling she was saying, "Got to write another bestseller! Got to find fodder!"

It was preachy (I don't care for the mafia, either, but please, I don't need the author trying to turn a travelogue into a diatribe!).

Also, I got the feeling that the author might be a bit difficult. When she rented a suite and then demanded another room, I kept thinking, Gee, would she have done that before bestsellerdom went to her head? True, there were shades of meanness in "Tuscan Sun," especially when she was acting snide about the workmen, but I felt the author was on stage here, not the country or (especially) the writing.

By the way, the part about the "winds" of Italy has already been done--and far better--by Michael Ondaatje, in THE ENGLISH PATIENT.

at the expense of the reading public, would be a more appropriate title. How did this silly book get such good reviews. Who are these people? I'll trust the Amazon rating public before I ever trust the "pros" again. This book is weak, annoying, and just plain foolish. And I adore cooking, gardening and wine. Wish I'd thought of this idea first ... I'd be writing from Italy.

I have just finished reading Bella Tuscany during our family holiday in the hills east of Florence. 2 years ago at the same old Tuscan farmhouse, I read and thoroughly enjoyed the first book Under The Tuscan Sun. This follow up, started off reasonably well but by half way, it began to loose its grip on me. Being in Italy I could relate to quite a few of the passages but began to wonder what the purpose of this book was. Jumping back and forth across the Atlantic, from present to past, by the end I realised that one third of the text should have been in the first and the rest was simple padding out. The recipes especially are a waste of pages particularly those from the deep south of the US. One passage that summed it all up for me was the section about tourists in Venice - the author appears to look down on those, like myself without realising that She too is just another tourist in Venice. Bramasole was an interesting conversion project but is still a holiday home.

The current book I am reading, started whilst we were still under the Tuscan sun, is a very different matter - Tim Parks' Italian Neighbours is a joy - a real ex-Pat living and working near Verona - this book captures the real Italy without the distractions contained in Bella Tuscany.

I have still to read the third book In Tuscany which I bought for the photographs (coffee table top book!!) - sorry Frances, if I wanted recipe book I would have bought another one to match those in the cupboard. If Under The Umbrian Sun appears on the book shelves, I don't think I'll bother.

Francis Mayes has done it again. While reading the book I was transported back to Italy. Having lived in Pisa for 2 years, I appreciate everything she endured and experienced. Since reading both books, I feel I know the in's and out's of Bramasole. Next year I would love to visit Cortona again and see the house in its natural setting. A wonderful book to compliment "Under the Tuscan Sun". Wonderful reading, I could'nt put it down.