55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Could Not Put This Book Down!, June 24, 2007
I had to really think about buying this book. So many books by movie starts just do not keep my interest. With great reservations I added it to my order along with several other non-fiction books I thought would keep my interest going if this turned out to be a dud.
"WOW!!!!" I could not put this book down! It is finished and ready to be sent off to a local library as I type and am still trying to read through all of the other non-fiction books I ordered at the same time!
If you are an armchair traveler, foodie, like humor, or enjoy just a good love story, this book has all of those ingredients plus more.
Plus the writing is excellent - much better than this review!
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
LOVE OF LIFE AND FOR EACH OTHER, August 6, 2007
While it has been said that living well is the best revenge, actor Michael Tucker might say living well is the only way to go. His delightful over-too-soon memoir of sojourns in Italy leads one to believe that he knows what the good life is and has made it his own.
Tucker, his actress wife Jill Eikenberry, and their good friend Caroline established a goal for themselves during a vacation in Italy - it was "to slow down our hearts and minds until they synched up with the circadian rhythm of the Italian countryside."
What happened was they lost their hearts to a 350-year-old rustico sitting on a hillside in the Spoleto valley. For Tucker, an unabashed gourmet, gourmand and all around foodie, the clincher was the forno, an oven older than the rustico which once had been where all the village women baked their bread. Situated beside the house, it stood alone, was covered, and would accommodate a very large animal. The forno would be the place where friends gathered for good food, great wine, and stimulating conversation.
The story of how they bought the rustico, refurbished it, and accomplished all of this while trekking between New York and Mill Valley, California, is warm, touching and often hilarious. At heart it is a love story, the love shared by Tucker and his wife, and their mutual love for Italy. For them, it is a totally new state of heart and mind. As Tucker explains, it is a "philosophical country," where one visits with friends at table discussing life's important questions, such as, "what one is going to eat at one's next meal, which will be coming up in a few hours."
Delizioso!
- Gail Cooke
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LA DOLCE VITA REDUX, August 10, 2007
I'm going to miss this delightful book. I couldn't put it down. It's the wonderful tale of two love affairs; one with a region, the other one with a life partner! I found myself waking up in the middle of the nite every nite this week to read a bit more, but I didn't hurry thru it, instead I savored every word and every luscious description of food/drink/friends and countryside. I cried when I first started reading it, as it made me long for the Umbria of our recent vacation. And of course i cried a, when i put the book down at the end too. All good tears. My only fear is that this book will turn too many people onto the currently unspoiled beauty and perfection of Umbria. Shhhhhh... Please keep it a secret! Michael Tucker's writing is delicious--and I highly recommend LIVING IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE to anyone who loves Italy, food, family or friends!
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