Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy [Paperback]

Michael Tucker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2008

The actor Michael Tucker and his wife, the actress Jill Eikenberry, having sent their last child off to college, were vacationing in Italy when they happened upon a small cottage nestled in the Umbrian countryside. The three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Rustico sat perched on a hill in the verdant Spoleto valley amid an olive grove and fruit trees of every kind. For the Tuckers, it was literally love at first sight, and the couple purchased the house without testing the water pressure or checking for signs of termites. Shedding the vestiges of their American life, Michael and Jill endeavored to learn the language, understand the nuances of Italian culture, and build a home in this new chapter of their lives. Both a celebration of a good marriage and a careful study of the nature of home, Living in a Foreign Language is a gorgeous, organic travelogue written with an epicurean’s delight in detail and a gourmand’s appreciation for all things fine.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this lighthearted memoir by television's former L.A. Law star, Tucker delve graciously into the rich lifestyle, cuisine and local wine of central Italy when he and his wife, actress Jill Eikenberry, make an impromptu purchase of a 350-year-old stone cottage in the Umbrian countryside. The Tuckers break away from the Bay Area to acquaint themselves with the Rustico, their new second home. Despite speaking limited Italian, they quickly befriend their expatriate and Italian neighbors and with them set out to celebrate the regional cuisine found in local trattorias, tavernas and the aromatic kitchens of new acquaintances. Language gaffes and the occasional couple's spat is to be expected, as the Tuckers begin to re-evaluate their lives. The simplicity and heartiness of Umbria begins to feel more like home for them, and little by little the Tuckers let go of their more career-ambitious lives in the U.S. Jill's revitalization of her theater career in New York becomes as much of an accomplishment as her taking art classes with 16 non-English-speaking Italian housewives. Tucker simply appreciates his relationships forged with Gloria, the owner of the local orta-frutta shop and the town's butchers. Guileless narrative intertwined with generous descriptions of Italian fare make Tucker's food memoir and travelogue a satisfying look into the good life. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Driving through Italy, television actors Michael Tucker and Jill Eikenberry and her young Korean^B assistant are seduced by the stately, relaxed pace of Italian life. Swapping their dream of a house in Provence for an Italian venue, they find a friend's home for sale near Spoleto, and Tucker quickly seals a deal. The delights of Italian food awaken Tucker's latent epicure. His determined compulsion to savor every edible raised on local farms ultimately obliges him to spend some serious hours at the local gym. Returning for a time to their California home, they want to share their love of Italian food by hosting a dinner party, but egocentric American friends can't even gracefully accept this generous invitation, citing a catalog of dietary restrictions and food fears. Foodies will slaver and bristle with envy at the surfeit of pungently fresh truffles that appear at seemingly every meal. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802143628
• ISBN-13: 978-0802143624
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Drinks & Beverages > Wine > Food & Wine

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could Not Put This Book Down!, June 24, 2007

By 

Hike-a-holic (Lakewood, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy (Hardcover)

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!

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

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy (Hardcover)

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

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LA DOLCE VITA REDUX, August 10, 2007

By 

Gloucester Mary "Gloucester Mary" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living in a Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Love in Italy (Hardcover)

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!