Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy [Paperback]

Mark Gordon Smith (Author), Nikki Smith (Editor), Photos by author (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2004

A richly descriptive travel memoir, not a travel guide. Tuscan Echoes is a collection of short stories, written by the author while living in the heart of Florence. His luminous prose brings to life the ordinary and, in so doing, he illuminates the extraordinary about Italian life. The first in a trilogy about Italy, this is a book to share as a gift with all those who love this diverse and varied country.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A superb and original extended meditation on nationality and identity. -- Midwest Book Review, Dec 14, 2003

Exquisite travelogue memoir notable for its richly descriptive passages about place and its tenderness of spirit -- Charleston Post Courier, Dec 2003

This book will allow you to escape for a few hours to the land of serenity, beauty and passion. -- Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review

From the Publisher

There is a unique and sensual approach to the author's writing that separates him from those who have written of Italy before. In concert with this first title, his Italian Trilogy will explore all of Italy and heralds the arrival of a modern classic in the genre of Italian Travel Essays.

Written in the tradition of Pico Iyer, Tuscan Echoes is a unique blend of memoir and travel essay that opens a portal into one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Seasoned Italialophiles will relish Smith's attention to detail and poignant observations, and discover an Italy that is both familiar, yet breathtakingly new.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 170 pages
• Publisher: Almar Books; 2nd edition (June 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974098310
• ISBN-13: 978-0974098319
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,115,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Skip this book, March 31, 2006

By 

George Sand (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy (Paperback)

What makes Tuscany so dazzling to so many? Its art, terrain, art, history, art, cuisine, art, people? Yep, all of the above. But you'll learn next to nothing about any of them by reading this book. It's little more than the author's love letter - he does love Tuscany - written with a grammar school vocabulary and expository style. I finished reading it solely because it turned out to be the only book I had on a long flight.

You want literary tributes to Tuscany, read the real thing: Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Lord Byron, E. M. Forster, Henry James, Mary Shelley, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Mark Twain, and Edith Wharton.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful love song to a magnificent country, March 16, 2008

By 

Paul E. Salsini "author of "The Cielo"" (Milwaukee Wis) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy (Paperback)

As a writer, I was greatly impressed with Mark Gordon Smith's ability to transport readers to this fascinating country with simple, evocative descriptions. As a lover of everything Tuscan, I felt I was walking alongside Smith on his journey. And as the son of Italian immigrants (also from Tuscany), I felt my ties renewed and strengthened by this beautiful love song.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very little Tuscany, January 3, 2007

By 

Katie Brooks "Kate" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy (Paperback)

I found that most of the book was about the churches, gardens, and museums of Florence. The book moved slowly and I would not recommend reading this book. You could find this knowledge in any guide book.