Customer Reviews

Tuscan Echoes: A Season in Italy

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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.

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.

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.