Customer Reviews

Tuscany for Beginners: A Novel

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I found my self smirking and actually laughing out loud several times during the reading of this one. The author is quite insightful and certainly has great ability in being able to express herself in a very humerous way. The author uses a very easy reading sytle, perfect and appropriate syntax and is obviously a born story teller. Being somewhat into food, and having a wife who is beyond expert in the art of cooking, I enjoyed the inserted recipes throughout the book. If you are looking for a good, funny, relaxing read, then this one is for you. Recommend it highly.

I really enjoyed this very humorous book about a snobbish and overbearing B&B owner in Tuscany. The book alternates between Belinda's diary entries - her version of what her life is like - and what her life is really like. The difference is really funny.

The other characters in the book are great as well - from Belinda's timid daughter Mary, to the resident writer who does more drinking than writing, to the brash American who opens up a rival B&B. While they may sound stereotypical, the characters are not one-dimentional and they work really well in this story.

To add to the enjoyment of the book, Belinda includes some really delicious Italian recipes in her journal as well.

If you want a bit of well written fun, you will like this book.

Truly one of the funniest books I've read in a long, long time. If you're a "Keeping Up Appearances" and an "Absolutely Fabulous" fan of British comedies, then you'll love this book.

Edgy, uproarious, hypocritical, snobbery-at-its-sneering-finest and hilarity are but a few of the words to describe this story. Imogen Edward-Jones really knows how to tackle obnoxious characters and make them "almost" likeable and even noteworthy. So if you're down in the dumps, pick up this book.

A funny, biting and very British satire about an English divorcee who moves to Tuscany and opens a B&B. The trouble is, the woman, named Belinda, is a self-absorbed, pretentious snob who hates the idea that she's in a "service industry," and actually has to allow people into her Tuscan home, called, all too accurately, "Casa Mia." When a tough, enterprising American woman buys a derelict property nearby with the intention of opening her own B&B, threatening the reign of the little valley's self-appointed "contessa," the fur really starts to fly.

What I particularly liked about this entertaining but less-than-great book is its wicked take-off on the insufferable Frances Mayes and her endless effusions about the "marvelousness" (one of Jones' favorite words) of her life in Tuscany. The diary entries, in which Belinda pretties up her own life to the point where it's practically unrecognizable as the realities the author presents in alternating chapters of the narrative, are particularly wonderful satires on Mayes' smug pretentiousness. And the haphazard recipes the author gives at the end of each "diary" section are hilariously on-target jabs at the recipes the infinitely self-satisfied Mayes offers at the end of HER chapters of "Under the Tuscan Sun."

You won't get a "Tuscan tour" a la Frances Mayes, or much locals insight like Peter Mayle. But you'll get a satirical enounter with a funny little gagle of ex-pats who have put a valley in Chianti on its ear.

I really enjoyed the authors style and tone. Her wordsmithing skill is breezy and fun - but the characters were irritating. Belinda, the main character, is so petty, self absorbed, and idiotic that it was a bit difficult to read past the first couple of chapters. I kept reading hoping that either she'd get a taste of her own medicine or divine intervention would provide her with a clue or conscience. I understood the tongue and cheek spin on the stereotypical nationalities - but it was almost way too over the top. It was difficult to find a character to like or relate to. The last several chapters were the best of the lot - the ending was suddenly serious, surprising and unrealistic, but good.

In general, the characters were so stuck in their ex-pat bubble - making every attempt to ignore the Italians - that you'd never know where they were if it weren't for them complaining about the Italians. I had hoped for a bit more (Italian) cultural depth or interactions with the ex-pats & locals.

The humorous bits were shiny and smart - a fun quick read for the beach - beware, it may put you off to b&bs..... or at least the hosts.

I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a satire on Frances Mayes or a satire on bad writing. If it's the latter, it's a classic. All of the characters are either unlikable or stupid, sometimes both. The "plot" is predictable. The pace is turgid. Not to mention the details -- does she not know the difference between "blond" and "blonde"? Does she not know that England might have village greens but Italy has piazzas? Is the Italian's name Franco or Gianfranco? Why does she use present tense throughout? And why does she write her attributions backward -- "says Belinda," "says Kyle," "says Howard" get to be very tedious. This could have been a delightful romp. Instead, a reader finishes wondering why he put all the effort slogging through it.

I read this book a number of years ago, but I remember the characters and their crazy story quite well. This is a book I will read again for its humor and the bits and pieces the author shares about Italy. Are the characters bigger than life and is the plot loopy at times? Yes, but that's what makes it such a fun read. The main character is a self-absorbed snob of a woman who creates havoc in the lives of those around her, including the people who stay at her B&B. She has been betrayed and fallen on hard times and there is something endearing about her lack of self-control. In the end, I came to accept her with all her quirks, just as her neighbors and daughter managed to do.

I read this in one sitting -- a very funny piece of work. The characters are an homage to Benson's darkly funny Mapp and Lucia (even to the final scenes involving a natural disaster and a heavy kitchen table.) The contrast between reality and the dreadful heroine's self-deluding diary entries, her special recipes at the end of each chapter which are pure Anglo-suburban "Italian," and the the satiric hits at Frances Mayles are all gems, and had me laughing out loud throughout.

As an Italian-American who hasn't had the opportunity to visit my ancestral homeland yet, I treasure delightful stories like this!! The author has a wonderful style of writing which transported me to the beautiful setting, making me feel as though I was a guest in the B & B or a member of the community. Belinda was not a likeable person at all, and it's a wonder she had any friends amongst her wonderful neighbors. She ended up with a fate much better than she deserved! The "Mommie Dearest" manner in which Belinda treated her daughter was downright abusive and made me cringe. Yet, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story one iota because the author was a master at presenting the scenes in a lighthearted and humorous manner. This was exemplified in Belinda's journal entries in which her perceptions of the situation were so far from reality, demonstrating that she wasn't truly a malicious person, but rather a misguided one. The Italian country recipes that closed each entry was a delightful touch.

This title was selected by my 25 member reading group when they were seeking something humorous to read and discuss. They were both shocked and amazed that this book was reviewed so highly. Not one member found a single redeeming quality. The characters are unbelievable caricatures; it is cliche ridden; the "plot" is pointless with a "nice tidy" if abrupt ending; and the dialog seems to be straight out of every 1970's TV sitcom! What a waste of time!