Under the Tuscan Sun (Paperback)

~ Frances Mayes (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 341.0 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1966 reprinting edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767902807
• ISBN-13: 978-0767902809
• ASIN: B000E19SD0
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #273,590 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprise your own life, August 5, 2009

By	Really Like to Read (DFW Area, Texas) - See all my reviews

I confess I that I came to this book over ten years late because I had been under the impression that it was Chick Lit, and the movie was generally rated as perfectly awful, as other reviewers have noted here. It is not Chick Lit, and I am very grateful to another friend for suggesting that I give this book a try. It is a warm, sometimes hilarious,sometimes scary, and always heartwarming story of finding and restoring a beautiful home in beautiful Tuscany, while experiencing all the wonderful history and food of Italy, which is noted in great detail here. The author writes so well that you truly feel as if you are there. I found a larger story in the personal journey that accompanied the restoration. It is best expressed on p. 191 when the author gets a call out of the blue from a total stranger, a lawyer in Baltimore that has just lost her mother, and is considering a similar project off the coast of Washington. Mayes says (copying from book here as I can't improve upon it by summarizing) 'I recognize the impulse. I recognize the desire to surprise your own life. "You must change your life" as the poet Rilke said.'

Any reader will find this story entertaining and for those of us who are mid or late career, empty nesting, losing parents or otherwise experiencing a life transition, you might find a larger message in this experience that inspires or at least encourages you to find and move to the next phase of your life.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK!, January 4, 2007

By	Marie Antoinette - See all my reviews

Francis Mayes is such a good writer that after I read this book it lead me to her other travel books. She has a unique talent in describing her adventures in her new home in Tuscany. I have to point out that I was very disappointed when I saw the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun". It resembles very little of the true Francis Mayes and of the life that she has created in Tuscany. The book is much much better than the movie. There is no comparison! After you're done reading this book, you will have the urge to buy plane tickets to Italy (I know I did)!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Under the Tuscan Sun, August 13, 2006

By	bernie "xyzzy" (Arlington, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

The title of this book encompasses the essence of the book. Frances Mayes retires to Italy and obtains a rural farm house and olive trees. It is not a story but more of a biography of the struggles and joys of restoring the farmhouse in Tuscany. Also the trials and tribulations of working with the Government and several diverse cultures from the workmen tot the subcontractors. It is the details that make the book so interesting.

If everyone had the wherewithal and the finances to accomplish this then there would be no need for the book. This book gives us dreams, hopes, and recipes. Also enjoyed the audio version.

Be aware that reading this book will make you want to eat Italian.

Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy