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lelandbuck's review against another edition
4.0
After reading about a third of this book, I perused some of the Goodreads reviews and I was somewhat surprised by the comments that this book had no plot. Quite simply, it isn't that kind of a book. I enjoyed this book very much. It floats from place to place, thought to thought. The flow of the book evinces time in a garden, with seasons, blooms, harvests, and inevitable feasts. The comparisons to her previous book, [b:Under the Tuscan Sun|480479|Under the Tuscan Sun|Frances Mayes|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613835s/480479.jpg|940760], might be somewhat misleading, as that book followed a more structured storyline of Mayes buying and falling in love with her Tuscan home, Bramasole. This book does not attempt to tell as cohesive a story. But it reads well, contains many fascinating diversions (trips to Sicily and Veneto) as well as some wonderful culinary and gardening reflections. I enjoy Mayes writing style (rich and emotional), and found her to have a good sense of when to blend personal experience and observation with historical and cultural intelligence. If you want a story, try moving on the the fiction shelves. If you want to be transported to Tuscany for a while, and are not expecting a riveting plot to get you there, this is a good choice.
kimdeitzler's review against another edition
5.0
I want to live the life of Frances Mayes. I already have a husband named Ed, so there's that. Now for a professorship and a home in Tuscany...
simplymary's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't capture my attention as much as the first book, but still a fun read.
jenn_stark's review against another edition
3.0
To be honest, I didn't enjoy this one as much as her first... still lovely though as a stand alone.
kimmkoning's review against another edition
4.0
Loved Under the Tuscan Sun...so looking forward to reading the sequel
lisaeirene's review against another edition
1.0
No magic like the first book. Was bored and couldn't get into it. Gave up.
kairosdreaming's review against another edition
3.0
Ah, after the first book I was very excited to delve into this one. Only to receive some disappointment. There were some definite changes in style from the first book, but I don't think they were the good kind of changes that they could have been.
Frances Mayes returns to visiting her home Bramasole in Tuscany. For summers, some springs, and Christmas's this is her home away from home. They host friends, visits different villages, and cooks lots of different food while enjoying all that Tuscany has to offer. She and her boyfriend continue their renovations on the house as there is still much work to do and expand the gardens. But overall she tells of the sense of Tuscany and some of the things that can be visited in Italy from castles to churches to museums.
Mayes takes more time to describe the people in this book, but there still isn't a whole lot of development of anyone. The most common figure in her book is her, but she still seems detached even from herself when compared to her writing about every other subject. And while the descriptions of her people are meant to be flattering, to me they just weren't and didn't make them seem like people I would like to know.
The writing seemed to focus more on the travel rather than the house or the food this time. But it was a lot of jumping places without a lot of description or time spent on each place. They were snippets really. I much preferred the long rambling detail of the food in the first novel and while there was food and recipes in this book, there just wasn't as much and it wasn't as charming as in the other. I also kind of missed some of the descriptions of the house, even though they were a bit too much in the first book. There were some nice descriptions to read of Italy and the landscapes and food. It just wasn't as charming this time around.
I'd probably read more by Frances Mayes but I hope that they turn back to the charm of the first book. Read if you really like Italy, but otherwise this probably isn't the best of her works.
Bella Tuscany
Copyright 1999
286 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2011
catyreadsthings's review
I remember liking “Under the Tuscan Sun,” but this felt either not as good or just not my thing any more. Mayes’ idolization of the ancient Romans also felt tired.