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twreading's review against another edition
4.0
Though I liked the movie better, this was a very nice, vivid, dream enducing read. I love travel fiction
nikread84's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written book. Some dry parts, but overall very beautiful and it even has recipes! Don’t expect it to be anything like the movie.
bigcitydreamer's review against another edition
3.5
This book lingers like a long lunch on a hot summer day in Tuscany. At times brilliant but a tad too long in the end for my restless spirit. Perfect to read on a trip to Cortona as was able to see the sites she mentions in real time, but not sure how it would have felt if I'd read it in my day to day life.
newlillith's review against another edition
5.0
This book is nothing like the movie. The plot in the movie is almost totally made up (although the movie is still life-changing and also you can't mad about Sandra Oh in anything). The book doesn't really have a plot. It follows Frances and Ed (her boyfriend) as they restore Bramasole in Tuscany. She writes about the restoration, her neighbors, the markets, how she basically creates her own garden of eden on the property, and what she cooks. Her voice is so unique and rich. It's like the reading version of a flourless chocolate cake. It took me awhile to get through it because of how much there is to take in (I really love the chapters on ancient Etruscan history and culture). But I would highly recommend this for a summer book. It's easy to pick up for a little while by the pool, and because there's no plot you don't lose your place. It feels like you're with the author while you're reading, so it's a lovely getaway. Also it makes me want to buy a house in Tuscany and make my living as a writer.
kcrouth's review against another edition
4.0
After reading the article https://indyweek.com/culture/page/page-frances-mayes/ in @indyweek about @francesmayes new book, and being a fan of the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, I finally picked up and read the original book for the first time and loved it. Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy has the rich feel of a great travelogue, yet is really a book about a place and it's people and way of life, and then that place becoming home. The story is wonderfully told, the account of finding and buying a house in Tuscany, restoring it from disrepair into a beautiful and rich villa, and then setting up housekeeping, and of it becoming Home. The intimate details of the people, the customs, lifestyle, and of course, the food, are rich and real. Reading this book has me wanting to go back to Italia ASAP!!!
biankatoth's review against another edition
1.0
This book is almost as bad as Eat, pray, love. I'm debating myself about finishing it, or not, but it just makes me so mad that it's nothing about. Thanks for the recipes chapter so I could skip some pages. I'm only sad because I bought this book so I normally feel bad that I threw money out on this...
book_concierge's review against another edition
2.0
I expected an Italian "Year in Provence," but Mayes is not Peter Mayle. Here is the rare instance where the movie is much better than the book.