About this title: Frances Mayes, a gourmet cook, travel writer, and poet, bought herself a crumbling 17-room villa in the Italian countryside. It changed her life and renewed her spirit. Her immensely appealing chronicle of the experience, and of her romantic relationship with the man she eventually married, comes complete with recipes from the region. The book ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Broadway
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. Paperback, larger format, good condition. Cover image is a stock image and may vary. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. read more
Binding: PAPERBACK
Publisher: Broadway
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. Paperback, larger format, good condition. Cover image is a stock image and may vary. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books (A Division of Ba
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Description: Good. Ships from the UK. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780767916066ISBN:0767916069
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books (A Division of Ba
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. EXCELLENT value for money and ready for dispatch. Delivery usually within 3/5 days. Our reputation is built on our Speedy Delivery Service and our Customer Service Team. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books (A Division of Ba
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. All orders are dispatched from our UK warehouse within one working day. All queries answered within 24 hours. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. read more
Description: 1997-10. Broadway Books (A Division of Bantam Doubleday Del. 1st Broadway Books Trade Pbk. Ed. Paperback. Book: VERY GOOD. 304pp.. read more
Binding: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. No Jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. The book is very solid with bright, unmarked pages. The first end paper has been torn out. The cover has moderate shelf wear & minor edge wear. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Broadway Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780767900386ISBN:0767900383
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. General paperback wear, pages are unmarked. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 304 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
"Frances Mayes delivers for her readers an animated, lyrical, luscious memoir of her decision to purchase and renovate a house in Cortona, Italy.If you are at all interested in Italy or traveling this book will delight you and make you envious of the life she is carving out in Tuscany. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a gripping drama you will be quite bored with Mayes' descriptions of her meals, shopping excursions, home renovations and the visits to Etruscan tombs. I found myself wandering at certian points in the book as some of descriptions of the house renovations got just a little too wordy, but I was always pulled back into the story by another description of the townspeople, dinners at the town restaurants, churches or the surrounding towns. An enjoyable read, where Mayes creates a vivid imagery of the Italian countryside and beautiful prose that let's the reader into her most private thoughts."
"This is an inspirational book written by a woman who is going through a transition in her life. While visiting Tuscany, she decides to take a leap of faith and to begin a brand new life. Even though she can't afford the home which she wants to buy, the owner realizes that how much the author values the home and that it should be hers. Consequently the owner accepts the author's modest offer. That was spiritual! I especially appreciated this aspect since I am the author of a spiritually-themed book.
I have never visited Tuscany though Italy has remained one of the favorite countries which I have visited. After reading this book, I wanted to move to Tuscany. The writer has a gift for describing the countryside, the people, and the culture. She also has a wonderful gift for describing mouth-watering food. At points, the book reads as if it was a cookbook.
While it was interesting, the author's description of renovating her new home was a bit tedious. Even so, the book is a marvelous read. It was a delightful escape for me and the writing is very good. You will not be disappointed.
Davis Aujourd'hui, author of "The Misadventures of Sister Mary Olga Fortitude""
"" It's not fair that some people get to live like this!" she said, throwing the book down on her unwashed, non- authentic linoleum floor. " A wonderful companion that willing does chores, looks good without his shirt, never argues, likes to travel; cash to buy and then renovate a villa in Tuscany where you live every summer and at Christmas and bottle your own olive oil from your own trees; have tons of flowers, fruit trees and terraces with lounge chairs; find Etruscan stones in your back yard; have a fabulous job as the head of the Humanities department at a major University in San Francisco when you are not in Tuscany; interesting and famous literary friends; still look good in a sun dress and gladiator sandals; have a movie made about your life staring Diane Ladd (which is really nothing like the book, by the way); and speak Italian with a charming southern accent! It's not fair! It's not fair!" Later, that night, she crawled under the table and retrieved it, determined to try one of those recipes, included in the book, for Chicken with Chickpeas, Garlic, Tomatoes, and Thyme."
"Mayes is a beautiful writer. With imagery that plunks you right down in the middle of the Italian countryside, she takes the reader along on her journey to forge a new home in a foreign country. Her movements between her little apartment in San Francisco and her warm, sunny Tuscan villa, Bramasole, give the reader insight into a world where one woman lives in two very different worlds. I was very much a part of this story as I read it; I could almost feel the warm winds and smell the lavender in her backyard. Not only does Mayes introduce you slowly to her home, but she takes you on journeys around Italy with her family, while sharing recipes and Italian phrases.
If a reader picks up this book hoping it will reflect perfectly the movie based on it, they will be mistaken. The book is so much more than the movie. It's inspiring, it's lyrical, and it's worth it to enjoy every word that flows from Mayes' pen."
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