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Dec 16, 2009

Heidi rated it:

I loved Under the Tuscan Sun but was greatly disappointed by this follow-up. While the first book was beautifully crafted and each word seemed to be carefully chosen, this book seemed slapped together with little care. It's as though her editor said, "Hey, your first book is a hit! Give us more of that Tuscany stuff!" To which she promptly obliged, with this book and cookbooks and journals and a bad movie.

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Sep 19, 2007

Heather rated it:

Frances Mayes’ Bella Tuscany was, in my opinion, a gem of travel writing. Her work is flowing and brilliant, with amazing pictures painted in easy and unpretentious words. If I could, I would write just like this.

The book gives a beautiful, honest picture of real life in Tuscany, and after reading it I know that someone, somewhere, shares my love of Italy at a basic level.

Mayes’ writing is wonderful and easy to follow. The book even shares some great sounding recipes from More...

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Jul 10, 2011

Denise rated it:

I enjoyed Under a Tuscan Sun, but this second story about one couple's life and experiences in Tuscany is even better. Makes me want to eat good food and drink good wine and slow down a bit.

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Jan 12, 2011

C rated it:

Well, I did really like this book, maybe more than 3 stars, but not quite as much as "Under the Tuscan Sun". It's more about her life in Tuscany but kind of episodic, here's when we went hither and yon and what we found/ate there, and then here's how to make some authentic Tuscan food. Which is not as good when you're buying the ingredients from an American grocery store as if you can get them freshly-grown (even Farmer's Market food makes a noticeable difference!). Anyway, I like t More...

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Sep 06, 2011

Agreenhouse rated it:

Add two extra stars in you are sitting in Tuscany reading the book. I had the pleasure to encounter this book while staying in the medieval castle hilltop town of Vellano. I had previously avoided reading or seeing the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, thinking it was simple chick flick/lit territory, but I was impressed with Mayes writing style. She has a wonderful way of capturing the essence of a place in a few well-phrased sentences. I am in love with Italy now, and reading her book was like t More...

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Aug 01, 2010

Jan rated it:

Before picking up this book, I never realized that Under the Tuscan Sun was a non-fiction book, rather than a novel. Bella Tuscany is the author's follow-up to that book. Even though I never read the first one, I had no trouble in picking up this one; I never felt as though I missed out on anything.

Quite simply, Bella Tuscany is about Frances Mayes's life in her summer home in Italy. It is full of descriptions of her and her partner's home renovations, their travels around the Italia More...

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Dec 20, 2007

Sarah rated it:

Ennchanting though Italy may be, it's hard to keep caring about the endless details of exactly what the author ate or what broke in the house or was planted in the garden. This book is often alleged to be a "meditation," which seems to be a polite term for "has no plot or real character development," and no amount of description of a sun-soaked landscape or excellent red wine seems able to overcome that.

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Jun 06, 2011

Leland rated it:

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, Under the Tuscan Sun, might be somewhat misleading, as that book followed a mor More...

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Aug 23, 2011

Melissa rated it:

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 More...

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Dec 27, 2009

AJ rated it:

I am confused by the people who review this on Goodreads and complain that nothing happens, that it's a terrible novel because there's no real story. Um, perhaps because it's not a novel at all? Bella Tuscany is Mayes' second book about the different rhythms and habits of her part-time life in Italy, and most of it is quite charming and lovely. There was one chapter that I didn't particularly enjoy, as it was clearly written as a 'stop in this town and see this, stop next in that town and do tha More...

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Mar 18, 2010

Kate rated it:

"'Welcome back,' a Cortona woman greets me. Maybe I look dazed, having arrived last night from California, a twenty-hour ordeal, because she asks, 'What do you do for jet lag?'/'I usually just wait it out. I'm so happy to be here that I don't notice it very much--just get up at four in the morning for a few days. What do you do?'/'I stare at the sunset. Then the body knows.'/I merely smile, but mentally I make a little bow to her. Maybe it's a small, maybe we're in a global economy, an More...

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May 29, 2010

Lisa rated it:

It was lovely seeing and reaquainting myself with the Tuscan countryside and all the local characters/friends, the art and architecture, gardens and, of course, the food and her home there, Bramasole through the eyes of Mayes as she grows in her love of all of it. You get a glimpse of the different seasons there this time. It's refreshing to "see" a place where people eat what's in season, grow a lot of what they eat, work hard, but insist on their daily siesta (kids are supposed to ta More...

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Oct 22, 2010

Leah rated it:

When I read these books by Ms. Mayes, I am there. This book focuses less on the renovations to Bramasole and more on the people of Italy, the food, the relationships. The place seems magical because time is irrelevant. Time is not something hurried or taken for granted, time is cherished in the picking of the olives, the pressing of the oil, the platters of fresh ingredients passed to guests around a table set up in an orchard. Again, if you have loads of money, you too can have this life. F More...

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Sep 18, 2010

Lbclark rated it:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was nice to read about Ed and Frances after the renovation of their house in Cortona, to see how they used it as a home base for their exploration of Italy and it's culture. This book follows Ed and Frances as they travel around Italy and plan the garden of Bramasole. They really get into the plants and the land, and it is clearly something that they enjoy. Having lived in Italy for a year I can relate to their love for the Italian style of living and il do More...

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Aug 04, 2011

Lauren rated it:

Decent read...very poetic, and loved when she got more into studying languages rather than bragging about her house and the renovations. I wish she had focused more on the personal relationships with her Italian neighbors, her family, and her friends rather than just her house and garden and how much money she spent...would've been a little more engaging. Still, made me incredibly jealous and I now want to see everything she describes. Nothing compelling but worth a read if you love travel, beau More...

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Oct 10, 2011

Debra rated it:

Enjoying this but not quite as much as Under the Tuscan Sun. I can't afford to travel to Italy so this is my vicarious living.

There were aspects of this book that I really liked: when Mayes talks about what makes someone who they are (why am I ME and you are YOU?) and the difference between time living in San Francisco, with no time to stop to think, and the time lived in Italy, when life really seemed lived - great observations as to what marks the distinctions between the two.

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Jan 30, 2011

mim rated it:

Found this BookCrossing book (BCID 592-6950467)at a little carryout food shop. It's fun to find a registered book and one whose subject matter is something that I'll enjoy. I did enjoy this book. The descriptions of food and the garden, the side trips, the people, all good. I laughed out loud when she described eating some squid dish that was like tenderized erasers. I left this book at a coffee shop in New Orleans where we went for a few days holiday.

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Feb 07, 2009

Scott rated it:

Mayes reminded me why I became interested in this genre in the first place. Sequel to her ubiquitous Under the Tuscan Sun, she describes her travels as the guide we all wish we could have should we have the good fortune to visit these places ourselves. I particularly enjoyed the topical chapters on gardening and cooking, and noted several pages in my own journal for future reference.

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Sep 25, 2008

Laurel rated it:

Once again we visit Frances Mayes and her husband at their home in Cortona, Italy, a ancient hill town in Tuscany. She's a lovely writer, and her descriptions of the characters, the food, the gardens - and the work involved in making and keeping them so beautiful - draw the reader in until you feel like you're right there beside her. Especially entertaining is the chapter on her difficulties with the Italian language: "Now that I have more understanding of Italian, I have greater occasions More...

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Mar 07, 2009

Sheila rated it:

Italy is a beautiful country with a rich history.

This story is largely frivolous. The description of a sunset as "old underwear pink" landed this book firmly in the giveaway pile.

If you want to read a book that glorifies everything Italian (deservedly or not) then you will probably like this book. If glorifying everything because it is Italian may make you gag, skip this book.

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Sep 21, 2011

Christina rated it:

I really enjoyed Frances Mayes books on Tuscany. Envious? Just a little, but the descriptions of Tuscany and the food and the views make me really want to visit. Just as the descriptions of the renovations make me want to NOT own a house there! A beautiful book with lovely descriptions...great for armchair travel (or a fly on the wall type view of Tuscany--either are good!)

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Oct 23, 2011

Michelle rated it:

This is the sequel to the memoir Under the Tuscan Sun and continues the author's experiences as an American living part time in Italy. On sabbatical from her university position, the author is able to experience her home, Bramasole in the winter season. The book explores their travels around the region and even a trip to Sicily which they find to be a unique experience. The book contains a little more home remodeling, although much less than the first book and also includes several short chapter More...

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Aug 20, 2009

Sherri rated it:

This was a good vacation book as I could read it easily in bits and pieces without losing the flow. I enjoyed discussions of the local food customs. Makes me want to spend some time overseas. It was interesting to learn that the locals drink their "ordinary" wine from demijohns which they fill up at local wineries much like we fill up gas cans at gas stations.

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Mar 29, 2010

Jen rated it:

Reading this book was like having a favorite movie and then getting so excited when they make a sequel--and the sequel just doesn't have the magic of the first one. I still love "Under the Tuscan Sun," but "Bella Tuscany" just felt like a travelogue to me. It didn't have the same charm or spark that the first book had. In fact, I didn't even finish it.

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Jan 28, 2011

Jenny rated it:

I think I appriciated Bella Tuscany more than I did Under the Tuscan Sun. I think that Frances Mayes grew as a writer between the two books. However, she still has a long way to go. I hope that we get to see more from her, and read more about her house in Tuscany. I would love to see more of the recipes that she creates in Tuscany, because I feel that her joy really comes across when she is writing about either being in her garden or her kitchen. I think the more she writes about her joy th More...

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Jan 27, 2009

Ellen rated it:

This book is the sequel to her Tuscan Sun memoir. Both are excellent reading, if you like that easy, travelogue style. Since they are memoirs, they don't really have a plot, but you immerse yourself in the Tuscan culture, food, and people as if you are there. She is one of the most poetic writers I've ever read.

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May 14, 2011

Rebecca rated it:

A memorable quote from this edition was on pg. 85 when she was visiting Venice again with Ed. She was filled with "a rush of memories" because it was 'their' city, her ex-husband's and hers. When she recalls small details, like visiting a "paper store with blank books bound in vellum and marbled paper" or trying "pasta with squid in its own ink" and then returning at a later time with their daughter, she's reminded of the "straw gondelier hat" her daughter More...

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Feb 13, 2010

Stacey rated it:

a 4*--not for the writing, which is not 4* material, but for the subject matter. Great stories about their life as they learn the customs, fix up their house, learn to cook, build relationships and explore . . . and the descriptions of the food, yum! Boy I wish I could spend half of my year in Tuscany!

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Jan 22, 2009

Denise rated it:

While Ms. Mayes' prose is still lyrical and descriptive, this travel memoir is less about the thrill of living part-time in her adopted country, Italy, and more about the day to day hubbub of life. I still enjoyed it, as I LOVE Italy, but I would have to say that in her original memoir, "Under the Tuscan Sun", the sun does shine more sweetly. One note...the recipes in both add a nice touch of whimsy for the industrious cook/gourmand.

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May 19, 2010

Christine rated it:

Frances' descriptions of the Italian countryside and visiting the small towns makes you want to jump on a plane immediately! She says the experience of staying in one place, getting to know shopkeepers and other local people is totally different than traveling from one hotel to another.

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