false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg 531421 13 Work's still not completely finished on Bramasole, the Tuscan house that California-based poet and bestselling author Frances Mayes bought a decade ago and has been fixing up every summer since. Nevertheless, in <I>Bella Tuscany</I>, she goes out--in search of Italy and Italian life. The sequel to <I>Under the Tuscan Sun</I> is awash with sensual discovery, from Sicilian markets with "rainbows of shining fish on ice" to the aqueous dream of Venice "shimmering in the diluted sunlight." Wherever she is, Mayes celebrates everyday rituals, such as picking wild asparagus, "dark spears poking out of the dirt ... stalks as thin as yarn" and driving through country rains, as "the green landscape smears across the windshield" for buffalo mozzarella and demijohns of <I>sfuso</I>--bulk wine kept fresh with a slick of olive oil on top. Mayes also ventures into the world of the locals, some "bent as a comma" and others throwing six-hour communion feasts where half a dozen cooks in a barn continually send out heaping platters of pasta with wild boar sauce, roasted lamb, and even the thigh of a giant cow--wrapping up the festivities with honeyed vin santo, grappa, and dancing to the accordion. Capturing the details that enrich the commonplace, in <I>Bella Tuscany</I> Mayes appears less like a visitor and more like someone discovering in Tuscany a real home and a real life. <I>--Melissa Rossi</I> 519013 1999 Bella Tuscany total:896|5:150|4:290|3:351|2:87|1:18| 896 3155 1297 101 1187427 0767902831 9780767902830 19 4 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181748196m/1187427.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1187427.Bella_Tuscany_The_Sweet_Life_in_Italy 2 2 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Mon Jun 18 09:30:52 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 18 09:37:03 -0700 2007 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 mor...more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 3 1 false Mon Jan 12 10:32:55 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 12 10:36:08 -0800 2009 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 1 false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 19 05:37:49 -0700 2007 Wed Sep 19 05:45:46 -0700 2007
The book gives a beautiful, honest picture of real life in Tuscany, and a...more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 2 1 false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Dec 04 15:45:27 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 20 11:51:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 5 1 false Thu Jan 24 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 07 06:54:29 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 07 06:54:29 -0800 2009 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 o...more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 1 false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 25 17:18:26 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 25 17:24:56 -0700 2008 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 1 1 false Sat Mar 07 11:55:58 -0800 2009 Sat Mar 07 11:56:11 -0800 2009
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 ...more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 3 0 false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 19:08:21 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 19:15:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 0 false Tue Jan 27 08:59:57 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 27 09:01:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 0 false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 06 20:08:12 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 07:26:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 1 0 false Fri Apr 03 10:17:40 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 17:02:38 -0700 2009
A couple of things I did like: the author seems to like to travel as I do: live in a small place and get to know it intimately, rather than see lots of thi...more...]]> 1187427 0767902831 9780767902830 19 4 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181748196m/1187427.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1187427.Bella_Tuscany_The_Sweet_Life_in_Italy 3 0 false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 20:55:02 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 02 22:19:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 3 0 false Sun Jul 25 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Sat Apr 25 10:39:30 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 10:41:56 -0700 2009 Of course this one is about Italy. Who cares. The adventure is tops and Italy has some good food too.]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 3 0 false Sun Sep 21 18:27:33 -0700 2008 Sun Sep 21 18:35:45 -0700 2008 more...]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 0 false Thu Nov 15 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Thu May 14 18:30:44 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 18:31:00 -0700 2009 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 0 false Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2000 Thu Jun 25 10:45:29 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 10:46:07 -0700 2009 (edit)]]> 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 2 0 false Thu Dec 11 14:34:28 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 11 14:36:03 -0800 2008 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 4 0 false Thu Nov 27 10:59:29 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 27 11:02:53 -0800 2008 1 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 3 0 false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 20:50:04 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 20:51:03 -0700 2009 531421 076790284X 9780767902847 816 95 3.52 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613843m/531421.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531421.Bella_Tuscany 2 0 false Thu Aug 13 04:41:08 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 04:44:37 -0700 2009 ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=531421