You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I once again lived precariously through this memoir where the author buys a house in the Italian countryside, renovates it, and spends summers and Christmases there eating the local food, drinking wine, and traveling in Italy. I’d love to do that in another life.
DNF; rich, descriptive writing but each chapter seemed to be the same. House problems, dish out a lot of money, and eating yummy food. Boring but had a lot of potential - could have used some editing.
I love an italian home & food depiction of life. but for the love of all things good in this world do not watch the movie recreation.
Turns out I just love a book where someone or a couple is making a house a home, the cleaning, the planning, the weeding the remodeling, I just love it. For this book that was my favorite part, and then I loved the food descriptions, just makes me want to try and enjoy all the food!
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
At first, I was really excited about the book, but gradually it became more and more boring. In general, I like detailed descriptions of scenes and objects, but I felt this book was all over the place, gradually losing its..."Italian feeling" as the story progresses.
Great armchair travel book! I was surprised how different this book is from the movie. I could have done without the book ending with such a religious, saint, and relic discussion. I really enjoyed the architectural, historical and cultural discussions of Italy.
adventurous
slow-paced
It has taken years for me to finish this book. I started it at least 3 times, would read the first 1/3 of the book, then get distracted/lose interest. I have finally finished it and now I realize what took so long.
The beginning is about the home restoration and food. I loved it! The middle and most of the end seemed to be the author rambling about other things that may or may not have had anything to do with the rest of the story (trips to different places, random memories from her past). There was a small section towards the end that was about another remodel and food again which I enjoyed.
So basically the parts that were like HGTV in a book, I enjoyed. The parts of the book where the author had a “Squirrel!” moment are what made it take so long for me to finish.
The beginning is about the home restoration and food. I loved it! The middle and most of the end seemed to be the author rambling about other things that may or may not have had anything to do with the rest of the story (trips to different places, random memories from her past). There was a small section towards the end that was about another remodel and food again which I enjoyed.
So basically the parts that were like HGTV in a book, I enjoyed. The parts of the book where the author had a “Squirrel!” moment are what made it take so long for me to finish.
Ok, look. If you need a book that has an exciting, twist-and-turn plot, this is not for you. If you watched the movie and think you might like the book, this is not for you. So many bad reviews from people who fall into one of the above categories. Let me spare you the trouble of starting something you may or may not enjoy. This book is about a woman and her husband who love Tuscany so much, they decide to take on the project of their lives by buying a once-beautiful Tuscan home and renovating it. In between and after projects, they bask in the glory that is true Italian food, do some site seeing and meet some people along the way. This is not fiction. It is essentially a journal-turned-book. It is beautifully written and makes me pine for adventure. If you don't like whimsical, poetic and at-times funny stories about someone's travels and mid-life adventures in Italy, don't pick up the book, ok?
June challenge
It was okay. I mean, I thought her descriptions were really interesting, but there just wasn't anything to the book. No point, no lesson learned. I'm glad she bought the house, but honestly I just couldn't find myself caring about her life there because it just wasn't all that fascinating.
It was okay. I mean, I thought her descriptions were really interesting, but there just wasn't anything to the book. No point, no lesson learned. I'm glad she bought the house, but honestly I just couldn't find myself caring about her life there because it just wasn't all that fascinating.