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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I hate to give books bad reviews, but God I hoped someone would die in this one.
I picked this one up on a lark. I’m a sucker for girly movies which are played too many times on Basic Cable. It should be obvious that I watch a lot of Diane Lane movies. One of them is Under the Tuscan Sun based on the book by Frances Mayes recounting her experience moving to Italy. When I picked up the book I hoped to discover more of the characters whom I loved so much on the screen: the young lovers, the Polish laborers, and the Fellini-crazed woman in town. This was simply not to be.
All the book and movie have in common are the female lead, Frances, and her home – Bramasole. Bramasole and the Tuscan countryside drive the narrative. To quote another reviewer on Goodreads “Plot: Author summers in Tuscany, buys an old farmhouse, refurbishes it, travels through Italy, and cooks constantly.” This is pretty much it folks.
But the story of the multi-year restoration and refurbishment of Bramasole make for an entirely engrossing account of what life can look like when you dare to dream a little bigger than you let yourself dream before. There are other parts of the book, for example traveling to Etruscan graves, which are less captivating. In fact I was as bored reading about her excursions as her husband seemed to be in doing them.
Earlier in the Cannonball I reviewed Rob Lowe’s memoir and said that one of the more interesting facets of that autobiography was his seeming openness to talk about the events which had occurred in his life. There is a similar chapter in Under the Tuscan Sun, which serves almost as an epilogue, in which Frances discusses how the movie went about filming in Tuscany and what it was like to see yourself and your story taken apart and reworked. This was intriguing reading for me.
While this may not be the book you are looking for if you love cheesy Diane Lane movies (which is a shame since the edition I read has a picture of Lane as Frances on the cover) it certainly is a nice slice of life to visit for a change of pace. Since she cooks and cooks it is also a nice treat that many of the winter and summer recipes are included in the book. I only wish that I had remembered to photocopy them before I returned the book to the library!
http://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/under-the-tuscan-sun-cbr4-51/
All the book and movie have in common are the female lead, Frances, and her home – Bramasole. Bramasole and the Tuscan countryside drive the narrative. To quote another reviewer on Goodreads “Plot: Author summers in Tuscany, buys an old farmhouse, refurbishes it, travels through Italy, and cooks constantly.” This is pretty much it folks.
But the story of the multi-year restoration and refurbishment of Bramasole make for an entirely engrossing account of what life can look like when you dare to dream a little bigger than you let yourself dream before. There are other parts of the book, for example traveling to Etruscan graves, which are less captivating. In fact I was as bored reading about her excursions as her husband seemed to be in doing them.
Earlier in the Cannonball I reviewed Rob Lowe’s memoir and said that one of the more interesting facets of that autobiography was his seeming openness to talk about the events which had occurred in his life. There is a similar chapter in Under the Tuscan Sun, which serves almost as an epilogue, in which Frances discusses how the movie went about filming in Tuscany and what it was like to see yourself and your story taken apart and reworked. This was intriguing reading for me.
While this may not be the book you are looking for if you love cheesy Diane Lane movies (which is a shame since the edition I read has a picture of Lane as Frances on the cover) it certainly is a nice slice of life to visit for a change of pace. Since she cooks and cooks it is also a nice treat that many of the winter and summer recipes are included in the book. I only wish that I had remembered to photocopy them before I returned the book to the library!
http://faintingviolet.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/under-the-tuscan-sun-cbr4-51/
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
So not the book for me. I attempted this at the wrong age after seeing the movie and enjoying that.
Also I am not a cook so all the recipes and food stuff was just boring and story stopping.
Also I am not a cook so all the recipes and food stuff was just boring and story stopping.
This book was really hard for me to finish. I LOVE the movie, so I thought I would love the book, but not so much. The only part that I really loved was the recipes from Italy in the book, which sounded delicious!!! Really wished the book was more like the movie...but still a good book about living in Italy.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Unfortunately I saw the movie and loved it before I even knew this was a book. I think that's the main reason why I gave up on this book and why I gave up on it so quickly. I had an expectation of what was going to happen, and from the first page I was confused. I felt like nothing was explained very well, and I admit, I have a short attention span.
Might try this again someday, who knows.
Might try this again someday, who knows.
Okay, so I’m not even sure I’m allowed to review this book, considering I didn’t finish it. Not that I didn’t want to finish it, I really did. In fact, I hate not finishing books. It makes me feel guilty and sucky.
But I just couldn’t finish it.
It was so BORING.
I mean it’s all about the author’s journey: buying a villa in Italy and restoring it. IT WAS SO POINTLESS. I just didn’t care. I mean some of the imagery is beautiful and the descriptions are really quite lovely, but it’s dumb. I mean, Mayes relies so much on stereotypes (both about the Italians and her own Southern heritage, I mean, she should know better.) And she over-romanticizes everything. Buying sheets turns into this whole adventure where she imagines a young bride unpacking her wedding chest or something ridiculous like that.
I just didn’t care and I didn’t waste my time finishing it. I’m going to read something that I actually enjoy rather than spending my time trudging through some glorified DIY Network special.
1.5/5 sta
But I just couldn’t finish it.
It was so BORING.
I mean it’s all about the author’s journey: buying a villa in Italy and restoring it. IT WAS SO POINTLESS. I just didn’t care. I mean some of the imagery is beautiful and the descriptions are really quite lovely, but it’s dumb. I mean, Mayes relies so much on stereotypes (both about the Italians and her own Southern heritage, I mean, she should know better.) And she over-romanticizes everything. Buying sheets turns into this whole adventure where she imagines a young bride unpacking her wedding chest or something ridiculous like that.
I just didn’t care and I didn’t waste my time finishing it. I’m going to read something that I actually enjoy rather than spending my time trudging through some glorified DIY Network special.
1.5/5 sta