A review by lelandbuck
Bella Tuscany: The Sweet Life in Italy by Frances Mayes

4.0

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, [b:Under the Tuscan Sun|480479|Under the Tuscan Sun|Frances Mayes|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255613835s/480479.jpg|940760], might be somewhat misleading, as that book followed a more structured storyline of Mayes buying and falling in love with her Tuscan home, Bramasole. This book does not attempt to tell as cohesive a story. But it reads well, contains many fascinating diversions (trips to Sicily and Veneto) as well as some wonderful culinary and gardening reflections. I enjoy Mayes writing style (rich and emotional), and found her to have a good sense of when to blend personal experience and observation with historical and cultural intelligence. If you want a story, try moving on the the fiction shelves. If you want to be transported to Tuscany for a while, and are not expecting a riveting plot to get you there, this is a good choice.