A review by jennifer_mangieri
Under the Tuscan Sun: 20th-Anniversary Edition by Frances Mayes

4.0

This book gave me just what I needed at the time - a perfect escape! I've been preparing for a music performance & had little time to read or mental acuity for anything challenging. I've also been suffering from sun deprivation. This book is the perfect antidote to stressful city life in winter (or in Portland Oregon, the season known as "spring"). No plot, no theme, just Mayes & her husband living the life of wealth & privilege in which people blithely buy ruined Italian mansions surrounded by olive trees, & renovate them! Despite that snarky comment, did this book make me want to participate in hard manual labor in that very Italian mansion? YES! Did I want to develop meaningful relationships with Italian and Polish contractors? YES! Did I suddenly have a desire to become a domestic goddess, to fill my wicker basket with fresh ingredients from the farmers market, & go home to invite friends for a simple yet fabulous meal that I prepare while sipping a glass of good wine? YES! Mayes has the touch when it comes to sensual description, putting you right there with the taste of bread & wine, the smell of sun-warmed fruit, the sound of the evening crowds on the piazza, the feel of a breeze as it comes through the window. Great stuff. I noticed that in her Italian life, Mayes takes the time to enjoy the simple things - food, good friends, good wine, weather, the feel of grass beneath her feet. In her book there's no TV, no i-pods, no cell phones, & no computers. Hmmmm - something to think about?! Well - I am unlikely to become domestic italian-cooking goddess, but I can read books like this one & dream about it! I did find one thing to love about Portland as opposed to Italy. We have a definite lack of scorpions here. This makes me happy!