What do You think about Bella Tuscany (2000)?
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, Under the Tuscan Sun, 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.
—Leland
Once again we visit Frances Mayes and her husband at their home in Cortona, Italy, a ancient hill town in Tuscany. She's a lovely writer, and her descriptions of the characters, the food, the gardens - and the work involved in making and keeping them so beautiful - draw the reader in until you feel like you're right there beside her. Especially entertaining is the chapter on her difficulties with the Italian language: "Now that I have more understanding of Italian, I have greater occasions to make a bigger fool of myself." If the price of airline tickets are too high for you right now, read this instead(assuming you have read Under the Tuscan Sun first, so you know HOW this Californian English Prof and her hubby came to be in this situation...). And don't assume that, because you saw the movie, you know the story. Two entirely different stories. I was appalled at the movie!
—Laurel
I did not enjoy this book as much as Under the Tuscan Sun, the first book in Mayes's Tuscany series. At least Under the Tuscan Sun had a story holding it together--the story of how Frances Mayes bought and renovated Bramasole in Tuscany. This next book does not have any similar thread, or even a plot, to hold it together. Bella Tuscany is simply a jumble of thoughts on art, food, old linens, gardening, and whatever else popped into the author's head, I guess. There's no overall point or structure or conflict; the whole thing just reads like a diary, and not in a good way.Frankly, it strongly felt like Mayes was riding off of the success of her first book and cranked this one out to keep funding her Italian lifestyle. Maybe that's a harsh judgement, but I think if the first book wasn't so famous, this book would have nothing to recommend it. It would just be another wishy-washy travel diary packed with descriptions of old churches and sprawling countryside.That being said, I always enjoy a good travel read, and I was able to escape to sun-drenched Tuscany for a few hours with this book. That is what has saved it from the lowest rating.
—Jessica
