I am reading the most wonderful travel book, Frances Mayes' new book. The premesis is that she has spent one month living in 12 places in the world, although it took her 5 years to accomplish this. It weaves a wonderful vivid picture of the places, interspursed with,of course, food, the people, literature and poetry written by local authors and history.

I am savoring it, chapter by chapter. I have found a few new places that I want to go, a few that I could probably skip.

There are many of us here that love to rent places and settle in with the "natives" and pretend that we live there, this is certainly the book for those people, me included!

She also loves to plan the trip, as we do. A quote: "With the force of an earthquake, a wild certainty forms in the center of my forehead. Time. To go. Time. Just go"
Been there, done that!

I loved her first two novels, <i>Under the Tuscan Sun</i> and <i>Bella Tuscany</i>, but I was rather disappointed in <i>In Tuscany</i>. The photos were beautiful but the content was disjointed. I'm glad to hear there's another good one out there

Thanks for the notice on her new book.

I am one who lives on the other side of the world for a month a year, and let me tell you, the people there still make me feel like a tourist, even though the house I &quot;live&quot; in has been in my family for decades, and was home to me for a few years. There's something about the close knit towns of foreign countries where anyone from the outside (including other nearby towns) is immediately sniffed out, even if you speak the language sans accent. It makes me feel like an outcast, but perhaps because it's close-minded Asia. Living like a local to me is overrated. Soaking up the atmosphere is another matter entirely, and something I love to do.

As such, looking forward to her new book and seeing her perspective versus mine.

Mcnyc,

What you say does not surprise me at all, and frankly, I think Frances Mayes grossly overestimates the degree to which she is considered a &quot;local.&quot;

Sure, they made her an honorary citizen (her books brought tons of tourists to Cortona...), but if you read her books carefully, she doesn't hang out with Italians (except for people with whom she has to do business) but with a rather tight-knit little community of American expats.

Her books have cleverly packaged something that is many peoples' dream, so they sell like hotcakes. But she doesn't convince me, not in her books and not in the PBS show she did in which she spoke oh-so-condescendingly in very bad Italian to the &quot;colorful&quot; locals from whom she was buying cherries.

I thought UTTS was an enjoyable light read - the follow up, BT, was more recipes than story - didn't bother with IT. I felt she never really fully shared the frustrations/horrors/regret of her experiences (that would be a bit of a downer but a good writer should be able to...)

Eloise -
The author of 'City of Falling Angles' hangs out more with American ex-pats than Venitians but the book is touted as a way to get to know Venitians.

And I still find it hard to believe she didn't recognized her divorced husband at the marriage of their daughter.

Carta_Pisana,

I think you miss my point. It is not John Berendt's intention to pass himself off as anything other than what he is: an American writer/journalist sniffing around Venice. If others think his book is the last word on Venetians, then they will be disappointed.

Whereas Frances Mayes would dearly love for us to think that she so deeply understands Italians that they have collectively clasped her to their bosom. And that is dishonest nonsense - but it sells books.

I listened to In Tuscany on CD; recorded by Mayes and her hubby. Her accent didn't help me much with my Italian, but her enthusiasm for life in Tuscany is contagious. I wondered, though, if people were really all the open to foreigners, even if her books give the town's economy aboost. It sounds a little too good to be true.

Maybe I'm too jaded with life, but her books make her life in Cortona too idealistic. I just don't think she shares the real hardships she goes through. It's just snippets of anecdotes for the reader's enjoyment. But the snippets are good in triggering memories of the portions of my trips to Italy.

Doesn't mean I won't go out and read this book. It's just time to get myself to a library again.

It is very easy to be over enthusiastic about a place when moneys is not an object and being a famous writer made her life in Tuscany much easier and enjoyable..

I feel that she is phoney, but her books sell like Hot cakes and she became the darling of Tuscany, and made herself a self appointed authority of Italian's culture .
I agree very much to what Eloise said in her post.
I read The City of Fallen Angels also.. J.Berendt situation is very different from Mayes..

Thanks for the recommendation, Susanna! It will go on my list. I would love to do that sometime myself.

eloise and mc...i couldn't agree more. so many non-europeans come here and create strange, idealised views of europe....we see it all the time on this board. europhiles who sit in cafes puffing cigarettes and actually thinking they are at one with the &quot;locals&quot;. it's laughable.

Interesting. I'm checking out the Amazon page, and Washington Post's Anne Glusker doesn't look too kindly on Frances Mayes' new book.

Since I don't listen to critics, will still be reading the book. I'd rather listen to a fellow Fodorite who recommended the book. After all, I liked UTTS &amp; Bella Tuscany, so why not this one?

I won't even go into what walkinaround is talking about, as I have strong feelings about that, and it's a hot topic of debate in the U.S. Anyway, I think I've inflammed some hurt feelings today and don't want any trouble. <font color="white">But I will say...if you're making a new land your home, learn their customs and language please!</font>

I also enjoyed Bella Tuscany more than Under the Tuscan Skies for some reason - my husband has the opposite opinion. I know that it's popular to diss Frances Mayes, but I have enjoyed her books. My husband enjoyed reading about renovating the old house - I enjoy the vignettes of day-to-day living and love the recipes. I just like her outlook on life. I have never picked up that she is trying to portray herself as the Belle of the Town - just her experiences with the people she has met. It's all interesting to me - I have only read a couple of the Italian books that I didn't like. But then, I am a voracious reader and read way too much.
Recommended: A thousand Days in Tuscany (de Blasi)
War in val d'Orcia (Origo) Italian Days (Harrison)
Dances With Luigi (Paolicelli)
Not recommended:
After Hannibal (Unsorth)
Within Tuscany (Spender)
(I was bored with this book - my husband liked parts of it)
It all boils down to the fact that we are all unique individuals and different books appeal to each of us for different reasons.
Have fun reading!
Carol

I think the current wave of expat lit (buy house in foreign country,etc) is a scholarly investigation waiting to happen by some anthro or sociology person. It's fascinating, and its popularity says as much if not more about American culture than it does European.

I've often wondered just how the Cortonese feel about Frances Mayes. On the one hand, their economy certainly has gotten a big boost, but the downside is that their town is overrun with tourists snapping photos of the charming &quot;locals.&quot; That's got to get old in a hurry, especially if one is not a hotel or restaurant owner. I enjoyed UTTS but liked Bella Tuscany much less. I bought In Tuscany as a bargain book at B&amp;N and thought it pretty patronizing, both to the reader and to the Italian &quot;locals,&quot; although I love the photography. Didn't bother with Bringing Tuscany Home because it seemed more of the same. I haven't looked at Year in the World.

I liked &quot;Italian Neighbors&quot; better. By Tim Parks. Its quirky and funny. About his time living in Verona.

Not a FM fan. Find her books too self absorbed - kind of too much ego for me. Really got turned off when she showed up on local commercials here in Chicago hawking furniture for a local (upscale) furniture chain. Her Frances Mayes Tuscany collection. Yech.

But, we all like different things. I liked the Peter M. books about Provence, others didnt.

I loved Peter Mayles books and whether they were a true version of what it is like to settle in a new country the way he wrote it or not, at least they were amusing!
I agree about Ms Mayes being a bit on the self-absorbed side..it makes for a less charming/amusing read.
But I, on the other hand, enjoy the photos in her books
Peter Mayles is the one who made me think twice about moving to another country to live..and not to look for a new boyfriend lol..(<i>after seeing the film,Under the Tuscan Sun- a male friend murmured that he saw droves of single women booking tickets for Tuscany as they left the theatre </i>

Don't condemn tourists for trying to be like locals - most of you all here do the same in your clothes wearing advice threads. Look at the one now telling Adam that Italians don't wear shorts so he shouldn't either.

Italian Neighbors by Tim Parks is a book I so enjoyed too! I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting to get a feeling for the &quot;Italian way of life&quot; especially in Northern Italy.

I can see why many are rubbed the wrong way by FM. One poster on an another cite cheekily called her the San Francisco poetess. Still, IMHO, you're being a bit hard on her. I remember a motif in one of the two books about a man who came at intervals to put flowers at a shrine in front of her house (it may actually have been on her property) and refused to make eye contact with her for a long time. But at the end he finally nodded or something. So she admits to being an outsider. Isn't it enough that she has such an amazing appreciation for the Italian way of life? It's going to be hard for that not to smack of romanticising and condescesion.

On the other hand, I despised City of Falling Angels. To me it was a transparent attempt to repeat the success of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. As far as the La Fenice &quot;scandals&quot; are concerned, the material is just not there.

Hello Guy, I never finished reading &quot;City of Falling Angels&quot; so I sure understand your statement.

If you have not read &quot;Italian Neighbors&quot; I hope you will. I &quot;think&quot; you would enjoy this book.

Frances Mayes books are alright..but not on my list of my most favorite books. But I love to read and not every book can please one 100%. Sort of the same idea as not every country, city, countryside can please everyone.

I will read &quot;A Year in the World&quot;, thanks for mentioning it susanna. Although some critics (including the SF Chronical) panned this book I prefer to make my own judgement just as I do with movies. Take care.