Reviews for Under the Tuscan Sun
Review - Under the Tuscan Sun
There’s no question that Mayes is a good author — after all, she teaches creative writing. She wove a spell with her words that, for a while, made me wish I could live in Tuscany with the slow pace, the good food, the history.
But by the time I neared the end of the book, I realized I didn’t care for Mayes much. She was just a bit too self-satisfied. And what she had done wasn’t all that impressive — nothing much really happened. And I also realized that it was the pace of her lifestyle that made the place attractive, not the place itself. Tuscany is not where I would care to spend my summers. Once I stopped reading and thought about what Mayes actually wrote, Tuscany sounded hot and dry, with claustrophobic towns and a people wrapped in religious superstition.
Give me the shores of Lake Superior, the highlands of Scotland, an island off the Pacific coast — then give me the same pace, the chance to live on the land and the locally-grown foods prepared well. I would much prefer any of them to Tuscany.
But that doesn't at all mean that I didn't enjoy the book. It's just that I'd rather read about Tuscany than live there (although if you'd care to finance a short trip, I'd be happy to visit).
But by the time I neared the end of the book, I realized I didn’t care for Mayes much. She was just a bit too self-satisfied. And what she had done wasn’t all that impressive — nothing much really happened. And I also realized that it was the pace of her lifestyle that made the place attractive, not the place itself. Tuscany is not where I would care to spend my summers. Once I stopped reading and thought about what Mayes actually wrote, Tuscany sounded hot and dry, with claustrophobic towns and a people wrapped in religious superstition.
Give me the shores of Lake Superior, the highlands of Scotland, an island off the Pacific coast — then give me the same pace, the chance to live on the land and the locally-grown foods prepared well. I would much prefer any of them to Tuscany.
But that doesn't at all mean that I didn't enjoy the book. It's just that I'd rather read about Tuscany than live there (although if you'd care to finance a short trip, I'd be happy to visit).
Reviewed by Roger on 2007-09-01 12:25:24