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Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life

A book by Frances Mayes

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Tries to be all things

Apr 1, 2010

by Suzanne_Barrett

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It's been twenty years since Frances Mayes bought Bramasole near the Tuscan village of Cortona and fascinated readers and movigoers with her adventures in Under the Tuscan Sun. Now residing part of the year in North carolina and part of the year in her beloved Tuscany, Ms. Mayes and her poet husband take readers on a wandering adventure of life, love and food.

Every day in Tuscany is a lush tale of reacquainting oneself with good friends, happy jaunts and delicious cuisine, simply prepared in the Tuscan style. The book is peppered with such recipes as potato ravioli with bacon, zucchini and pecorino, chicken under a brick, Placido's Steak and more. But it is also an ode to the region she loves and an adventure with revamping yet another old cottage and in the bargain, living a simple life.

Mayes cooks, enjoyes gustatory pleasures gleaned from her Italian friends, travels the countryside, delights in showing her grandson many fascinating sights and hunts out locations for viewings of the art of Luca Signorelli. Her writing style is lyrical and enchanting, however, I felt the book tried to be too many things: travel book, memoir, Italian phrase book, cookbook. The result made it rather choppy, but if you loved Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, you will enjoy this journey into the life and objects of Ms. Mayes decades long attraction.

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More Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons ... reviews

review by Gail_Cooke. March 30, 2010

TUSCANY REDUX

Have you ever looked forward to a dinner, a party, an event with so much eager anticipation that the reality could not possibly match your expectations? That's descriptive of the situation I found myself in when awaiting the arrival of Frances Mayes's latest EVERY DAY IN TUSCANY. I am a huge fan of Mayes's work, totally bewitched by UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and others, so in all fairness it may be that nothing she wrote could possibly enchant me as … more

Comment Compliments (12)

review by smsmith. April 23, 2010

A Nice Revisit

Frances Mayes is long time friend of mine (in my head). No, I don't really know her personally, but feel a kindred spirit in many ways. Every Day in Tuscany is like catching up with a friend that I don't see very often. It's easy to fall back into Mayes' life in Italy, even after a few years from reading her last books. I like to imagine her southern drawl - a thoughtful pace, making her words relaxing, well chosen, and meaningful. This time Mayes explores a new parcel of … more

Comment Compliment

see all Every Day in Tuscany: Seasons ... reviews (3)

About the reviewer

Suzanne Barrett (Suzanne_Barrett)
Ranked #129

A former facility engineer and Kensington author, Suzanne believes in sharing stories of romance and adventure spiced with a bit of mystery and intrigue. Suzanne and her husband live in the Santa Cruz … more