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Under the Tuscan Sun
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Max Skinner is a man at the heart of London's financial universe until his employers embark on a little asset-stripping of their own. Himself. Amid the grey London drizzle, there is one potential ray of sunshine: Max's Uncle Harry has left him his estate in his will, an eighteenth-century chateau and vineyard an hour's drive from Avignon.
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The Roman Forum, the Leaning Tower, the Piazza San Marco: these are the sights synonymous with Italy. But such landmarks only scratch the surface of this magical country's offerings. In See You in the Piazza, Frances Mayes introduces us to the Italy only the locals know, as she and her husband, Ed, eat and drink their way through all 20 regions - from Friuli to Sicily. Along the way, she seeks out the cultural and historic gems not found in traditional guidebooks.
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Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
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In the autumn of 1988, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club with an ambitious plan: to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by Jules Verne's fictional hero Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. The rules were simple. He had to make the journey in 80 days using only forms of transport that would have been available to Fogg.
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- By SteveL on 16-02-15
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One grey dismal day, Janine Marsh was on a trip to northern France to pick up some cheap wine. She returned to England a few hours later having put in an offer on a rundown old barn in the rural Seven Valleys area of Pas de Calais. This was not something she'd expected or planned for. Janine eventually gave up her job in London to move with her husband to live the good life in France. Or so she hoped. While getting to grips with the locals and la vie Française, and renovating her dilapidated new house, a building lacking the comforts of mains drainage, heating, or proper rooms.
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- By Donna mackay on 30-10-18
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Bella Tuscany
- The Sweet Life in Italy
- By: Frances Mayes
- Narrated by: Frances Mayes
- Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 2
Filled with recipes from Mayes' Tuscan kitchen and written in the sensuous and evocative prose that has become her hallmark, Bella Tuscany is a celebration of the sweet life in Italy. Mayes writes of her continuing love affair with Italy: her deepening connection to the land, her flourishing friendships with local people, the joys of art, food, and wine, and the rewards and occasional heartbreaks of her villa's ongoing restoration.
-
Every Day in Tuscany
- Seasons of an Italian Life
- By: Frances Mayes
- Narrated by: Frances Mayes
- Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story1 out of 5 stars 1
In this sequel to her New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, the celebrated "bard of Tuscany" ( New York Times) lyrically chronicles her continuing, two decades-long love affair with Tuscany's people, art, cuisine, and lifestyle.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not a story, just daily observations.
- By Mrs S J Edwards on 27-07-15
-
A Good Year
- By: Peter Mayle
- Narrated by: Tim Pigott-Smith
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 127
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 99
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 99
Max Skinner is a man at the heart of London's financial universe until his employers embark on a little asset-stripping of their own. Himself. Amid the grey London drizzle, there is one potential ray of sunshine: Max's Uncle Harry has left him his estate in his will, an eighteenth-century chateau and vineyard an hour's drive from Avignon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Good Year. By Peter Mayle.
- By Edward on 07-04-09
-
See You in the Piazza
- New Places to Discover in Italy
- By: Frances Mayes
- Narrated by: Frances Mayes, Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
The Roman Forum, the Leaning Tower, the Piazza San Marco: these are the sights synonymous with Italy. But such landmarks only scratch the surface of this magical country's offerings. In See You in the Piazza, Frances Mayes introduces us to the Italy only the locals know, as she and her husband, Ed, eat and drink their way through all 20 regions - from Friuli to Sicily. Along the way, she seeks out the cultural and historic gems not found in traditional guidebooks.
-
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days
- By: Michael Palin
- Narrated by: Michael Palin
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,168
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,041
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,040
In the autumn of 1988, Michael Palin set out from the Reform Club with an ambitious plan: to circumnavigate the world, following the route taken by Jules Verne's fictional hero Phileas Fogg 115 years earlier. The rules were simple. He had to make the journey in 80 days using only forms of transport that would have been available to Fogg.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By SteveL on 16-02-15
-
My Good Life in France
- In Pursuit of the Rural Dream
- By: Janine Marsh
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 27
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 26
One grey dismal day, Janine Marsh was on a trip to northern France to pick up some cheap wine. She returned to England a few hours later having put in an offer on a rundown old barn in the rural Seven Valleys area of Pas de Calais. This was not something she'd expected or planned for. Janine eventually gave up her job in London to move with her husband to live the good life in France. Or so she hoped. While getting to grips with the locals and la vie Française, and renovating her dilapidated new house, a building lacking the comforts of mains drainage, heating, or proper rooms.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it
- By Donna mackay on 30-10-18
Summary
Critic reviews
"Irresistible...a sensuous book for a sensuous countryside." ( Minneapolis Star-Tribune)
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- Douglas, United Kingdom
- 17-10-13
annoying
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
A different narrator with a more pleasing accent would have helped. Allowing the author to narrate totally ruined this book for me. I had previously read this book and was looking forward to listening but found the accent style of the narrator extremely irritating.
What didn’t you like about Frances Mayes’s performance?
As above. Totally ruined this book for me and only therefore listened to a few chapters.
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
In written form it is very enjoyable. In this audio format it is horrendous as a result of narrators style and accent.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- j stockton
- stoke-on-trent, United Kingdom
- 23-09-12
narration
Enjoyed this book, but the southern American accent and tones of the narrator were a little grating.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- VSK
- 23-05-07
not fair
I loved it, it was fresh enjoyable, and if you know wine country you can almost taste the atmosphere, nearly listend to the book in one go on a Sunday. I totally disagree with the other person, whom did not give the book a chance.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Kieren
- Hextable, Kent, United Kingdom
- 12-01-06
Under the Tuscan Sun
This book is one of my favourites. I love the way Frances Mayes writes. She has very lyrical, poetic way with words. So I was quite excited of adding this book to my Audio list.
I lasted less than one paragraph. Believe me I really really tried to like it. The reason I disliked it so much was her voice, it really grates. Her heavy southern American drawl really grates. It is not the sort of voice that goes with such a well wrtten book.
A real shame.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- WP
- 05-03-17
A bit dull testimony of Americans' move to Tuscany
A bit dull testimony of Americans' move to Tuscany... Frankly a huge disappointment. I thought there would be some more to the story then record of what it took them to move to Tuscany.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Nina Knowles
- 12-03-16
Accent
I got this book as it was recommended for being in the same vein as A Year In Provence.
I wish I had read as opposed to listened to this book, I think I would have enjoyed it more, I found it hard to put my self in Tuscany while listening to a southern American drawl. (No offence to anyone with this accent!)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Sardinia01
- 01-03-12
under the tuscan sky a feel good book
If you love Italy and the Italians, the description of wonderful food and a great way of life, you will love this book. It is a wonderful feel good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Alicia
- 19-09-03
Under the Tuscan Sun
I think I would have enjoyed reading the book. The narrator's (authors) voice is just plain irritating and makes it difficult to want to continue listening.
73 of 74 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- MKaj
- 16-02-03
Under the Tuscan Sun
This book invites you to book passage immediately for Tuscany. With lush, lyrical prose, the author creates an image of a Tuscan village and her beloved ramshackle house, Bramasole, that is almost too compelling to resist. For those familiar with Peter Mayle's books on Provence, you will undoubtedly appreciate the more poetic and introspective text that Frances Mayes has created.
Alas, the narration is not a match for the text. The author/narrator appears almost unfamiliar with the text, reading it rather than living it as I had expected. Overall, though, this audiobook is a treat for the ears and also the mind's eye.
43 of 45 people found this review helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
- Analee Allport
- 05-06-10
Sadly disappointed
This is a horrible thing to say...
I watched the movie and had an image of Frances Mayes in my head. I loved the movie, I fantasized that it could be my life, I had a romanticized view of her. Then I started to listen to the book and her voice totally ruined it. I imagined a soft, non-accented voice and the voice talking to me was completely not that voice.
Like I said, it's a horrible thing to say, but I decided to buy the paper version of the book and just read it instead
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- John Windle
- 05-09-05
Oh that voice
You may or may not enjoy self-satisfied accounts of how wonderfully two rich and entitled Americans overcame all obstacles (largely by spending huge amounts of money) to create a dream home in Tuscany and start a craze for ruining other countries' countrysides. But the author's voice (yes, she reads it herself, surprise surprise) is so gratingly awful, so harsh on the ears, that I could hardly bear to listen to her whine on in her hideous Southern/Calfornian accent about how hard it was for her and her husband to triumph over lazy or corrupt Italians, incompetent or destructive workmen of various European backgrounds, and banks that took days to process their financial transactions. Frankly it made me sick. Enjoy...
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Eric
- 27-09-09
Good story, worse reader
I could not get passed how terrible this story was read. I would recommend actually reading this book rather than try to listen to a monotone voice with Southern accent.
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Charline
- 27-06-04
You liked the movie, the book is nothing like it.
The book is a diary more than anything. It does make you want to go out and cook Italian and visit the small towns if Tuscany, if you can get through the irritating voice of the author.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Cheryll Clapper
- 02-09-06
Under the Tuscan Sun
The narrator's voice (while authentic) was very irritating to the point that I could not even finish the book. I found the narration to be nasal and whiney. I'm sure the book was a good read, but feel that the book on tape would have been much more enjoyable had it been narrated by someone else.
14 of 16 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Corey
- 08-12-15
Writer's voice so annoying.
From now on, I shall listen to the free audio sample before I get a book. Someone should have told the author that she has a very annoying reading voice, and that she should get an actor to read her book. I really tried to listen/be committed. But, five chapters in-- and I just can't do it. It sounds like a good book. But her voice is just so grating and "acted". I don't care how much money I spent on the book -- I can't keep going with it. It is too annoying.
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Stefanie
- 17-03-04
Reader is terrible
I could not finish this book because the reader was absolutely awful. She had no emotion or voice inflection to break up the monotony of each sentence.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- David
- 28-01-05
Give this book before marrying someone
"Under the Tuscan Sun" is perhaps the most boring book of all time. If you really want to listen to an overindulged, overeducated ex-Southern Belle's surface snapshots of "my trip to Italy" taken between her bubblebaths and quaffs of Chianti, then this is your ticket. I learned ONE piece of useful information, that there are scorpions in Tuscany. Otherwise, the only use for this book is as a way to screen potential spouses...if they like the book, dump them quick!
8 of 10 people found this review helpful