alba_marie's review against another edition
4.0
“Italy is where you taste time.”
I enjoyed this and it definitely gave me the urge to travel again! I'm very glad I didn't read it last year when we were stuck in a 5k radius. However, it would have been better in book format - the audiobook isn't great for noting down places to visit in Italy as I was usually doing something else at the same time (like chores or walking or cycling or garden work - no pen and paper to hand!). So sadly I couldn’t go and look them the places mentioned with any ease.
The author reminds me of my mother, who recommended the book to me in the first place. They have a lot on common and I can see why she might be drawn to this book. I think I might appreciate this travelogue if I were a bit older - I don’t have the same tastes or budgets as the writer.
One critique I do have is that I'm not a massive fan of her present tense writing style. I did get used to it by the end - at almost 15 hours long, it's not a short audiobook! But I can see how it would be a useful guide for someone wanting to spend more time in or even moving to Italy.
Mayes delves into certain aspects of culture and history but like many others (esp. in the travel arena), her idea of culture and history barely leaves the 20th century with just short forays into the ancient past. I am not all that excited by present or recent Italy and would be more interested in the Romans, Umbrians, Etruscans, Middle Ages, Renaissance and the Venetian Republic.
The cat, Tabitha, (love it!), but I don’t get it.
I did wonder what's holding her back from just moving to Italy year round. She really seems to love Italy, has staked her career on the travelling country and its culture and food in Italy. She speaks the language. The weather is far nicer. And the lifestyle is better, as is the food, medical system and quality of life. I fail to understand why one would ever return to America... (I certainly never will!!). Italy is a great base for European travel, too!
“Growing old in Italy seems nicer than in America. They aren't isolated and don’t get the not to subtle hints that they should be.” I love this, and agree, though I will say that this is true all over Europe, although it is less and less of the case.
All in all, it was a nice taster and an easy listen to get me excited about going back to Italy but you really should read it in physical book format where you can google the names, make notes in the margins and dare I say fold the corners down (or add stickies) to relevant pages.
I enjoyed this and it definitely gave me the urge to travel again! I'm very glad I didn't read it last year when we were stuck in a 5k radius. However, it would have been better in book format - the audiobook isn't great for noting down places to visit in Italy as I was usually doing something else at the same time (like chores or walking or cycling or garden work - no pen and paper to hand!). So sadly I couldn’t go and look them the places mentioned with any ease.
The author reminds me of my mother, who recommended the book to me in the first place. They have a lot on common and I can see why she might be drawn to this book. I think I might appreciate this travelogue if I were a bit older - I don’t have the same tastes or budgets as the writer.
One critique I do have is that I'm not a massive fan of her present tense writing style. I did get used to it by the end - at almost 15 hours long, it's not a short audiobook! But I can see how it would be a useful guide for someone wanting to spend more time in or even moving to Italy.
Mayes delves into certain aspects of culture and history but like many others (esp. in the travel arena), her idea of culture and history barely leaves the 20th century with just short forays into the ancient past. I am not all that excited by present or recent Italy and would be more interested in the Romans, Umbrians, Etruscans, Middle Ages, Renaissance and the Venetian Republic.
The cat, Tabitha, (love it!), but I don’t get it.
I did wonder what's holding her back from just moving to Italy year round. She really seems to love Italy, has staked her career on the travelling country and its culture and food in Italy. She speaks the language. The weather is far nicer. And the lifestyle is better, as is the food, medical system and quality of life. I fail to understand why one would ever return to America... (I certainly never will!!). Italy is a great base for European travel, too!
“Growing old in Italy seems nicer than in America. They aren't isolated and don’t get the not to subtle hints that they should be.” I love this, and agree, though I will say that this is true all over Europe, although it is less and less of the case.
All in all, it was a nice taster and an easy listen to get me excited about going back to Italy but you really should read it in physical book format where you can google the names, make notes in the margins and dare I say fold the corners down (or add stickies) to relevant pages.
hilarysmith's review against another edition
Have only read Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Toscana, and Umbria. Will need to read the rest at a later date.
bookboss85's review against another edition
1.0
Original review can be found at: http://www.nerdprobs.com/books/book-review-see-you-in-the-piazza-by-frances-mayes/
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I was so excited when I was scrolling NetGalley and found a Francis Mayes book available for request. I couldn’t believe it. I know she is a hugely popular author. I have never read any of her books but did have a few on my to be read bookshelf, which made me getting the book an even sweeter reward. I couldn’t wait to read it.
Full disclosure: I couldn’t get past 5%. I tried several times to read this book and just couldn’t do it. I struggled with the writing style. She was all over the place with it. I found it very choppy and hard to follow. I wanted to love it. I found myself wondering how she managed to become such a popular author if this is how all her books were. As much as I hate to admit this, I actually got rid of the other books by her that I had because I disliked this book so much. While that is not fair to her as an author, I knew that because I didn’t like this one I probably would never read the other ones by her. I don’t want to tarnish your view of this book, so take what I am saying with a grain of salt. Read it for yourself and decide from there.
The reason I requested it was 1: It was Francis Mayes and 2: It was about Italy and places to stay and eat. Italy is by far my favorite country so far in Europe. I couldn’t wait to read it and find some hidden gems that I can visit if I ever get back over there.
**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
I was so excited when I was scrolling NetGalley and found a Francis Mayes book available for request. I couldn’t believe it. I know she is a hugely popular author. I have never read any of her books but did have a few on my to be read bookshelf, which made me getting the book an even sweeter reward. I couldn’t wait to read it.
Full disclosure: I couldn’t get past 5%. I tried several times to read this book and just couldn’t do it. I struggled with the writing style. She was all over the place with it. I found it very choppy and hard to follow. I wanted to love it. I found myself wondering how she managed to become such a popular author if this is how all her books were. As much as I hate to admit this, I actually got rid of the other books by her that I had because I disliked this book so much. While that is not fair to her as an author, I knew that because I didn’t like this one I probably would never read the other ones by her. I don’t want to tarnish your view of this book, so take what I am saying with a grain of salt. Read it for yourself and decide from there.
The reason I requested it was 1: It was Francis Mayes and 2: It was about Italy and places to stay and eat. Italy is by far my favorite country so far in Europe. I couldn’t wait to read it and find some hidden gems that I can visit if I ever get back over there.
c_e_r_98's review against another edition
3.0
Things I did not like: the unaware privilege on every page, the descriptions of churches, the writing style, the fact that there were no visuals so I had to stop my reading flow to look up something every other paragraph.
Things I did like: recipes, and Italy herself.
I’d hesitate to recommend this book but it DID make me want to hop right back onto a plane straight for Fiumicino so 2.5/5
Things I did like: recipes, and Italy herself.
I’d hesitate to recommend this book but it DID make me want to hop right back onto a plane straight for Fiumicino so 2.5/5
dalereadsandwrites's review against another edition
3.0
The descriptions of small, lesser known, Italian destinations are transportive. She is definitely a more bougie and privileged person than most, eating at expensive restaurants and staying in amazing hotels and lodgings. Sometimes I’d get frustrated by her complaints. But I love how much she loves Italy and how small things about her travels are still magical to her. It makes it all feel magical to me.
crystallyn's review
5.0
This book is a bit of a departure from the other books you might have read by Mayes. It's a love letter to Italy, a journey through some of the lesser known regions and towns of la bella paese. She takes you beyond the hubbub of Venezia and Firenze, off the beaten path to Modena and Calabria and a slew of places in between. I love that she intersperses recipes throughout the book, lending both history and color to her selections. It's not so much of a guidebook as it is a book for the armchair traveler, a food lover, or for a true fan of Italy.
dmtcer's review
4.0
I am a huge fan of Frances Mayes. The first time I read Under The Tuscan Sun I knew it was, for me, a life changing book, and I was right. I fell in love with all things Italian because of her words and descriptions; I could taste the food she described and the scents she smelled; could visualize the details of her house and her travels. I’ve read every book she’s written since then, and was so excited to receive an ARC of her newest book on travel in Italy, See You In The Piazza.
I could never begin to describe each place Frances and her husband and grandson experienced. Once again, I was transported by her words and descriptions of places, faces, food, scenery, and experiences as the trio travel all around Italy, and not just Tuscany or Rome or even Naples. Off the beaten path to places I may have heard of in my reading, or not; places I had no idea existed. Her words invoke such imagery for me, and me long to travel along beside her and see the world as she does. Her knowledge and research of so many details of each place truly astound, invigorate and inspire. Thank you, Frances, for another opportunity to live vicariously through your experiences.
I could never begin to describe each place Frances and her husband and grandson experienced. Once again, I was transported by her words and descriptions of places, faces, food, scenery, and experiences as the trio travel all around Italy, and not just Tuscany or Rome or even Naples. Off the beaten path to places I may have heard of in my reading, or not; places I had no idea existed. Her words invoke such imagery for me, and me long to travel along beside her and see the world as she does. Her knowledge and research of so many details of each place truly astound, invigorate and inspire. Thank you, Frances, for another opportunity to live vicariously through your experiences.
kennebec's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.0
Very short entries on a host of cities; doesn't foster the sense of place previous books did. Also more self-absorbed: less "look at this beauty!" and more "look at us!"
ladyleckus's review
2.0
I normally like travel memoirs - especially for Italy. But this one really dragged on for me.