Under the Tuscan Sun

By: Frances Mayes

Narrated by: Frances Mayes

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best seller

The beloved memoir of self-discovery set against the spectacular Tuscan countryside that inspired the major motion picture starring Diane Lane - now in a 20th-anniversary edition featuring a new afterword

“This beautifully written memoir about taking chances, living in Italy, loving a house and, always, the pleasures of food, would make a perfect gift for a loved one. But it’s so delicious, read it first yourself.” (USA Today)

For more Frances Mayes, including a tour of her now iconic Cortona home, Bramasole, watch PBS’ Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special!

More than 20 years ago, Frances Mayes - widely published poet, gourmet cook, and travel writer - introduced readers to a wondrous new world when she bought and restored an abandoned Tuscan villa called Bramasole. Under the Tuscan Sun inspired generations to embark on their own journeys - whether that be flying to a foreign country in search of themselves, savoring one of the book’s dozens of delicious seasonal recipes, or simply being transported by Mayes’ signature evocative, sensory language. Now with a new afterword from Frances Mayes, the 20th-anniversary edition of Under the Tuscan Sun revisits the book’s most popular characters.

©1998 Frances Mayes (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell, A Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"An intense celebration of what [Mayes] calls 'the voluptuousness of Italian life'...appealing and very vivid." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Irresistible...a sensuous book for a sensuous countryside." (Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

Read the Book also

Yep, she's southern, and you can tell in her accent, but you get used to it - at least I did. Her book is filled with so much more beautiful detail than what she reads here. So give this a listen, but def read the book. :)

LOVE THIS CONTENT - reading is hard to listen to

This is a beautiful memoir! I love the content so much. I’m sure the author is a wonderful person but her reading of this is really hard to listen to. Please do this over and get someone like Dianne Lane to read it !!!!

The movie is better

This is one of those cases when the movie is almost completely unrelated to the book, I like the movie and the book not so much. Some authors should stick to writing and not narrating their books.

Good book, abysmal narration

The book is everything that people have described it to be--a beautiful tapestry of life in the Tuscan countryside and all the trials & tribulations of taking on renovation of a piece of European history.
If this sounds like it interests you, buy the book, don't get the audiobook because unfortunately the narration will distract you from the enjoyment you seek.

Unexpected disappointment...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Unfortunately, I would not. I was disappointed to find that the book was quite different than the movie. More than likely, I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it first, then watched the movie. I had expected to hear a "Diane Lane" type of voice...again, so different from the movie...I was very surprise when I heard the author narrate her book with her southern, twangy voice.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The story itself was an enjoyable look into Tuscany and into the authors life there even though I had an extremely difficult time getting past her accent.

Would you be willing to try another one of Frances Mayes’s performances?

Possibly, as long as she is not the narrator.

Fair story

A combination cook book and a travel log which would have been improved by a professional

Couldn't wait for it to be over

I was very interested in the visiting this area of Italy so I very much wanted to read this book. I found the restoration process interesting & the food description a little informative but repetitive. The narration was terrible

Good Book, Bad Audiobook

I admit that since I first read Under the Tuscan Sun (approximately 20 years ago--yikes!), I’ve dreamed of following in Frances Mayes’s footsteps and dropping everything to purchase an old villa in Tuscany. Just like her, I imagine myself uncovering beautiful frescas under years of dirt, searching through the Italian countryside for the perfect furniture to complement and bring comfort to my home, and daily trips to the market to buy all of the beautiful fresh ingredients for my simple rustic dinner (paired with a gorgeous wine, of course).

But, then, I pretty quickly remember that I don’t have the money, time, or patience to do such things. (I’m also not particularly talented--or interested--in the DIY arena...probably important when attempting to restore an old villa.)

So, when I picked up the book again, I knew what I was getting myself into. I made sure there was red wine in my kitchen, fresh flowers on my balcony, and a list of Italian restaurants that delivered nearby before digging in again, so I wouldn’t get too jealous of her life. I knew I would be transported to the luscious fields, rolling hills, and old villas that dot the Tuscan countryside. I knew I would salivate at her descriptions of fresh pasta, rich cheeses, and complex wines. I knew there would be discussions of sealants, scrubbing, paint selections and a lot of hard work.

I also knew there wasn’t much more to the book than that. The book is a description of the time Frances Mayes and her partner bought a villa in Tuscany, the efforts they made to restore it and turn it into a home, and everything they learned about Italy along the way. (Spoiler: the book is pretty much nothing like the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, though I love that, too.)

If you, too, dream of a simpler life in Tuscany, cozy up with a glass of Chianti and this book.

One note: I did try the audiobook version for this second read and I just couldn’t do it. Although I normally love it when authors read their own books, I’m afraid I couldn’t get over her slow Southern drawl and surprisingly awful Italian pronunciations. This is one you’ll want to hold in your hands anyway.

Totally different from the movie

Very little overlap with the movie, but a fun book to listen. Follows the author’s adventures renovating Bramesole with her partner, Ed. A love letter to quirky Cortuna and marvelous Italy.

A Tour

If you are interested in a tour of the Tuscan region of Italy with sprinkles of home renovation and food, this is the book for you.