Monday, April 11, 2011

Just finished reading...

...Frances Mayes' second living-in-Italy book, BELLA TUSCANY.

After I went to Tuscany last year, I read Frances Mayes’ charming UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, (review here) which thankfully had nothing whatsoever to do with the limp (and drastically altered) film adaptation. The story, about Frances and her then partner/ now husband Ed buying an old dilapidated house in the village of Cortona and the trials and tribulations of bringing it back to life (and making it suitable to live in), was quite enjoyable but skimmed over a lot of the substance that presumably makes Tuscany the magical, alluring region that it is.

So in anticipation of my return trip to Tuscany next month, I thought I would catch up with Ms. Mayes and see what’s up. Her second book in the living-in-Italy series is BELLA TUSCANY: THE SWEET LIFE IN ITALY, which goes a bit deeper than that "skimming" technique of the last book. It is a nice combination of anecdotes about life in the house they restored (and are still working on), portraits of the people and characters they meet, recipes from the region, travelogue information about areas of Italy, incidental art and European history, and poetic musings about life in Italy/ the difference between life in the United States and life in Italy/ life in general. It is sort of a personal scrap book, much more interesting than a diary.

As I was reading, I was thinking that she was employing the same skimming technique she used in her first book, but when we got to the death of one of the precious old characters who helped them bring back the land and work their garden, I realized we were going a little deeper. And I realized I had grown close to this man without knowing much about him--or perhaps I was projecting and filling in the blanks. Without trying to sound dramatic, Mayes does manage to convey the value and preciousness of things in life. But she does so in a condensed, abbreviated way which often feels superficial... like “skimming.”

I still have a bit of time… I am starting the next one in the series, her newest book, EVERY DAY IN TUSCANY before we fly to Tuscany next month. (Her in-between book, IN TUSCANY, I understand is not really part of the on-going story but rather a stand-alone book of photos and essays about life in Tuscany.)

Recommend? Yes, but read UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN first though to get the flow.

About Me

About "Oh, By The Way"

"Oh, By The Way" is my digital scrap book of things I like, things I would share with a close friend and say: “Oh, by the way, do you know of this artist/ clothing or interior designer/ model/ singer/ actor/ gorgeous man… or, have you seen this video/ photo/ film... or heard (or do you remember) this song/ band... or, read this book/ poem/ inspiring quote... or, visited this place/ restaurant/ famous building... or, have you heard of this amazing new scientific discovery?”

I am dedicated to posting the positive, the fascinating, the beautiful, the interesting, the moving, and the inspiring and uplifting. Sometimes I post cultural as well as personal observations, milestones, and remembrances. And just like life, all of these things may often have a bit of melancholy or even sadness in them, which is what makes our time here so lovely and bittersweet and precious.

Some of the photos, art, poetry, and prose are my own original work, credited with my initials, JEF. When it isn't, I always try to post links to the original source material, but often I find photos on the web that are not linked or other material that is not sourced. In these instances, I post them without malice since it is assumed that such things, by being globally posted on something as uncontrollable as the internet to begin with, are in the public domain. If you identify the source of an image that is not linked, please politely let me know (without accusing me of theft) and I will be happy to provide a link.

I hope to inspire and entertain my readers with things that inspire and entertain ME. There is a startling amount of beauty and creativity in the world and it enriches us all to participate in it.

All-time Favorite Films

2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick)

After Hours (Hysterical, hair-raising ride through NYC at night)

Amelie

American Beauty (Alan Ball)

Baraka (Stunning, transcending—the "spiritus mundi" on film)

Belle et Bete (Cocteau)

Big Sleep, The (The epitome of film noir)

Bringing Up Baby (Hepburn & Grant—the epitome of screwball comedy)

Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover, The (Greenaway)

Crash (Cronenberg—DIFFICULT subject, not for everyone)

Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg—ultimate modern gothic horror)

Drowning By Numbers (Greenaway)

Easy Rider

Edward II (Derek Jarman)

Erendira (From magic realist Marquez’ brilliant short story)

Eyes Wide Shut (Kubrick's last film)

Fearless (Jeff Bridges—life and death)

Funny Bones (Leslie Caron, Jerry Lewis, and the brilliant Lee Evans)

Holiday (Hepburn & Grant)

Howard’s End (The ultimate statement of the unfairness of class systems)