Under The Tuscan Sun

Lyrically written and beguiling… What makes it special is the sustained note of joy in it; joy in the beauty of the Tuscan countryside, the sights and sounds of daily life, the physical labour involved in the restoration of this 200-year-old villa and the five acres of land that go with it * Sunday Times *Like many delightful books, this account of restoring a Tuscan farmhouse and its land is hard to classify. The author is a poet, good at evoking atmosphere and describing place; a cook who collects appetizing winter and summer recipes; an academic who sets her new home in its Roman and Etruscan context. Above all, Mayes is an enthusiast for starting over. After the dissolution of a long marriage, she celebrates Christmas in Italy with her grown-up daughter and her new partner. ‘Is this much happiness allowed?’ she asks. You bet * Mail on Sunday *Frances Mayes is a wonderful writer. She captures with exceptional poetry and vivacity the extraordinary beauty of Tuscany. She understands Tuscany like a person who was born and has lived here all her life – Lorenza De’MediciA wonderfully languid and evocative diary * Independent *Stone by stone, Frances Mayes builds the story of what is not so much a love affair as an all-consuming passion. A glorious book - seductive, sensuous, beautifully crafted… ‘ * Elisabet Luard *The Italian equivalent of Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence * Sunday Telegraph *

Frances Mayes is the author of four books about Tuscany. The now-classic Under the Tuscan Sun - which was a New York Times bestseller for more than two and a half years and became a Touchstone movie starring Diane Lane - was followed by Bella Tuscany and two illustrated books, In Tuscany and Bringing Tuscany Home. Mayes is also the author of the novel Swan, six books of poetry, The Discovery of Poetry and A Year in the World. She lives in Cortona, Italy, and the San Francisco Bay Area.