One Italian Summer

Pip and Shannon dreamed of living the good life. They wanted to slow down, grow their own food and spend more time with the people they love. But jobs and responsibilities got in the way – their chooks died, their fruit rotted and Pip ended up depressed and in therapy. So they did the only reasonable thing – they quit their jobs, pulled the children out of school and went searching for la dolce vita in Italy.Pip sleeps in a woodshed, feasts under a Tuscan sun, works like a tractor in Calabria and, eventually, finds her dream – though it’s not at all the one she expected.

'Narrator Felicity Jurd's delightful Australian accent enriches this poignant memoir about an Aussie family's year in Italy. As WWOOFERS – travelers who work on organic farms in exchange for room and board – Pip and her young family experienced living quarters ranging from a leaky toolshed to a newly remodeled apartment. Jurd describes the dissatisfaction with high-pressure city jobs that led Pip and her husband to yearn for a better life. But Pip was uncertain about farming. So they set out to learn firsthand from experienced farmers in Italy. Pip's sheer joy in Italian country life is apparent in Jurd's narration, and the amusing anecdotes are recounted with a twinkle. There is warmth in Jurd's voice when describing the most beloved of their Italian hosts, who eventually become lifelong friends.' -- AudioFile

Pip was born in London, grew up in Sydney and now calls the Adelaide Hills home. She is co-author of the book Time Bomb: Work Rest and Play in Australia Today (New South Press, 2012) and in 2017 she wrote One Italian Summer, a memoir of her family’s travels in search of the good life, which was published with Affirm Press to wide acclaim. Pip has also published travel articles, book reviews, flash fiction and poetry. In The Dictionary of Lost Words she combines her talent for historical research with beautiful storytelling. She has delved into the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary and found a tale of missing words and the lives of women lived between the lines. Felicity Jurd is an Australian actress, voice artist and writer. She has had extensive voice and acting training at institutions including the Australian Theatre for Young People, Atlantic Theater Company in New York and LAMDA in London. On stage, she is best known for playing May in I May Fly which toured Sydney, New York and London (2006 - 2008). Her screen credits include Doctor Doctor, Home & Away, Dust, A Country Practice and The Drover's Wife.

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