Conquer's娛樂場

Under the Tuscan Sun was written by Frances Mayes, who is an American university professor and writer. The main contents of this book talk about her experiences after buying an abandoned house, Bramasole, in the Tuscan countryside. Then she starts having a different life, and she really enjoys it.

In the first half, it describes in detail how they bought this house and what happened during decorating. Some old friends came to visit them, and even a wedding was held, and they met some new people in this foreign town. In the second half, they live and enjoy Tuscany, and they travel somewhere. It is all about their life in this foreign country, Italy, and they are changed by place. The final part, was added, I think, after publishing. First, it tells about some travelers who have read her book begin coming to Tuscany and are interested in the culture, art, and history. Second, she talks about her feelings after reading the screenplay which was based on her book. Though much had been changed, she still felt the spirit of the book was intact.

Having seen this movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, I chose this book for my novel summary. I expected that I could read something about why she wanted to buy a house in a foreign country and how she made this big decision, but it just happens naturally and surely. After reading it, I realize that it is completely different from the movie, and I feel it was boring. While reading it, some friends suggest that I should change my novel, but I was still looking forward to something I could be surprised at. Truly, it is a memoir but not a novel. In this book, she, too, introduces some Italian recipes, but I am only interested in a few pages about when they traveled to Maremma in Tuscany because I felt like I was there with them. Someday I want to travel to Tuscany if I have a chance. Maybe this is why it was a New York Times bestseller for more than two and a half years. Personally, I do not want to recommend this book, but if you like traveling and cooking, you can try to read it. I think that Under the Tuscan Sun is a special travel and cook book.