Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: A Valley in Italy: The Many Seasons of a Villa in Umbria by Lisa St. Aubin De Teran ISBN: 0-06-092619-8 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 June, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.53 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Travelers put down roots
Comment: In A Valley in Italy, Lisa St. Aubin De Teran tells the story of how she found her dream house in Italy and how her perpetually wandering family put down roots at last. De Teran and her husband bought an unfinished and deteriorating villa in a small town in Umbria and then set about restoring it - or, actually, hiring people to restore it. In the process, they assimilated into the nearby village, entering its life and even following some of its customs.
Although I loved the book, it probably isn't for everyone. For one thing, De Teran and her husband are unusual people - the sort of people who would buy an enormous, mostly ruined house without any clear idea of how they would pay for it or how they could rebuild it. They are bohemian, they live casually, and they clearly have values very different from the average American's. But for those who can appreciate people unlike themselves, the characters of the family members will make the book; much of the pleasure of it comes from hearing about the results of these people's unusual choices.
Readers should go into this expecting a very personal memoir. De Teran has chosen an Austen-style microcosm - just a village and a manor house - and focuses on it exclusively. The result is a book that is not a travel guide and not a cultural survey, but rather a painting of a particular place at a particular time seen through particular eyes. A Valley in Italy beautifully communicates the nature of San Orsola and its residents - and also, of course, the author and her family.
De Teran's prose, while unorthodox, is most enjoyable. Her humor and her descriptive prose are extremely enjoyable. Unlike many of the authors writing memoirs of Italy, De Teran doesn't take her subject with absolutely unleavened gravitas - she can be light and funny as well as artistically descriptive. In fact, the tone and voice not only make up for the somewhat unconventional paragraphing and the sometimes harsh transitions between topics, they manage to turn it into a cohesive style.
But probably the biggest single strength of the book is the author's involvement. Too many authors of expat memoirs hold themselves aloof, in their text and presumably in their lives, from their adopted countries. They lack the linguistic and social skills to enter village life, so they observe it and document it from afar. De Teran apparently managed to enter into the local culture, and as a result her book contains much less navel-gazing and is much less patronizing than many books of this kind.
In short, Lisa St. Aubin De Teran has written a gorgeous, pleasant, and funny book on the kind of life most of us would rather read about than live. A Valley in Italy succeeds supremely as both an engaging portrait of an Italian village and an amusing tale of one eccentric family's experiences. This book is well worth reading, not just once but again and again.
Rating: 5
Summary: Superbly Written
Comment: A Valley in Italy surpasses Frances Mayes' writings on Italy by far. I lived in Italy for eight years and can easily relate to settling in as a foreigner in the most beautiful country in the world. Miss Lisa St Aubin de Teran writes with compassion without becoming mushy, understands the workings of a village and appears to accept the local populous as they are. She is a woman with a giving heart and that shows through in her writing. There is no pretentiousness anywhere in the book as I did find in Miss Mayes' writings. The very best to Miss St Aubin de Teran and Florence, the first Umbriana in her family.
Rating: 1
Summary: Oh, please............
Comment: This is probably the most pretentious, irritating book I have ever encountered. The author's "style" is coy and over the top, and her portrayal of Italians is condescending and patronizing. It was hard to believe anything but the bare bones of this story.
Could not force myself to finish. Life is too short to read bad books.
 |
Title: The Hills of Tuscany: A New Life in an Old Land by Ferenc Mate ISBN: 0385334419 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 12 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
 |
Title: Extra Virgin: A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera, Where Every Month Is Enchanted by Annie Hawes ISBN: 0060958111 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 02 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
 |
Title: Pasquale's Nose: Idle Days in an Italian Town by Michael Rips ISBN: 0316748641 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 09 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
 |
Title: The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley by Elizabeth Romer ISBN: 0865473870 Publisher: North Point Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1996 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser ISBN: 0375724850 Publisher: Vintage Books USA Pub. Date: 07 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
