A Year in the World

December 5, 2005
Even people who don't normally read travel books are aware of the old Italian villa that Mayes and her husband restored, chronicled in Mayes's bestseller Under the Tuscan Sun
and three other books about Tuscany. So it's somewhat surprising when Mayes declares her wanderlust, her passion for other beautiful places in the world. She adores Tuscany, but also loves tasting other people's cuisines, learning their gardening habits, reading their poetry, swimming their waters. She's always looking around and wondering, "How do place and character intertwine? Could I feel at home here? What is home to those around me? Who are they in their homes, those mysterious others?" In this luminous volume, she and her husband visit southern Spain, Portugal, Sicily, southern Italy, Morocco, Greece, Crete, Scotland, Turkey and places in between. Usually they rent an apartment or villa, so they can cook, sprawl and feel like "locals." They survive a couple of package trips (a cruise around the Greek islands, a small charter around Turkey) which only highlight the pleasures of independent travel—having the freedom to wander and discover things for themselves, without a schedule. And happily, there's no mention of prices to mar readers' escapist fantasies.

January 15, 2006
Mayes's first travel memoir since Bella Tuscany (which followed the best-selling Under the Tuscan Sun) takes her further afield in her beloved Italy and beyond. The title is somewhat of a misnomer -these journeys were actually conducted over a five-year period -but they are arranged in calendar order, beginning with a January visit to Andalucí a and concluding with a year-end trip to Mantova, Italy. In the months between, Mayes takes a sweltering trip to Greece, reunites with friends in Scotland, and journeys to Fez, Naples, Sicily, Burgundy, Portugal, and more. Her motif throughout is the concept of -home -; she stays long enough in each place to experience everyday life there as a dweller, not a tourist. Fans of her previous books may be somewhat disappointed with this peripatetic approach, which doesn't include as much discourse on domestic topics like home restoration, gardening, and cooking (although there is plenty of food and flora discussion throughout). Indeed, this book could have used more judicious editing -at 420 pages, it's a bit too long, and some pieces meander into the pedantic. Still, Mayes writes beautifully and there will certainly be demand. Recommended for all public libraries; academic libraries may also wish to consider. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/05.]" -Rita Simmons, Sterling Heights P.L., MI"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2005
What Mayes accomplished in her popularization of Tuscany she now extends to a larger stage. Despite the title's claim, she does not reach everywhere on this orb, but she and her husband do manage a slow, deliberate itinerary taking them across much of Western Europe with a brief touchdown in Africa. Commencing with an excursion to Madrid in January, Mayes tours Spain down through Andalusia and the Costa del Sol. Portugal follows. By May, she returns to Italy, not to her beloved Tuscany, but first to Naples and then to Sicily. The couple spends time in Burgundy and Scotland before hopping back to Aegean lands. Wherever she goes, Mayes reflects at length on the cultural, historical, and literary highlights of the lands and peoples she visits. Mayes' touchstone in every locale is the region's cuisine. Her brief inventory of Portuguese soups alone could inspire a reexamination of that nation's cookery. Naples' pizza and cheese, Sicily's seafood, Crete's lamb, and Scotland's shortbread receive Mayes' encomiums. From time to time, Mayes even offers some recipes. Befitting her gifts as a poet, Mayes' prose shines with evocative imagery, bringing life to every subject she encounters across her peripatetic year.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)