From the Tuscan Sun to the World of Frances Mayes

If you haven’t read Frances Mayes Under the Tuscan Sun, you’ll at least have heard of it or its several sequels. Mayes and her husband renovated an old villa in Tuscany and she quickly became known as the travel writing queen for all things Tuscan. But recently, she released a new book called A Year in the World which, for once, barely touches on Tuscany at all.

There are, however, a few things that are not quite perfect about A Year in the World. For one, Mayes doesn’t exactly travel the world – the journeys she describe are all centered on Europe, with tiptoed outings to destinations like Morocco which are right on Europe’s boundaries anyway. What’s more, she doesn’t travel for a whole year – as for many of us, such a journey proves impractical – so the book covers a series of vacations she took, some longer than others, that roughly add up to a year of traveling.

Having said that, some parts of A Year in the World are transporting and magical. The stay in Fez, Morocco is a particularly enjoyable section of the book, as Mayes sees an entirely new culture and describes it in intricate detail. The ending is a surprise – and one that didn’t suit me – but the surprise of that is up to the reader.

Tags: A Year In The World | Frances Mayes | Morocco | Tuscany | Under The Tuscan Sun