A Year in the World

A Year in the World by Frances Mayes

Category: Travel Grade: D

Well, we have our first "lay-down" of the summer. Those of you followed the blog last year know that I won't make it to the end of a mediocre book. This one actually really surprises me since I liked her previous books, especially Under the Tuscan Sun. Mayes is a poet, with six books of poetry to her credit, and the writing in her new book is very, well, poetic.

Unfortunately, what made her prior books so interesting was that, while they were basically about Tuscany and/or traveling, she quickly made them about interesting people she found on her travels. In the first 50 pages or so of this new book, nobody, with the exception of a long dead poet, occupies more than a few sentences. After reading about the old streets and the beautiful views over and over, this book just lost my interest.

If you're interested in details about some of the places she visits during her year of traveling, you might go for this one. Otherwise, you're in for some serious boredom.