A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller

Boring!

This book was extremely boring. She talks in the beginning about using her travels as an opportunity to discover what home is to people of different cultures but failed to address this topic in any part that I read. The first chapter was so boring I skipped to the chapter on Greece, as I am planning a trip there and was excited to soak up any more information on their culture. I was very disappointed to learn that she was on a boring, basic cruise and had only pre-planned travel agency style day trips around the islands! I like to immerse myself in the culture more than that when I travel and was surprised you could get away with writing a serious book about your travels while on a standard cruise surrounded by mid-western retirees.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved the title, but that was about it.

Afraid to say this was a dull book. Put it down after about an hour and never picked it up again.

Makes me want to take off and see all of these places

I bought this book on a whim, having seen the movie Under the Tuscan Sun and wanting a book to read on a recent trip to Calgary. What a pleasant surprise! Not only does the author take me to places I've never been, she makes me feel as though I've gotten an in depth feel for every single place she's been and an incentive to get there to experience them for myself. It's a beautiful, relaxing read with such vivid descriptions. Very enjoyable.

The Observing Self

Frances Mayes is an avid traveller-both in person and on the page. In her memoir, A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller, she embarks on a series of exotic adventures which span the globe and transports the reader along with her via sensory details. We can see, hear, taste, touch, and smell what she describes, and we also get a clear sense of her persona-what she thinks, likes, dislikes, and dreams of. In addition, Mayes weaves in a significant amount of historical, cultural, literary, and culinary references into her writing as she travels, and thus captures the sense of expansion and discovery that travel brings. We travel along with Mayes to many exciting locations and gain a wealth of knowledge about her destinations, and the author herself.

Mayes accomplishes the above by first capturing sensory and reference details, and then passing them through the filter of self--we see what she sees in the way that she sees it--and therefore, we come away with a sense of the author by reading about how she interacts with her world. She begins her memoir by telling us what lures her about travel-the spontaneity, personal growth, and the chance to be the observer. "You open, as in childhood, and-for a time-receive this world. There's a visceral aspect, too-the huntress who is free. Free to go, free to return home bringing memories to lay on the hearth" (xviii-xix).

As I read, I found myself saying: Yes! At the end of her introduction Mayes says: "Only in looking back do you find those crumbs you dropped that mark your way forward" (xxii). Here she reinforces her theme that travel brings a new understanding of oneself and one's world. By ending her introduction with such a quote, Mayes makes a promise to the reader: my travels have changed me, as yours will change you.come and see.

In the simple detail of the following: "I'd like to drop my coat in the water rather than lug it along" (25), Mayes immediately connects me to the moment. Who hasn't been weighted down by a garment when the weather changes and not in the mood to be burdened? Details like this convey information about both environment and character. As I read this memoir, I was inspired to comb through my own work and seek out the moments where I could add such details into my writing.

Mayes also uses evocative and amusing descriptions-about a cathedral in Spain: "Even the pigeons look holy" (31); about Portuguese speech: "This language uses many sounds that previously I have heard only from the washing machine" (90); about Italians and their coffee: "They take their espresso as though they're having a shot at a clinic" (141). Such language choices convey both Mayes' observation skills, personality, and sense of humor. She reminds us to access the five senses, observe ourself and our world, and deepen our writing so that the reader can get closer to our experience. This blend of insight, character, and experience deepens our joint discoveries: yes, the journey changes us.come and see.

Amazing

Once again a winner. I love reading Frances Mayes. She is an intellegint writer who knows her audience and subject matter equally well. She brings the world alive for those of us who have not travelled abroad. Entertaining and inciteful she can make my mouth water as she samples a new dish or tastes a new wine, can make my heart race as she enters a historic site and make my eyes roam the country side as she takes in the breath taking scenery. A true delight.

One of her very best

Thoroughly enjoyable to travel with Frances Mayes (and her husband) to so many interesting and historical places. She is an enthusiastic, observant and entertaining author. The travel tales include what she knows of the history of the place, people who have been a significant part of the landscape (so to speak). And she is one who loves good food. Her descriptions are delightful, and the recipes (of course) are most appreciated. I do hope she and Ed make other "travelogues" to future interesting locations.

I couldn't make it through the 3rd chapter

Their was nothing amusing or entertaining - it was difficult to read - more of a food journal. I was very disappointed.

I read it 3 times

The first time I read it all the way through without stopping.
The second time through I started looking up some of the places and artworks mentioned in this author's travels on yahoo! images online so I could see for myself what she was talking about.
The third time I again, page by page, looked up on yahoo! images each and every reference the author made to a place or a titled work of art, including museums, mountains in specific countries, and streets in certain cities. It took me a month to go from page to page, place to place, and sight to sight along with this author's travels.
I am jealous of her freedom to see for herself places I can only visit in pictures online. I wish for my own house in the country to restore and make my own.

Superficial Trivia Recitation

There is nothing too trivial for Frances Mayes not to include in her recitated travel notes. The only subject well revealed is her ignorance of most cultural, geographic and historical facts beyond what can be found in tourist handouts. Maybe the discussions of her eating experiences are initially somewhat interesting but become boring after the many meals endured. The only remarkable thing was that I read 2/3rds of the book before deciding that enough was enough.

Great Book

This is the kind of book that was difficult to put down. It is wonderful for armchair travelers. I not only enjoyed the descriptions of the various countries, but gave me a good picture of the culture and foods from each. Frankly, I wanted to spend the next month doing nothing but cooking and eating!

If You Love Frances Mayes, You Will Love This Book

I loved what Frances Mayes has written about Tuscany. One thing I enjoy about her writing is while she is extremely well read and intelligent, she does not write in language that is only understandable to literature professors. A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller is a wonderful sojourn into different cultures around the world. It is great for someone who does not have a lot of time to read. You can read just one chapter, then put it down and come back to it later, without having a story line to follow. It is my wish that Ed and Frances compile separate books on food and horticulture. Like many of us who love to travel, but have neither the time nor money to do so, this is an excellent escape to places we dream to visit one day.

...but it felt like a century

BORING! Mayes has turned herself into a product, counting on her name to captivate an audience. I put it down after the first few chapters of just following her and her husband around without them 'showing' me anything. No flavor. No heart. Very superficial. Read a Frommer's travel guide...it's more interesting.

Average

I guess this is a good book to take along with yourself on a trip. It is nice to read while on an airplane, cruise ship, or the beach when you do not want to have a strong plot that you need to focus on. It is kind of like a breath of air on a summer day. But again, the downfall is that there is no real plot.

for couch potato tourists

This journal is a surprise because Frances Mayes is renowned for her love of Tuscany, but confesses a weakness for wanderlust so+ she and her companion Ed went on a year long trek. As she did with UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, Ms. Mayes divides her anecdotal stops into distinct chapters making it easy to pick up and put down so that it can be reading over several days by armchair travellers. Each of the escapades are cleverly described so that the reader feels as if they have met the same people that the Mayes encounter whether it be a guide in Fez, a Greek family baptism, the people they dine with or serve them in Madrid, or a rug dealer in Istanbul. Food and shelter are big issues as the traveling duo wants local flavor. Those two critical staples are vividly described in each chapter, but the trek belongs to the people that Ms. Mayes and Ed encounter on their journey as their peculiarities come across as warm and welcoming to readers. Couch potato tourists will want to read the well-written A YEAR IN THE WORLD: JOURNEYS OF A PASSIONATE TRAVELLER. P Harriet Klausner

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