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Frances Mayes
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Frances Mayes

Goodreads Author


Born
Fitzgerald, Georgia, The United States
Website

Twitter
francesmayes

Genre
Biographies & Memoirs, Travel, Poetry

Member Since
April 2012


Frances Mayes's new book is See You in the Piazza: New Places to Discover in Italy published by Crown. Her most recent novel is Women in Sunlight, published by Crown and available in paperback in spring 2019. With her husband, Edward Mayes she recently published The Tuscan Sun Cookbook. Every Day in Tuscany is the third volume in her bestselling Tuscany memoir series.

In addition to her Tuscany memoirs, Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany , Frances Mayes is the author of the memoirs Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir; A Year in the World; the illustrated books In Tuscany and Bringing Tuscany Home; Swan, a novel; The Discovery of Poetry, a text for readers; and five books of poetry. She divides her time between homes in I ...more

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What inspired you to go to Italy?
Frances Mayes My first trip there was because of art. I had studied renaissance art in college and wanted to see the real paintings. Of course, when I got there I w…moreMy first trip there was because of art. I had studied renaissance art in college and wanted to see the real paintings. Of course, when I got there I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the towns, the vivacity of the people, and the easy sense of time. After that, I went there every chance I had, then finally ought an abandoned little villa near Cortona. (less)
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Your new memoir about growing up in the South, Under Magnolia, describes Georgia so vividly. Have you always had such an acute sense of place, or do you feel like living abroad has given you a deeper insight into viewing the world around you?
Frances Mayes Living in Italy reminded me so much of small town life in Georgia in the era I grew up. The hospitality, the generosity, the tolerance for eccentric c…moreLiving in Italy reminded me so much of small town life in Georgia in the era I grew up. The hospitality, the generosity, the tolerance for eccentric characters--so many things. But, really, the landscape of my childhood was the big thing. I always felt that the place I came from was powerful and that the weather, sunsets, sky, streams, storms all had some mysterious function to shape those of us who lived there. All southern writers sense this, I think. Hard to explain, but flying in, I see that red clay below and I always think--I am home. (less)
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Combine Editions

Average rating: 3.76 · 376,211 ratings · 9,188 reviews · 47 distinct works • Similar authors
Under the Tuscan Sun: At Ho...
3.77 avg rating — 329,480 ratings — published 1996
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Bella Tuscany
3.76 avg rating — 14,050 ratings — published 1999 — 54 editions
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Women in Sunlight
3.66 avg rating — 8,434 ratings — published 2018 — 25 editions
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A Year in the World: Journe...
3.58 avg rating — 6,925 ratings — published 2006 — 43 editions
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Every Day in Tuscany: Seaso...
3.54 avg rating — 3,313 ratings — published 1998 — 37 editions
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In Tuscany
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3.96 avg rating — 2,431 ratings — published 1980 — 19 editions
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A Great Marriage
3.67 avg rating — 2,480 ratings — published 2024 — 10 editions
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Under Magnolia: A Southern ...
3.49 avg rating — 2,000 ratings — published 2014 — 20 editions
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A Place in the World: Findi...
3.53 avg rating — 1,549 ratings — 9 editions
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See You in the Piazza: New ...
3.53 avg rating — 1,280 ratings — published 2019 — 15 editions
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145 posts
Frances Mayes's Blog

SPRING NEWS!

Spring is travel time! See You in the Piazza, my extensive guide to out-of-the-way places in Italy, is out in paperback on 10 March. I’ll be back in Italy in late spring and already have plans to revisit some of the places I discovered while writing this  book. I hope it leads you back to that essential sense of discovery so crucial to having a great trip. I especially love the tiny town of Puglia

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Published on March 02, 2020 14:11
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Italy is the hot spot on the planet—blessed with beauty, a huge hunk of western civilization, enchanting towns, opera, the whole history of...
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Quotes by Frances Mayes  (?)
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“Life offers you a thousand chances... all you have to do is take one.”
― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy
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“Any arbitrary turning along the way and I would be elsewhere; I would be different.”
― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy
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“Where you are is who you are. The further inside you the place moves, the more your identity is intertwined with it. Never casual, the choice of place is the choice of something you crave.”
― Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy
tags: choice, identity
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