First published 2022
Frances Mayes examines the concept of home through her experiences living in different places around the world. The author of Under the Tuscan Sun takes readers through various dwellings that shaped her understanding of belonging and comfort. She travels from Italian locations including Tuscany, Venice, and Capri to the American South, France, and Mexico. In each place, Mayes discovers how physical spaces create emotional connections. She writes about the objects that fill these homes: aged books, rich meals, cherished friendships, and meaningful art. The pandemic context adds weight to her reflections as people everywhere reconsidered their relationships with domestic spaces. Mayes shows how each residence left permanent impressions on her life and influenced her choices about future homes. Her intimate writing style captures both the excitement of discovering new places and the universal human need for sanctuary and belonging.
Genres: travel, contemporary, memoir, non-fiction
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: memoir, travelogue
Setting: Tuscany, Venice, Capri, American South, France, Mexico
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Crown