A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller | Frances Mayes

A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller | Frances Mayes | The Long Yawn

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A Year in the Worl...

	A Year in the World: Journeys of A Passionate Traveller Frances Mayes Broadway, 2007 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 54 reviews view larger image
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Don't listen to the audion version!

I did listen to the whole thing and if France Mayes does she will be cringing. In the middle of her chaper on England she condescendinglt tells us English people don't pronounce "pasta" as the Italians do. Unfortunately her reader, who presumably was given pronumciation guides for every other language, mangles almost every proper name mentioned. Leicester is not pronounce Lyster, but Lester, Blenheim is not pronounced as the Germans would, but Blen-him, Loughborough is Luff-burr-uh, not Loff-burr-uh. I was trying to listen to the words rather than the increasingly preachy tone of the reader so it's been interesting to read that actual readers caught similar tones. I think it was a good concept, but very unevenly covered. The things she knew about she could pontificate on to our satisfaction but when she was not "at home" in a location it really showed. If she had listened to instead of lusting after her Greek professor, when she got to Delphi she might have known the god was known as Zeus not Jupiter in Greece. Grade - could do better if she tried.

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The Long Yawn

Gad! Such a looooooong book! This would better be called "A Year (or Maybe 5) in Only Part of the World" since most of the places visited were European. Long-winded and loopy with adjectives, Mayes writes about food, literature, food, art, food, architecture, and food. I'm surprised she and her husband don't roll around the places they visit - they must each weigh a ton or two by now. I did enjoy the descriptions of the crazy Italian traffic HOWEVER I got a wee bit tired of hearing how fantastic European cities are compared to poor little ole' San Francisco. Traffic bad in Portugal? Look at San Francisco! Beggars in Naples? Just look at San Francisco! No place is perfect, and I'd much rather read travel stuff written by someone who has a more balanced prospective.

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