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When Isobel Dusi visited Italy with her Australian husband Lou, little did they imagine that life would change forever. But, utterly besotted with the fragrant warmth and good-natured conviviality of Southern Tuscany, they decided to sell up their lives in the big city and move thousands of miles to follow the dream of a life more in keeping with ancient rhythms and time-honoured traditions of the Mediterranean. After months of searching they settled upon Montalcino, an intriguing hilltop medieval village with a reputation for some of the finest wine in Italy. VANILLA BEANS AND BRODO is an account of Isobel's hard-won acceptance into this tempestuous, warm-hearted and proudly independent community, whose voluble passions for home grown wine and Tuscan cuisine, for football and ancient traditions and festivals, puts paid to the myth that life in rural Tuscany is tranquil. Isobel and Lou are gradually transformed into Isabella and Luigi in this charming account of Tuscan village life that really gets to the beating heart of an Italian community - its joys, pleasures, anxieties, but above all, its absorbing eccentricities.… (more)
Good food. Beautiful scenery. Dreadful writing. That’s Vanilla Beans and Brodo: Real Life in the Hills of Tuscany in a nutshell. In this book, Isabella Dusi, an Australian expat, takes us through a year in Montalcino, the Tuscan town where, at the time of writing, she had lived with her husband for five years.
By writing not about her first years in Tuscany, but about her fifth year, it seems that Dusi was trying to set her book apart from the usual fish-out-of-water expat tales that are so popular. I appreciate that, but in reading this book, I realized that those stories are popular because they are entertaining. The few stories in this book that did entertain me were ones where Dusi wrote about her own cultural awkwardness. But even those stories weren’t well executed.
The main problem is the writing. Dusi’s writing is technically correct, most of the time, but it never rises above being merely perfunctory. There’s little to no sense of passion in her words. Her primary method of expressing passion was to use an exclamation point, whether or not the sentence itself seemed to convey excitement! (!) Her diction is also frequently awkward, almost as if English weren’t her native language. When I encountered passages like, “My eyes and mouth are open to the maximum as Luigi rushes on,” I couldn’t tell if she was trying to use unusual language (instead of , say, “my mouth hangs open, and my eyes are wide”), or if she really doesn’t know how awkward her words sound. I suppose five years of immersion in Italian could affect her English, but in that case, where was her editor?
Many of the positve reviews I've seen seem to come from people who have been to Montalcino, and I can see how reading about a place you’ve been to and loved would be a nice way to relive a good vacation. But if you’re not predisposed to love all things Montalcinese, find yourself another way to experience Tuscany. I can’t recommend this one.
Intricate account of village life in Tuscany by a relative newcomer. I enjoyed this book for its description of Italian community life, the obsession with family, food and wine, the eccentric characters. Only 3 stars because it was a little too long. Really worth reading as it made me realise what a lot of us lack in our everyday lives - knowing our neighbours and having that sense of community. ( )
[Preface] A number of years ago we discovered Montalcino; a couple of strangers, Australians, Lou and I were seeking a new home.
Quotations
Hidden among the perfumed branches, crowned with chestnut trees and vines Montalcino, beautiful village, reigns on fertile Sienese land Many pages of history, narrated by each stone Each page a page of glory, a legend that must be told.
Up here, always higher towards the sun Montalcino's banner rises First to be kissed by Madonna Spring.
When Isobel Dusi visited Italy with her Australian husband Lou, little did they imagine that life would change forever. But, utterly besotted with the fragrant warmth and good-natured conviviality of Southern Tuscany, they decided to sell up their lives in the big city and move thousands of miles to follow the dream of a life more in keeping with ancient rhythms and time-honoured traditions of the Mediterranean. After months of searching they settled upon Montalcino, an intriguing hilltop medieval village with a reputation for some of the finest wine in Italy. VANILLA BEANS AND BRODO is an account of Isobel's hard-won acceptance into this tempestuous, warm-hearted and proudly independent community, whose voluble passions for home grown wine and Tuscan cuisine, for football and ancient traditions and festivals, puts paid to the myth that life in rural Tuscany is tranquil. Isobel and Lou are gradually transformed into Isabella and Luigi in this charming account of Tuscan village life that really gets to the beating heart of an Italian community - its joys, pleasures, anxieties, but above all, its absorbing eccentricities.
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(3.29)
Wikipedia in English
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By writing not about her first years in Tuscany, but about her fifth year, it seems that Dusi was trying to set her book apart from the usual fish-out-of-water expat tales that are so popular. I appreciate that, but in reading this book, I realized that those stories are popular because they are entertaining. The few stories in this book that did entertain me were ones where Dusi wrote about her own cultural awkwardness. But even those stories weren’t well executed.
The main problem is the writing. Dusi’s writing is technically correct, most of the time, but it never rises above being merely perfunctory. There’s little to no sense of passion in her words. Her primary method of expressing passion was to use an exclamation point, whether or not the sentence itself seemed to convey excitement! (!) Her diction is also frequently awkward, almost as if English weren’t her native language. When I encountered passages like, “My eyes and mouth are open to the maximum as Luigi rushes on,” I couldn’t tell if she was trying to use unusual language (instead of , say, “my mouth hangs open, and my eyes are wide”), or if she really doesn’t know how awkward her words sound. I suppose five years of immersion in Italian could affect her English, but in that case, where was her editor?
Many of the positve reviews I've seen seem to come from people who have been to Montalcino, and I can see how reading about a place you’ve been to and loved would be a nice way to relive a good vacation. But if you’re not predisposed to love all things Montalcinese, find yourself another way to experience Tuscany. I can’t recommend this one.
See my complete review at my blog. (