The Reluctant Tuscan

This book was given to me as a gift, so I knew that it had to be good. It is not my sort of genre at all, but this memoir reads like fiction, and it's humorous as well. Phil Doran describes the people in the tiny village of Cambione in Tuscany so brilliantly, it made me want to meet them all. And seeing it through Doran's jaded American eyes, made it all the more fun. This was a very enjoyable read that was amusing as well as informative, and the food and wine described make it even more delicious Thank you so much for the gift. It was a delight.

I really enjoyed this book. The author is, as he relates in the story, a screenwriter and when his wife acquired the abandoned house in Italy where she hoped Phil would be able to retire, relax, and let go of the compulsive Hollywood lifestyle which was likely to cause his premature demise, he found it hard to stop hounding his agent with his latest screenplay. But gradually, with much resistance, he began to settle in. He recounts stories of his neighbours and acquaintances in a style which is light, amusing, and makes it clear but not obtrusively obvious that names have been changed (his highly temperamental neighbour, for instance, is called Vesuvia) and events fictionalised. When I turned to the back flap of the jacket and carefully show more read his capsule biography, I realised that this book was reminding me of the Bob Newhart Show, with Phil Doran cast as Bob. I probably saw some of the episodes he wrote.

Unlike Under the Tuscan Sun, which basically had no story arc (when I heard it was made into a movie, I said, How? Two people fix up a house, there is dust and spiders. No story!), Doran has written this with conflict, resolution, and happy ending. It's basically screen-ready, and I hope Doran's agent sells it to a movie company. It would be a pleasant comedic film. show less

Part of my planning for a spring trip to Italy has me inhaling almost anything I can find to read related to Italy, especially Tuscany and Umbria. Fiction or nonfiction, I'm reading it all. Including travel guides, this is my tenth book on Italy and one of my favorites.

While much of the earlier parts revolve around the author's wife trying to convince him to give up the helter-skelter life of an L.A. TV writer, eventually he moves on to describing the Tuscan people, places and customs around the town of Cambione, and it is here where the book shines. Just from descriptions of the food I think I gained ten pounds.

The Italian life is a slower-paced one (as long as you're off the highways) than almost anywhere in America. Following the show more author's transition from a frantic writer straniero (foreigner) to a calm (unless he's driving), accepted resident of this wonderful slice of Italy was delightful. show less

The story of a couple who buys a run down, ancient building in the hills and renovates it is not unique. The appeal when I picked up this book was the claim by Doran, a former Hollywood screenwriter, that he was telling the story of how he came to love Italy after he and his wife renovated a house near Pisa.

I don't believe him. From the beginning, when he reluctantly joined his wife after she bought the house, to the end, when they are living in the house, his tone is sarcastic and his description of the culture and people is derogatory. He is the classic "Ugly American" at the outset; in the end he is only slightly less ugly.

The book might have been redeemed had he related the stories of the local people in a believable way. All of show more them, however, are caricatures. Every odd characteristic is exaggerated. In the end, Doran could not overcome his screenwriter training and mentality. show less

This book belongs to the category of "non-local finds charming rustic run-down house and while fixing up meets locals who redeem their frustrating behavior with charm and insight into what's really important about life (see Peter Mayle, etc.). However, this is a very good version and Doran keeps a good balance between the warmth and charm of the locals with the exasperation of dealing with them. He also gives his wife full credit for compensating for his failings and his affection for her carries the book a long way. The man can write (he is a burned-out Hollywood TV script writer and producer), and you won't waste your time with this book.

Phil Doran may not have been the first person to move to Tuscany and decide to write about his move, but he would probably win the vote for most reluctant. For many years, Doran's wife worked in Tuscany while Doran wrote sitcoms in Hollywood. Finally, after some dismal setbacks in tv land, Doran's wife encouraged Doran to join her in Tuscany. Doran looks at quirky Tuscany and its quirky citizens with the eye of a hurry-up, get-rich-quick, kill-or-be-killed American and grows to love its eccentricities.

Excellent book. Funny, touching, and slightly irreverent look at an American living in Tuscany. I was reading this book as my second non-fiction book (my secondary book as my current fiction book is always my primary book) and this book starting getting more attention than the primary one. Really good read. Made me want to move to the European countryside.