Women in Sunlight: A Novel

I liked parts of this book very much, other parts were too jumpy from character to character. There were too many characters. It was work to follow who was doing what. That said, it was worth the work. The character of Margaret, the only one who wasn't present, was the most readable and clear. The story is unlikely, but offers a dream of what could happen if we are brave, lucky, and have money.

I really enjoyed this book, the author transported me to a wonderful spot in the world, and life, which helped open up new possibilities. The prose were beautiful as if written by a poet! What a pleasure to read about main characters who were my age and dealing with many of the issues with which I am confronting. It also made me appreciate the circumstances that would allow one to dream of or consider such options, I know most people couldn't possibly relate to the choices these fortunate women had available to them. Keep up the beautiful descriptive writing Ms. Mayes.

As much as I like Italian food and the descriptions in this book were wonderful as were the descriptions of the countryside. I was bored by the four women whose stories were told. Three of these 60ish women who met at an over-50 retirement village and each of whom had a story to tell rent a villa in Italy next door to an expatriate younger woman and her significant other who have their own story to reveal. Halfway through the book I couldn't care about what happens to any of them and was glad to pick up a book with more interesting and vital characters.

The story is told primarily from the perspective of Kit Raine, an American poet in her early 40s, who has lived in the Tuscany region for 12 years. She is struggling to write a biography of Margaret, her friend and mentor - you might even say she is haunted by the memories of this influential woman. I found the constant references to this "absent" character a distraction from the main storyline to the point that it was so annoying that I would skim the passages relating to Kit's preoccupation with the past.

Kit's life converges with three women who move into the villa next door. Julia, Camille and Susan, two widows and a divorcee, met at a tour of a newly-opened 55 plus community. Rather than resigning themselves to retiring in such a structured environment, they decide to rent a villa in Tuscany for one year to explore and reinvent their lives. In the process, they discover and rediscover hidden aspects of themselves that were set side or ignored in the process of devoting themselves to family life. I thoroughly enjoyed their adventures.

This book was an arduous task to read for me. While I loved the descriptions of Italy, the food and the characters' relationships with the local villagers, I felt at times I was drowning in details that did nothing to move the storyline forward. This aspect, coupled with an overabundance of fragmented sentences, bogged down the pace of the book to such an extent that I wanted to quit reading several times.

Overall, I thought the character development was good and the basic storyline of the three women was quite entertaining - even inspiring. However, the author's writing style and the preoccupation with Kit's deceased mentor as an extraneous thread lead me to drop two stars in this review.

I totally agree with C. Staples, the book was poorly written. I expected it to be similar to "Tuscan Sun". Very disappointed. The characters were unclear and it was difficult to keep them straight. I even started a post it to keep the women as to who like what and who was divorced. Even when they got to Italy it was a little easier, until the end. They mentioned "Hugh", I thought who is Hugh? Had to go back to the beginning to find him.

Did not understand the reason for the bold print and Italian words (that didn't bother me, I could figure out what it meant). Just Why? Some sentences ran on - I thought no one edited this book! Very disappointed. I love Italy and would love to do what these women were able to accomplish.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing an e-galley of Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes in exchange for an honest review. Very rarely do I reach the end of a novel and wish it would go on for hundreds of pages. Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun, captures the imagination of the reader through exquisite language and with obvious love to describe the landscape, the history, the food, the wines, the architecture and the people of Tuscany. This is the story of three American older single women, Camille, Julia and Susan. They are in the process of assessing retirement communities in the US when, on a whim, they lease a villa in Tuscany for a year and move in together. They become friends with Kit, also an American expat, who happens to be their neighbor. The four women, while getting acquainted and becoming good friends, encourage each other to make the best of what Tuscany can teach them. The year will prove to be life-changing for all of them. By the end of the book, you will be in love with Tuscany and see it through the eyes of Kit, Camille, Julia and Susan. What a joy this book is. Women in Sunlight is a treasure to be re-read more than once and savoured over and over again.

Adored this book. Had just completed two heavy duty pulitzer prize winners, and this was a delightful respite.

Having been to Tuscany, Florence, Venice, Rome etc., I share the same joy and awe of the area. We stayed at a villa and time flew by.

The area descriptions cheered my heart, the art displayed and 'The Doors' project wished there were pictures. Found myself looking up recipes, locations, artists, writers and history...excellent.

Meals planned, harvested, friendships gave me new joy and inspiration.

The four stories and the adjacent characters kept me caring and interested. Wonderful bonding and friendship.

Am keeping this book as I know I will want to revisit.

I have several conflicting thoughts on this book but overall, have to give 4****. I found the beginning just too wordy, wanted the real story to start. I hung in there and finally, I got so interested what our women were going to do next that I was hooked. These are late middle aged women to me, since I'm 66. They have raised their kids, husbands have passed or at least not in the picture anymore..except for our narrator, Kit Raines, who is the writer who lives in the villa next door to the villa our 3 women lease for a year...Of discovery it turns out! Since I've been to Italy and have some Italian friends, this was so enchantingly descriptive! Pictures painted with words, real feelings exposed. The details of every food, places, meanings of Italian words, sometimes just got so in depth that it was bothersome. I felt like there were lovely details but carried to such a point that I had to slog through them that I started skimming in parts! I wanted more of our women, not really how to make paper..as intriguing as that may be to some people. Just carry on and you will be rewarded, also, you can learn a lot about foods and places to go ;p

A very lush and sensual novel, perhaps more memoir or even poetry than novel. The book is not so much plotted as themed. Susan, Julia, and Camille meet touring a retirement community. They bond, scrap the idea of the community and, instead, rent a villa in Italy. The book is full of colors, textures, tastes. Very vivid descriptions. Julia becomes involved with a man who gives wine and food tours of Italy. She learns to cook all things Italian. Susan takes up serious gardening, learning all about what grows, where and how. She completely restores the landscaping of the villa which has been recently ignored. Camille rediscovers her art and, surprisingly, finds success. The three women are befriended by a neighbor, also an American ex-pat, who observes and joins the group. A thoroughly engrossing book that I did not want to end. Francis Mayes has published eight books of poetry (I'll search those out) which is easy to see reflected in her prose.

Three strangers meet when they are touring an upscale retirement home. Two of the women are widows and one is a bit of a mystery at first, not offering up an explanation for why she is considering the retirement community. They become friends rather quickly and when one of them suggests that instead of moving into a home for old people waiting to die, they should instead rent a villa in Italy. While the plan makes the others a bit nervous, it also makes sense and sounds much more exciting than a retirement home. So they take the plunge and make arrangements to rent the The women arrive and meet several friendly and helpful neighbors, including an American woman named Kit and her British husband (boyfriend?). Kit narrates some of the chapters and I really wish she didn't. I also wish the author had left out the parts about the woman Kit is writing a book about, her deceased friend Margaret. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the book and the parts about her are far less interesting that the parts about the three older women who are determined to enjoy the rest of their lives instead of just suffering through it. There is also more than a little bit of sentimental business that gets boring. If the book had solely focused on the adventures and misadventures of the three women and what it's like to live in Italy as an ex-pat, I would have enjoyed it much more.

Frances Mayes provides another vicarious and wondrous trip to Italy within the pages of Women in Sunlight. Casting her characters as four women who have reached that middle stage of life and just beyond she delighted me, as a woman similarly aged, as I watched three of the women parry with their children over their living arrangements. The fourth woman was waited in the wings, already established in an Italian village.

The three American women meet while attending an introduction to a retirement facility. As they share their stories and find common lines being drawn between them, an idea germinates and is nurtured by their desire to go somewhere, to do something they've never done, and to live for a time as housemates.

The American trio happen upon a villa near the home of the fourth woman, a poet living with her partner. Quickly, she becomes a quasi tour guide, recipe sharer, cook, travel companion, and...well, that would give too much away about this character. The four women also find enjoyable independent pasttimes. Romance is almost inevitable while in Italy and so writes Frances Mayes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Perhaps part of me wished I was in the midst of the group, and yet my comfy chair, glass of wine, and book in hand at home was also a delightful way to travel.

I highly recommend this book to fans of Frances Mayes, travel to and in Italy, the boomer years, mid-life and beyond, and showing your family how to really live as you age.

If you read the promo blurbs above, you might think this novel is too good to be true. But it is simply wonderful. Years ago, I had read Mayes' "Tuscany" books & I loved the movie with Diane Ladd, so it was a long wait for this story. I love how it deals with baby boomers in their "third act," post-career, children, marriage, etc. Although they all have family issues to deal with back home, their "escape" to Italy is a kind of purification & release from agony. If you find contemporary novels tiresome in their stridency & obsession with controversy, this book will be a breath of fresh air. Is it a quick read? No, it's meant to be savored like a long, lingering Italian meal. Is it difficult to keep some of the characters straight? Perhaps, but that's a reflection of the new life & vivacious friends that embrace the three women. The narration by Kit, their middle-aged neighbor, keeps them grounded & dignified, as opposed to a comical variation on "The Golden Girls." So, dive into a great escape, perfect for summer & I double-dog dare you not to book a ticket for Italy when you've finished. And, yes, this would be a fantastic movie.

Frances Mayes is one of my favorite authors whether she is writing a memoir/autobiography or fiction. This is the story of a group of American women who bond when they bond in a Tuscan village in Italy over the course of a year. I loved Mayes' Under the Tuscan Sun and this book brings you back to the charm of a slower life in an area that is rich in history, flora, fauna and lovely people. The women become bound by their personal stories and as is common in Mayes' books--various foods and drinks. I love the poetry in Mayes' writing--she is lyrical, poetic and gets her points and story across with a language of poets and great writers.

Women in Sunlight contained a character arc I felt unnecessary. I picked up the book because of the premise, I was all in on the three women making the trip to Tuscany. I was fine with the outside narrator. There was another resident at the villa that I wasnt keen on hearing about, and Ms Mayes dedicated a lot of space to - Margaret. I might have cared about Margaret in her own short story or book, but I didnt think she contributed much to the novel. Other than that, I was splendidly wrapped up in Tuscany and I envied the women their adventures. To tell the truth I also envied their obviously generous disposable income. The ladies were enchanting, their journey entertaining, and I thank Frances Mayes for a lovely afternoon's read.

What a lovely, lyrical book! I admire the way Mayes is able to differentiate between the poetic first person voice (Poet Kit Raines) and the more prosaic third person which follows the three Americans. It was tough to keep Susan, Julia and Camille separate at first, though after a while they gelled as unique individuals. At first the author's tendency to jump in and out of characters' points of view was confusing, but eventually I gave in and let the voices mingle.

The story follows American ex-pats in Italy--namely three women over sixty (Camille, Julia, Susan) who spend their time exploring, eating, and sharing stories about their lives--and a younger forty-something ex-pat, Kit, who is an author and finds herself pregnant. She is friends with another author, Margaret.

The book is initially light reading, but then delves into dark issues like drug addiction, infidelity, grief and loss (the women are either separated or widowed, with the exception of Kit who is younger and has a boyfriend). Then one of the peripheral characters unexpectedly dies in the end in a particularly depressing way, which spoiled my enjoyment of the story--particularly as it looked like things were headed towards a full-on happy end, with one of the characters getting unexpectedly re-united with a long lost daughter, etc.

Overall, the story is character-driven rather than plot driven. As such, it is rather slow reading. However, if you salivate at the thought of living in Italy, you might enjoy all the descriptions. And if you're over sixty, you're likely to relate to the main characters, who are all sympathetic women. There wasn't an unlikeable character in the entire book. However, rather than staying exclusively light and breezy and despite the cheerful title, the story occasionally edges into darkness.

Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes is a book that will appeal to those who enjoy travel and learning about other cultures. The story has some wonderful elements that describe life in Tuscany and the concept is quite interesting. Unfortunately, there are just too many characters to keep track of in the novel, which distracts the reader from the main plot.

I love Italy and Frances Mayes writings. I must be honest, and say I had trouble following(with interest) the stories of these 3 retirement era women as they discover and settle into Italy with the help of a local, well-indulged, knowing host.

I've travelled to Italy with family, many times, prompted on by the writings of this author. (And Rick Steves) I've voraciously ripped through her books, fiction and non-fiction; cooked and decorated according to her suggestions and tips. The Diane Lane movie was so Hollywood, but at least they had the photography and setting right. Anyway, excited to see this new book; so-so about the story. Mi dispiace.

But... it's still Ms. Mayes writing about what she knows and loves with great descriptions and flair- the food, the culture, the ambiance and romantic backdrop of it all. That's what captures me and still to this day. 3 1/2*

Shallow women are never very interesting. Shallow women with deep pockets are even less so! You wanted so much more for the characters and the author. All that waiting for something to happen, that never did.

This was an excellent story of three older women who meet and become friends in an unexpected way. They decide to rent a house in Italy for a year together. This story is part travelogue and made me want to visit Italy even more than I already did. It was also a story about friendships and how lives can change when you least expect it. This is the first book that I have read by Frances Mayes and I really enjoyed it! I look forward to reading other books by this author.

Wordy, dry in places. Not nearly as enjoyable as Under the Tuscan Sun. I would never have thought they were written by the same person. The characters weren’t real to me or even likeable and I couldn’t visualize the Italian countryside or the villas. Just nothing appealing to me in this one.

You’ll love the women featured in this story - Susan, Camille, Julia and Kit - four Americans in Tuscany! Three of the women, having experienced death or divorce of a spouse, find themselves at an open house for an assisted living community, imagining their lives winding down. As they find themselves in a blossoming friendship their plans for their futures takes a transforming turn!
Wonderful book! I didn’t want it to end!

I live on Lake Gaston, and Frances Mayes lives very near me-well actually it is an hour away, but close enough. I look forward to every new book. And Women in Sunlight is perfect. I have identified each of her characters that are similar to friends of mine and now we all want to take a year in Italy. What a gift she has to tap into the psyche of southern women and play out their hopes, their fears and their dreams. Thank you Frances.

Pretend that you have plenty of money...
Pretend that you have three friends who want to escape to Italy with you....
Pretend that you are retired, have no ties and can do anything you want to....
NOW
Read about it and enjoy a really good Frances Mayes novel about being reasonably wealthy, with good friends and in good health and take off for Italy.
NOW---enjoy yourself while you escape

My book club certainly enjoyed reading a book choice that had a delightful plot. Many of the books we read are about dysfunctional families and people. This was a book to make you want to rush to Tuscany and enjoy the foo, wine and countryside.

A lovely story of women "of a certain age" coming of age. Is there a more romantic place to discover who you are than Tuscany? Food. Wine. Friendly locals. Awe-inspiring vistas.
This book will have you packing your bags.

Jesus Christ, what is this book even about? I listened for 20 minutes and then returned it. It’s like someone’s incoherent stream of consciousness rambling. Are there characters? Don’t bother is my advice.

Frances Mayes continues to evoke all of the charm of a Tuscany village and its inhabitants while completely developing 4 distinct main characters in a journey of friendship and unexpected new beginnings. Did not want it to end, but hope that Ms. Mayes is working on a sequel.

I did not think anyone could make Tuscany boring ,she does. More characters than a Russian novel none memorable. All the studlies names begin with C can’t differentiate. We women of certain age are hot too. shallow is good, too much shallow in her women

I loved the story of women reinventing themselves. The bonds of female friendship and the ways those friendships sustain us and help us to grow. I am in awe of the beauty and depth of the writing. A wonderful read in so many ways.

Could not get into this book. The story was awkward-didn’t like how it went from three southern women, a younger couple, and then interjected was this weird story about an author and her past. Just couldn’t relate.

I bought the audio version of this book and because it is iTunes I paid way too much for it...Usually this doesn't matter but this was such a disappointment I was so angry at myself for wasting the money. I loved Frances Mayes previous books another was nothing I could do to like Women in Sunlight....

Another wordy, mundane book by Frances Mayes. I keep hoping she will write a book I will enjoy but alas, not this one. I found it pretentious and shallow and enough about food already. Sorry I tried (again).

Thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing an e-galley of Women in Sunlight by Frances Mayes in exchange for an honest review. Very rarely do I reach the end of a novel and wish it would go on for hundreds of pages. Frances Mayes, the author of Under the Tuscan Sun, captures the imagination of the reader through exquisite language and with obvious love to describe the landscape, the history, the food, the wines, the architecture and the people of Tuscany. This is the story of three American older single women, Camille, Julia and Susan. They are in the process of assessing retirement communities in the US when, on a whim, they lease a villa in Tuscany for a year and move in together. They become friends with Kit, also an American expat, who happens to be their neighbor. The four women, while getting acquainted and becoming good friends, encourage each other to make the best of what Tuscany can teach them. The year will prove to be life-changing for all of them. By the end of the book, you will be in love with Tuscany and see it through the eyes of Kit, Camille, Julia and Susan. What a joy this book is. Women in Sunlight is a treasure to be re-read more than once and savoured over and over again.

I discovered Frances Mayes' work with "Under the Tuscan Sun." I remember while reading it thinking how poetic her writing was - not knowing she is, in fact, a poet. "Women in Sunlight" brings me right back to the Frances Mayes I fell in love with way back then. It's a lovely, lovely story written so beautifully you'll want to pause and savor certain words, phrases, and scenes. Highly recommended!
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