A Tuscan Childhood

by Kinta Beevor

Book Overview

The sparkling memoir of an idyllic, bohemian childhood in an enchanted Tuscan castle between World War I and World War II.

When Kinta Beeevor was five, her father, the painter Aubrey Waterfield, bought the sixteenth-century Fortezza della Brunella in the Tuscan village of Aulla. There her parents were part of a vibrant artistic community that included Aldous Huxley, Bernard Berenson, and D. H. Lawrence. Meanwhile, Kinta and her brother...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375704264
• ISBN13: 9780375704260
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Wonderful book

Kinta Beevor, author of only this book, comes from a family of writers, including her son, the reknown author, Antony Beevor. It must be a genetic feature that families produce wonderful writers. She draws you into her world, like a welcoming friend. You will experience historic events and the world as it was in Tuscany in the 19th century and the early 20th century. You will get to know many of the distinguished and famous persons who visited the Waterfields and best of all, you will become acquainted with "Aunt Janet", the famous English writer, Janet Ross.I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Tuscany and in warm and inviting family experiences and how they are influenced by world events.

A delightful & magicial read

I have read so many different books already in my life, and I don't think I will ever be able to choose one as my favorite but this novel is way up there. Kinta Beevor for this being her only book, did an excellent job writing it. I was never bored once, and just kept turning page after page for more as it was so enthralling and in one word, great. It was so interesting to read about early 20th century life in Italy from an upperclass English person. It starts in 1916 when WWI is ocurring, Kinta and her brother playing with the Italian soldiers that are at the castle to defend it, and look for the Austrians, and ends in the late 20th century, when Kinta has lead a full life, and seen so much from her Italian years. It's just plain wonderful

Delightful and charming

I found this autobiographical account of childhood refreshing and uplifting, but then I AM prejudiced - I had a close Italian friend, who was married to an Austrian, but who unfortunately has returned to Italy now. A more charming and faithful couple I have never come across.The numerous black-and-white photographs illustrated the text well, as did a number of drawings of countryside, architecture and people. However, I would have liked there to have been a glossary of Italian expressions and an index of people and place names. I found it necessary to scan through the text a number of times in search of previous references to the same character.

MEMORIES OF A GARDEN IN THE SKY

GIST: A high-society British family resides in a castle in Italy at the beginning of the twentieth century. Written by the late Kinta Beevor (whoever SHE was). HAMMOCK-TIME: You'll need several days' rest in your hammock, or beach chair to finish it. Some sections are sluggish. Yet the insightful characterization of people, countryside, and events is a potent incentive to finish the book. SKIMMING QUOTIENT: You might easily skip a section towards the end, an overemphasized recollection of the author's jaded coming-of-age society years. STYLE: Interesting blend of the stiff British upper-lip attitude and subtle, dry humor, with a more down-to-earth vulnerability gained, as if by osmosis, from the Italian staff members whom Ms. Beevor befriended. SUBSTANCE: Intriguing, at times, humorous exploration of a childhood in Italy, as part of an expatriate British family. My favorite passages center on a roof-garden, that became an idyllic retreat for the family and their guests. QUIBBLES: Is there anyone the author or her relatives didn't know, in high society during those early eras of the century? The name-dropping gets a bit much, but does not really affect the overall charm of the book. BROWNIE POINTS: I was happy to see that Ms. Beevor engages only rarely in patronizing behaviour towards Italians. She seems to enjoy learning from them, absorbing their knowledge of the land. It's a surprising feat, viewed against the aloofness that the rest of her family, and the rigid social class in which she is reared, displays. As an Italian-American, I find her attitudes refreshing. Sometimes I worry about Italy: all these rich foreignors settling, usually in Tuscany, where they are squeamish about the food, the art, the social structure, the Italianness (horrors!) of natives of Italy. Haven't we read enough books by that sort? COMPLEMENTARY BOOKS: There's a current barrel of books on Tuscany. Perhaps you might approach the region from a different angle. Try exploring one book entitled, Tuscany: The Beautiful Cookbook, which displays memorable photos and recipes. Logistically, it's a huge book, reminiscent of how delightfully big our books seemed to us as children, in managing the pages. The dishes outlined are intriguing - every one I tried turned out delicious so far, although it's a chore stuffing those closed-petal squash blossoms (yes, stuffing them). # # #