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At Least You’re in Tuscany: A Somewhat Disastrous Quest for the Sweet Life

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  1. The dream of living in Italy and Tuscany in particular is intriguing. But it is not an easy trip. Jennifer tells it like it is, a challenging trip with many rewards coupled with many pit falls. Filled with the Italian words you do not get in Under The Tuscan Sun, this is a real life story. Not to be missed!

  3. Enjoyed reading about Tuscany since I had traveled there myself several years ago. The villages, the food, etc. However, I was very surprised at the lack of preparation for the author’s move to Tuscany. Research what it takes to travel with your beloved dog to assure you will get into the country, but take no funds with you to cover at least 6 months or more until you’re able to get employment? Her move was to become a writer, and yet throughout the book, when she is desperately trying to find work and wondering what to do to fill her time, she never mentions doing any writing. No articles submitted to magazines? No mention of "…now working on chapter 12 of my book, how lucky am I to have this time to write" I believe her first year there would have been less stressful with more research prior to her leaving USA, too bad she hadn’t spoken to a financial adviser…or maybe a lawyer…oh wait, she was a lawyer. A fair book about a poorly planned move to a charming country.

  4. Naive American woman late thirties w lg dog, minimal Italian language, very little funds, goes to live in montepulciano. Has affair w married local green grocer… cries a lot. For goodness sake! Don’t give up your babysitting job!!

  5. Just what I needed to escape from my troubles! This was like a trip to Italy. Nice easy writing style makes you feel like you were there. I’ll have to look for her other books

  6. I enjoyed reading about the adventures of being in a country she had chosen through many hard lessons and her amazing resilence. I appreciated the adventurous part and reality of trying to become a citizen and discovering the ups and downs of being in a different culture. However, I found it hard to understand why someone would plan to be a citizen in another country with what seemed to me …very little planning AND she had not saved much money!

  7. I really liked this book; I just finished reading it before I took a trip to Tuscany this past May! I thought about it while I was in Montepulcino, a very nice, quaint, town. The writer had a good sense of humor and reading the book was just like talking to her. Bought by Anne Fledderman, not Robert.

  9. I enjoyed this book, but not as much as Under the Tuscan Sun. I would love to do what these two women have done!

  10. Reading this book brought back lots of fond memories of my trip to Tuscany – unfortunately even the saltless bread they are known for. Enjoyable read and thankful for an honest experience Jennifer wrote about. Life’s never easy, but at least you’re in Tuscany!

  11. The frank account of a women in love with the challenge of reaching her goals and obtaining Italian citizenship to live the life she so righteously desired. She honestly portrayed the essence of daily life in Tuscany and captured the spirit of its inhabitants. The book was an easy read and I looked forward to picking it up each day to delve into life in Montepulciano. Can’t wait for the next book!

  12. A beautifully written and honest account of Jennifer’s relocation to Tuscany. It was fun to read, especially after just having been there. It is an entertaining, but poignant, account of a difficult transition to another way of life. I highly recommend it.

  13. All the emotions involved in such a drastic life experience made for captivating reading.

  14. There is just something about the tone of the book that I found off-putting. Maybe another chapter that once the work authorization had been obtained things turned around might have made the book more enjoyable. I guess it just did not have as many up sides as it did down sides or the up sides seemed to each have an attached down side. From the title I expected something lighter.

  15. An honest accounting of what it would be iike to pack up and move to Italy. Hope Jennifer is still happy.

  16. Easy reading and fun to imagine her life as it emerged. Would have liked her to offer advice to visitors.

  17. I chose this book because I am interested in reading and learning about my Italian heritage. My grandparents are from Tuscany. Loved the humor and insight into the Italian culture.

  18. Lovely story, beautiful writing. Finally a story about moving to another country merging the fantasy with the real challenges of language and finding a job

  19. I enjoyed this book and the authors candor , though the writing and story is a bit bumpy . I can invision Ms.Criswell’s writing improving in time .

  20. I really liked the way Italian ways are explained and the way their customs pass on through their families.
    The town gossip vine seems a very big part of their everyday lives. Makes a new meaning for keep an eye on those around you.

  22. This is a pleasant story that meanders through getting settled in Tuscany. It has humour and lovely descriptions of the environment and the people.

  23. Well-written. I enjoyed the book because the author was able to express how she was "feeling" about everything that was going on, as opposed to just "listing the facts".

  27. After a recent trip to Italy and after meeting the author, I had to read this book! It didn’t disappoint!

  28. I have always wanted to go to Italy and I enjoy books that bring it to life for me. Criswell shares a delectable pleasure of a story, painting a beautiful panoramic snap shot of the people, the food, the wine, the spirit, the politics, and the geography of just one little romantic small town in Tuscany. It also makes you think of the things that you fall in love with and although imperfect and broken, at least you have it and at least you do not have all the other things that could make it worse!

    Highly recommend this read for other dreamers and travelers like me!

  29. Excellent. Fun. Entertaining. Realistic. I lived and worked in Italy, and this young lady’s experiences seemed very realistic. She was able to capture the challenges of an ex pat living in Italy, but with an excellent sense of humor and attitude. I highly recommend.

  30. I had the pleasure of meeting this author who gave us a tour and tasting at Poliziano winery. She was a fabulous tour guide, and I’m pleased to say also a very entertaining writer. I downloaded her book before we flew home, and it made my 10 hour flight very enjoyable (well, as enjoyable as a 10-hour transatlantic flight can be). Having just been to most of the locales she writes about made her book come alive for me, but even if you haven’t been there, you will still have a blast reading all about her "avventura". Her wit and sense of humor in the face of the obstacles thrown in her path made this book not just another boring memoir. This is a fast read that will leave you wanting to hear more of her stories.

  31. Having had the same dream as Jenny, I read with voracious appetite all of the book before putting it down! I was totally smitten with the honesty with which she told of her experiences. Her ability to capture the reader lies in her ability to write with such specific detail that the words put YOU there with her. I gained great insight and came to understand why my annual longterm visits to Tuscany had netted me zero friends….the people are warm and friendly to Americans with money in the pockets….but they never warm up enough to invite you to dinner! She is dead on in her description. I loved walking the streets with her, meeting the people…completely caught up in her experiences….I highly recommend her book. I bought her book after meeting her for a second year at the winery in Montepulciano..I sought her out to tell her how much I LOVED the book!!!

  32. A friend and I were traveling through Tuscany and actually met Jenny at a wine tasting in Montelpulciano. Her story was so inspiring I had to order her book to read more about her experience. What I love about this book is the journey she takes you on from start to finish on going after your dreams. At times you can almost feel some of the stress she endured but remember to celebrate the small victories as well. It serves as a constant reminder that’s it’s never too late to follow your dreams. Thank you Jenny for sharing your story. Best of luck to you!

  33. Very well-written memoir about an American woman who relocates permanently to the hilltown of Montepulciano in Italy. Not your typical old Italian house remodel story with all of its problems but, instead, a delightful, charming tale about the first year of daily life as a straniera (stranger) who see herself as an Italian (in training). Very enjoyable.

  35. This is the most realistic book that I have read about living in Tuscany. Jennifer does not \\” sugar coat\\” the lifestyle like so many of the books do.

  36. Realy enjoyed this book. The writer is a second generation Italian who wants to find her roots in Tuscany. She is a querky full of personality and grit girl who takes off half way round the world to live and love in Tuscany. We share with her the trials and tribulations of her experience and the friends she made. You have to admire her for her bravery as she paints the Tuscan hill village and and the vinevards all around her lovenly.

  37. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Ms. Criswell’s writing and sense of humor combine to make a memoir I would highly recommend. Although her move to a new country was not easy, there is a positivity that radiates through this book. I hope she writes another book so we can find out what happened next!

  39. This book has a beautiful cover which really caught my eye. It is wonderfully presented, the attention to detail really makes a difference. I Love the fancy font in the title page, great presentation, even in the acknowledgments. In so many books, I’ve seen mistakes this early on and it doesn’t bode well, in this one though, excellent. The book begins where she’s been, this past five months, in Italy, without work and some sort of humiliation has happened. A great first chapter which pulls you straight in. A good concise writing style, you can get exactly what’s going on, no waffle. It then moves to telling of ten years earlier, where she is on holiday here and she’s spent a few weeks traveling Italy. Some beautiful descriptions of the surroundings and the atmosphere, a joy to read. Jennifer kept a journal at this time. She even had ideas for a possible novel she may write some day. She is a lawyer at the moment on this trip to Italy ten years ago. So much information about her even at this early stage. After this holiday, ten years ago, she vowed she will be back and she wants to write stories, not be a lawyer. Eventually, along with her faithful companion, a Weimaraner dog called Cinder, without a plan and without much money she moved to live here. Jennifer details her ideas how her dream will all be, then she tells us that it didn’t work out that way. No money, had to live on a lot of Tuna as she couldn’t afford much else. Working conditions, landlords. Interesting and intriguing-she says she hasn’t considered that her personal life would become the talk of the town so this certainly gets you wondering and needing to read on. Jennifer’s arrival at her new home is marred by Luciana, her landlady being very difficult and something of a money grabber. I don’t know much Italian-apart from musical terms that is, so I was having to keep looking up the occasional Italian word, just to get the full feel of the book rather than to skip over them. It would be helpful to people like me to perhaps include the English meaning in brackets? Sometimes the translations are in brackets afterwards, then they aren’t, I would have liked there to be some consistency with these. The answers are there why she feels such a connection with Italy-both her Great Grandfathers came from Sicily and she had an Italian Grandmother too. Soon, there is the first mention of the title of sorts-‘At least I was homesick in Tuscany’- and I like this technique-word all in capitals for emphasis-‘THUNK’. An amusing catalogue of disasters on attempting to have a shower! Describing the first morning in Italy-the nature through the window, lovely writing, this sets the scene beautifully. I also enjoyed the writing about the food, bursting with enthusiasm for the different tastes. A comical conclusion to a chapter with a word Stefano used which she didn’t know. A bit about the history of Montepulciano and how it is an unspoiled part, she describes it as ‘authentic’, not really any English spoken, restaurant menus only in Italian. How quaint the town seems. She tells of the town being famous for it’s Pecarino cheese which is made of exe’s milk, local wines etc and created beautiful pictures in my mind of the foods. Very tasty writing! Amusing quote re dog odour! She starts losing some confidence with her failed attempts to converse with the locals, it’s not turning out as she hoped. But she’s determined, she just keeps soldiering on, knowing she will get better at it. Not seen her friends as much as she’d hoped; she thought they would be socialising quite a lot, but she seems to forget that they aren’t on a permanent holiday and they have to work, it’s different living there. She has no car so she can’t just pop out and tootle off to see them either. ‘At least you’re in Tuscany’-the mantra she keeps repeating to herself to get her through this until she gets settled-reinforces what a great title the book has. At market day, she meets the irresistible Salvatore. He appears to be married, his wife is in Sicily- this is what Marinella tells Jennifer anyway. This was the point that I became really gripped and thought -this could be getting very interesting now! She has problems sorting out her Residency and Citizenship, this all adds to her hopes and dreams being less than she thought. With her Residency sorted, she is looking to find some work like in a restaurant for example. We learn about the customs, as mentioned before, the haggling at markets, yet it’s a no no to do that for fruit and veg and, in this example, it’s customary to stand up? in the bar to eat her brioche and have coffee. She immerses herself in local life and checks out the Language school. She’s going to be having private lessons 5 days a week so it’s quite an intensive start. Little comical addition to the end of the some chapters, for instance, to relieve the stress as telling of her problems; not going to be able to work legitimately until her Citizenship comes through. A bit of suspense in the book, as, a few hunks introduced and you think, this is the one she will start seeing, then it’s not him, then another handsome one appears, is it going to be this one? etc. A wonderfully presented book. I like the little images of bunches of grapes at the start of each chapter and the artwork around each ‘part heading.’ Nice, quirky humorous style, many quotes in the book which made me smile. Baking is a passion for her, she has been baking cakes and sweets and wonders about the possibility of doing this as a side-line business. She’s wondering more and more if she could actually make a go of it as a business. Impeccable timing by this author, she keeps you wondering which of the men she’s going to fall for, then you think this is the one and then things move on and you were wrong, but she knows just how long to keep you wondering without leaving it too long. The months move on and we have Hospital and Vet appointments-and money running low which results in Christmas on a shoestring. She battles on. So, her first year living in Tuscany. It had been quite hard but she loves it and it’s where she wants to be. She’s content and the adventure continues-hopefully in a book two!s to be married, his wife is in Sicily- this is what Marinella tells Jennifer anyway. This was the point that I became really gripped and thought -this could be getting very interesting now! She has problems sorting out her Residency and Citizenship, this all adds to her hopes and dreams being less than she thought. With her Residency sorted, she is looking to find some work like in a restaurant for example. We learn about the customs, as mentioned before, the haggling at markets, yet it’s a no no to do that for fruit and veg and, in this example, it’s customary to stand up? in the bar to eat her brioche and have coffee. She immerses herself in local life and checks out the Language school. She’s going to be having private lessons 5 days a week so it’s quite an intensive start. Little comical addition to the end of the some chapters, for instance, to relieve the stress as telling of her problems; not going to be able to work legitimately until her Citizenship comes through. A bit of suspense in the book, as, a few hunks introduced and you think, this is the one she will start seeing, then it’s not him, then another handsome one appears, is it going to be this one? etc. A wonderfully presented book. I like the little images of bunches of grapes at the start of each chapter and the artwork around each ‘part heading.’ Nice, quirky humorous style, many quotes in the book which made me smile. Baking is a passion for her, she has been baking cakes and sweets and wonders about the possibility of doing this as a side-line business. She’s wondering more and more if she could actually make a go of it as a business. Impeccable timing by this author, she keeps you wondering which of the men she’s going to fall for, then you think this is the one and then things move on and you were wrong, but she knows just how long to keep you wondering without leaving it too long. The months move on and we have Hospital and Vet appointments-and money running low which results in Christmas ona shoestring. She battles on. So, her first year living in Tuscany. It had been quite hard but she loves it and it’s where she wants to be. She’s content and the adventure continues-hopefully in a book two!

  40. I enjoyed the book because I was in Tuscany last spring so it has some specific meaning to me. I felt it needed to be a little bit longer though to tell us more about how the rest of her time there went.

  41. This is a delightful story of an American lawyer of Italian origin, leaving her life in New York, to live her dream of living in Tuscany, Italy.

    The book is really about the clash of dream with reality. Dream is of leisurely Tuscany mornings, sipping italian coffee, enjoying Tuscany mountains and writing: and reality is no job, financial hardship, manual labor picking grapes, torrid affairs with Italian men, being embroiled in town gossip, cold spring with no heat in the house, lack of conveniences like shower, washer and dryer and dealing with Italian bureaucracy.

    Jennifer Criswell is a good writer, her prose flows well and hopefully she has or will make enough money from this book that she can live her Italian dream.

  42. You know it’s a good read when you look forward to going to bed so that you can continue reading it and when you don’t want the book to end because you are enjoying it so much. I thoroughly enjoyed Jennifer’s style of writing…..how she painted each scene for me and I really appreciated her sense of humor. I found myself chuckling to myself several times as she maneuvered her way around difficult situations and I could relate to some of the circumstances in which she found herself. I just hope that this is just the first of many books that Jennifer will write.

  43. AT LEAST YOURE IN TUSCANY. BY JENNIFER CRISWELL
    It takes a great deal of courage to uproot yourself from the cosmopolitan New York and, accompanied only by an elderly dog, attempt to settle in a Tuscan village and become an Italian. With only a very limited knowledge of the language, but guts in abundance, and some inherited Italian genes, Jennifer is determined to settle in Tuscany and write a best selling novel.
    Her trials and tribulations with lack of money, the difficulty in finding paid employment and the Italian bureaucracy, might deter a lesser soul, but the peace and charm of Tuscany shine on every page and it is easy to understand why she wanted so much to become a part of it. I’ve never been to Tuscany, but now I want to see it for myself.

  44. Jennifer’s life portrayal during her first year plus in Italy was so true to life that I had a hard time putting it down. It was a great read, a thorough portrayal of how lovely the Italian people can be as well as the harsh realities of a foreigner trying to assimilate and live in a foreign country. My hats off to Jennifer for writing this book and for sticking it out. I can’t wait to read her second book, when it is published.

  45. This book is especially great for a single woman. She is in her late 30’s and starting a new life. I is funny, heartwarming and makes you feel like you can do whatever you want with your life. It gives you strength in your own life.

  46. Enjoyed the author’s openness.
    The story was interesting and funny. The difficulties did not stop her from continuing her journey.

  47. I met Jenny at Poliziano winery in Montepulciano and listened to some of her stories. Reading the book brought back the warmth and beauty of the Italian countryside. I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting Tuscany.

  48. I truly enjoyed this book due to the writing. I loved the story, the environment and the people she encountered. I can’t wait for her next book!

  49. This describes a year in the life of a 39 year old woman. She decided to live her dream of moving to Italy from NYC. She chooses a small town in Tuscany. This book describes the ups and downs of her first year of residence in Italy. This would be a great book for Italy lovers to read and for anyone who has given any thought of moving to Italy.

  50. It was really fun to read about the realities of moving and living in Tuscany Italy. Jennifer’s humor is terrific as is her writing. It’s refreshing to hear what its "really" like to try and live a dream in a foreign country. I cannot wait for the next book!

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