🌄Not really what I expected😕

3.5🌟stars
I loved the idea of following the author and her husband on a month tour of the sights, sounds and tastes of Italy top to toe. But I can't really figure out the main theme of this book. It goes in so many directions. It's a bit of enjoying Italian community life, both day-to-day and special events; a good bit of traditional guidebook travelogue (with mind-numbing specificity and length on some subjects); a description of mouthwatering sampling of regional Italian cuisine; a recounting of "horrors of touring" anecdotes; and some philosophizing along the way. Then the epilogue went off in a new direction about learning from previous generations and their hard knock experiences (I agree wholeheartedly but it did not really work for me as an ending for this book). Overall I felt it lacked a strong, unifying core and I tended to skim at times.

Did I learn something from my reading experience? Yes, but not as much as I had hoped because I glazed over when the descriptions got too academic and long. And the travel story is set in the late 1990's so it is a bit dated for a 2021 publication.

Thanks to She Writes Press and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

I'm finding myself more and more taken with the author's books. The first two I read took me to France, in search of good food, good conversation, and good historical perspectives. With this being the third book of hers that I have read, it feels like she has become a friend, and that I am traveling along with her. This time to my favorite European country, Italy!
Once again, she does not disappoint. It's great to tag along with her and experience a whole range of adventure. And, at a time when I cannot travel myself due to Covid, this becomes an even more valuable escape!
Looking forward to her next book!

If I solely base my thoughts on the title, the book didn’t contain nearly enough about the culinary pleasures one finds in Italy.

A September to Remember: Searching for Culinary Pleasures at the Italian Table is a quick read. The title isn’t indicative of what the main content of the book is -- history and the psyche of the collective Mediterranean people. While there is mention of the food, I expected to read more about the history of the dishes, as opposed to the history of the physical region they were in at the time.

The lengthier description of the book rings truer to its chief content -- meeting people along the way, exploring the regions, and discussing the psyche of the Mediterranean people.

A quick read, an enjoyable read. I wish there was more information on the culinary specialties mentioned and their history.

Good for people who enjoy regional history, armchair traveling and travel writing. Cooks will be pleased with the recipes at the back of the book.

Thank you, Netgalley and She Writes Press, for the opportunity to read this ARC. These thoughts are my own.

Another fabulous trip with the author and her husband. Win full of energy fun and large appetites. Following them to all the feasts whether they are fed by new friends they make along the way or the restaurants they go to.daily.Each one of their books has been full of fun adventures. Joy.Their travels make want to pack up and follow in their footsteps highly recommend this warm lively fseries.

Having spent a few weeks on a similar trip last year, I thought this would be a fun read to reminisce about. I enjoyed reliving some of our experiences and laughing at the confusion they experienced when it came to traveling by train. Though we did not make it to Tuscany, it was fun to read through their time in Poderi and the fun people they met throughout their trip.

I so wanted to visit Italy in the near future, but COVID put a kibosh to that. Yet miracles of miracles, I got an ARC for A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER, veteran travel writer Carole Bumpus’ third book in her marvelous Savoring the Olde Ways’ series. This time she focuses on Italia and the areas she visits made me swoon: The Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Milan, Firenze (Florence), Pompeii, Roma — from the North to the “Boot.” She so lovingly describes the food, wine, landscape, and architecture, that this armchair traveler felt sated. Now please excuse me. More chapters await, along with my grappa and saltimbocca alla Romana. Salute!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 27 Apr 2021
#SeptembertoRemember #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, She Writes Press, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.