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The actor Michael Tucker and his wife, the actress Jill Eikenberry, having sent their last child off to college, were vacationing in Italy when they happened upon a small cottage nestled in the Umbrian countryside. The three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Rustico sat perched on a hill in the verdant Spoleto valley amid an olive grove and fruit trees of every kind. For the Tuckers, it was literally love at first sight, and the couple purchased the house without testing the water pressure or checking for signs of termites. Shedding the vestiges of their American life, Michael and Jill endeavored to learn the language, understand the nuances of Italian culture, and build a home in this new chapter of their lives. Both a celebration of a good marriage and a careful study of the nature of home, Living in a Foreign Language is a gorgeous, organic travelogue written with an epicurean’s delight in detail and a gourmand’s appreciation for all things fine.
Rob Cooper is a Test Lead on the Access team at Microsoft. He started at Microsoft as a support engineer in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1998 and joined the Access 2003 test team in Redmond in 2001. During the Access 2007 release, he led the security efforts across the test team and worked on several new features including disabled mode, database encryption, Office Trust Center, and sorting, grouping, and totals. Rob also led efforts around the Access object model and continues to provide direction around programmability and security in Access.
Anonymous
Posted Sat Apr 28 00:00:00 EDT 2012
Mr. Tucker's smarmy attitude and style of writing made this intolerable. There are much better travelogues out there, save your money!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Mon Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2012
I felt like the author was a bit arrogant. I couldn't even finish the book.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.As much a travel essay as a food essay. I enjoyed this book and it's surrounding countryside. A reminder to stop and enjoy the world around you.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.dolcevita10
Posted Thu Feb 17 00:00:00 EST 2011
I loved every minute of this book and did not want it to end. It made me want to back to Italy everytime they were going back! They truly are living the dolce vita. Great couple and great friends enjoying life. The detail in this book was excellent and you could picture every minute of it. It leaves you wanting more.......
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Betts44
Posted Sat Jan 09 00:00:00 EST 2010
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As the Tuckers soon found out, living in Italy can be enchanting, deceptively so! It seems that people who are proud of their culture want to share what they have. I use the word 'deceptive' because Michael and Jill had no intention of buying a house when they went to Italy. The more they looked and visited, they more they liked what they saw and experienced.
One of the reasons all this was so interesting to me was that about twenty something years ago, my husband, myself, and two children spent 2 1/2 years in Italy compliments of the United States Air Force. We lived off base for most of the time, and so got to know neighbors and shopkeepers. The less people had, the more they shared.
When another culture is shared, one on one, more is learned and more is shared.
The Tuckers had their share of culture shock, but learned to live with it.
I would recommend this book to those who have been to Italy and those who have not. I warn you, thogh; it's hard to put the book down once you start reading!
travelreads
Posted Sun Aug 23 00:00:00 EDT 2009
It is an easy read. Good for a flight or beach. Always fun to travel through someones adventures.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book is about what many who have traveled wish to do, but the lucky make a reality. It is an entertaining journey through life and Italy with many comical and poignant reflections. I would like to be packed in their suitcase and left in a spare bedroom. I indulged in their meals, banter and also felt fulfilled. Thankfully I have Italian friends who help to make this a mini reality, but then have to return back to the states after my all too short 10 day vacation.
Buy this for a friend who enjoys food and Italy or read at book club and talk about the what ifs.
Oh, and don't be worried about the couple of "f" words used, it was never meant to be offensive and more commonly expressed depending upon where you have lived.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted Sat Jun 13 00:00:00 EDT 2009
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I was just browsing in Barnes and Noble when I spotted this book on a display table. I was curious so I read some before deciding to buy it. I remember Michael Tucker and his wife Jill from L.A.Law and wondered what had happened to them. His descriptions of scenery and food are amazing! I especially loved his account of going to a gym in Italy because Jill thought he was indulging in food too much(man, could this guy eat!). The only minus for me is the use of the f word which I think is totally unnecessary but which appears throughout the book. I read travel memoirs such as this one because I don't travel much myself, but, in spite of the use of that ugly word, it was a very enjoyable read!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This is a very engaging book. I wasn't particulary a fan of this "LA Law" couple but picked it up because I love to escape by reading travel journals. This is a great escape for anyone who ever wanted to pack up and move to another country just because they could! Michael Tucker is a very entertaining writer and I hope to see more from him soon.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This brought me right back to the fourteen days I was in Italy . I could visualize exactly what Michael was writing about. Loved this book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.marybWV
Posted Mon Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2008
This is a delightful book. The descriptions of the Italian countryside, the local people and the fabulous recipes make one want to book a trip to Italy ASAP. Michael Tucker and his wife Jill purchase a 350 year old cottage in Umbria and quickly become a part of the local lifestyle, including pizza parties and pasta with plenty of great wines. The personal side of Michael Tucker and his wife is touching. <BR/><BR/>The writing style is humerous and easy to read. A witty, fun book that I recommend highly.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
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Overview
The actor Michael Tucker and his wife, the actress Jill Eikenberry, having sent their last child off to college, were vacationing in Italy when they happened upon a small cottage nestled in the Umbrian countryside. The three-hundred-and-fifty-year-old Rustico sat perched on a hill in the verdant Spoleto valley amid an olive grove and fruit trees of every kind. For the Tuckers, it was literally love at first sight, and the couple purchased the house without testing the water pressure or checking for signs of ...