Ripe for the Picking

Love this author and her life

Annie Hawes' stories of her life in Italy are by the far the most down-to-earth and real and interesting of any that I've ever read. If you've never encounted Hawes, please have a look at "Extra Virgin" and work your way over here. Hawes doesn't patronize the people that she writes about, she loves and understands them, and, with time, the reader does too. She is by far the best guide to the real Italy and real Italians that I have encountered. And she's darn funny!

As a follow up to her first book Extra Virgin which I found delightful, i was even more entertained by Ripe for the Picking.Ilaughed myself to tears in parts. I was impressed by her descriptions of the italian people she had introduced to us in her first book and allowed the reader to get to know them intimantly.It is by far much more informative about the people in these villages than the other books around, such as Under the Tuscan Sun, which focuses more on the authors lifestyle than on the people around her.Hope to get another follow up book from this author soon.