A Place in the World: Finding the Meaning of Home

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars | 303 ratings

Price: 15.75

Last update: 12-26-2024


About this item

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A lyrical and evocative collection of personal stories from the author of Under the Tuscan Sun, in which the queen of wanderlust reflects on the comforts of home.

“Personal, warm, and lovely . . . a charming read. The book feels like a warm conversation with your most thoughtful, curious friend.”—Garden & Gun

LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD VERANDA BOOK CLUB PICK

“Where you are is who you are.”

Though Frances Mayes is known for her travels, she has always sought a sense of home wherever she goes. In this poetic testament to the power of place in our lives, Mayes reflects on the idea of home, from the earliest imprint of four walls to the startling discoveries of feeling the strange ease of homes abroad, friends’ homes, and even momentary homes that spark desires for other lives. From her travels across Italy to the American South, France, and Mexico, Mayes examines the connective tissue among them through the homes she’s inhabited.

A Place in the World explores Mayes’s passion for and obsession with houses and the objects that inhabit them—books, rich food, gardens, beloved friends, and transportive art. The indelible marks that each refuge has left on her and how each home influenced the next serve as the foundations of the book’s chapters.

Written in Mayes’s signature intimate style, A Place in the World captures the adventure of moving on while seeking comfort in the cornerstone closest to all of us—home.


Top reviews from the United States

  • None
    5.0 out of 5 stars One of Her Best!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2022
    As awesome read for anyone that loves Frances Mayes...and a great introduction to her if this is your first! Although the book has nothing to do with the pandemic...it has everything to do with finding and identifying our own place or places as Home! And that has everything to do with the timelessness of this book. As the world begins to reopen and we begin to redefine who we are; what we are; where we are Frances Mayes becomes best friend, guide, mentor to how she defines Home and helps you identify the post pandemic world for each of us. And it has recipes!!!
  • Anne
    4.0 out of 5 stars I love her writing
    Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023
    I have most of her previous books. This one her descriptions of gardens etc. almost became a little James Michener ish. I felt like stop the descriptives and get on with the story....LOL But then again, that is what made Micener such a famous writer.
  • Bonny
    5.0 out of 5 stars Frances never disappoints!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2022
    What a joyful read this is! I will read everything Frances Mayes writes, because her writing makes me feel like I am along for the ride. Like we would be great friends if we met. Reading this and her other books are a great way to travel, if only in your mind.
  • rebecca climer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful read.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
    A series of essays on what home can mean and how people create it. I know I’ve loved a book when there are notes in the margins.
  • John Blaine
    3.0 out of 5 stars A very gentle read
    Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024
    It was remarkable how many places, people, events the author was able to remember as being part of her journey to "home." Seemed like a very full, perhaps at times, frenetic life. Enjoyable if not enthralling.
  • Sandy Capella
    5.0 out of 5 stars Frances Mayes' newest book
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2022
    I read it through the night I got it and it was wonderful. The way she writes is beautiful; you can imagine everything clearly.
  • Carol MacGregor
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2022
    I enjoy reading about travel, food, friendships and these are always included in Frances Mayes books. This one was filled with many recipes that I know I will try. As an armchair traveller I have enjoyed this very much.
  • Carla Tenret
    5.0 out of 5 stars It is wonderful book
    Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2022
    It is one of those books that everyone needs in their library

    • Best Sellers in

     
     

    Greater Than a Tourist - Milwaukee Wisconsin USA: 50 Travel Tips from a Local

    3 3 out of 5 stars 1
    6.08
     
     

    Human Types

    0 0 out of 5 stars 0
    13.08
     
     

    Greater Than a Tourist - Alaska USA: 50 Travel Tips from a Local

    4 4 out of 5 stars 5
    6.08
     
     

    A Woman in the Polar Night

    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 395
    15.3
     
     

    Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War

    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1904
    19.69
     
     

    Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches

    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1961
    13.78
     
     

    The Peregrine

    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 256
    22.86
     
     

    The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country

    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 34
    17.5