A House in Sicily
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Book Overview
The captivating memoir of a resourceful woman who started life anew in the "most beautiful house in Sicily"
For fifty years, at Casa Cuseni in the small Sicilian town of Taormina, Daphne Phelps has extended her English charm and warm hospitality to seasoned travelers and professional escapists as well as to writers and artists like Tennessee Williams, Bertrand Russell, Henry Faulkner, and Roald Dahl. This memoir tells their story, and hers.
It begins in 1947 when, thirty-four years old and war-weary, a modest Englishwoman arrived in Taormina with little Italian, less money, and a plan to sell the property she had unexpectedly inherited. Instead, she fell in love, not just with the airy quarters of the golden stone house on a hillside but also with a community and its way of life. To save Casa Cuseni from certain demolition, Daphne converted her enchanting inheritance into the wondrous pensione that for nearly half a century she has run with the blessing of every Taorminan from the local silk-shirted godfather, Don Ciccio, to Concetta Genio, her steadfast cook, housekeeper, and friend. "A loving portrait ... of a vanishing way of life." -- New York Times Book Review
"The often humorous clash of cultures ... and] the stories of the ordinary Sicilian men and women who populate the pages that make this book, and this place, so special, ... so thoroughly alive." -- Chicago Tribune
For fifty years, at Casa Cuseni in the small Sicilian town of Taormina, Daphne Phelps has extended her English charm and warm hospitality to seasoned travelers and professional escapists as well as to writers and artists like Tennessee Williams, Bertrand Russell, Henry Faulkner, and Roald Dahl. This memoir tells their story, and hers.
It begins in 1947 when, thirty-four years old and war-weary, a modest Englishwoman arrived in Taormina with little Italian, less money, and a plan to sell the property she had unexpectedly inherited. Instead, she fell in love, not just with the airy quarters of the golden stone house on a hillside but also with a community and its way of life. To save Casa Cuseni from certain demolition, Daphne converted her enchanting inheritance into the wondrous pensione that for nearly half a century she has run with the blessing of every Taorminan from the local silk-shirted godfather, Don Ciccio, to Concetta Genio, her steadfast cook, housekeeper, and friend. "A loving portrait ... of a vanishing way of life." -- New York Times Book Review
"The often humorous clash of cultures ... and] the stories of the ordinary Sicilian men and women who populate the pages that make this book, and this place, so special, ... so thoroughly alive." -- Chicago Tribune
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0786707941
ISBN13:9780786707942
Release Date:October 2000
Publisher:Da Capo
Length:288 Pages
Weight:0.85 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.5" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
realistic and truthful view of Sicily in fifties and sixties
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
Despite comments from some readers who obviously feel insulted in some way(which I can only describe as ignorant) I recommend this book to everyone, sicilians and others. As a Sicilian myself I can affirm that the picture ms Phelps paints of Sicily and the Sicilians is truthful, in every detail !! It was like that in the fifties, a lot of Sicilians were illiterate and peasants. The fact that ms Phelps writes this down does'nt mean she is arrogant or superior.In fact she describes the people she 's met during her life with much love.
A majestic house in a magical land
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Daphne Phelps' book would make a great movie. The varied characters taking refuge at her inherited eastern Sicily residence make for an enjoyable read. Her interactions with locals, (including an alleged mafioso) give the reader a unique perspective into the country's citizens and their way of life on an ancient island that time has forgotten.
A reader from East Tennessee
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
Hey guys why beat up on poor Daphne. I give it 5 stars because she was truthful about how she saw things and people. It wasn't that bad, just a look at Sicilian life from a different generation. Her take on the characters around her was very interesting.
A Best Read-From An American Sicilian
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I am a Sicilian American of 2nd generation. My father was born in Sicily and my mother's parents are both Sicilian. My entire family went to Sicily last July (2001) and we found Ms. Phelps book to be entertaining, respectful and delightful. In response to the critique by Antonina LiCastri-Boocock who is Sicilian: "Please leave the machismo at home." Ms. Phelps was very respectful of both the people and place of Sicily. My entire family is reading this book and has enjoyed it all the same. This book is a five star read. It is refreshing to see a dignified outside look at Sicily from an English perspective. (If Ms. Phelps supposedly had so much disdain for Sicily, why did she stay so long?) Antonina could not give insight other than from a Sicilian male perspective. I am very traditional, but I give credit where credit is do. If you are American, you will not like this book but love it. If you are Sicilian, I bet you will probably love all the more. The Sicilian people are a loving, lovely people and I believe that all of the characters that Ms. Phelps wrote about would be more than honored by her writings. Salvatore
A House in Sicily
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I really enjoyed this book. It was a wonderful book, very easy to read. I just read it over the weekend. If what you are looking is a guide to Sicily this isn't it, but if you want to know something about that region and their way of life during the years the author writes about, this is your book.I am always amaze when people like the author make complete changes in their lives, and start a new life somewhere other than their country of birth. I enjoy reading about her experience, and I want to find out more about Casa Cuseni. What I love about real life books is that the people that live in this crazy and beautiful world are 100 % better that any fictional character. The people that Ms Phelps talks about are wonderful characters that any fiction writer would love to have in their books. I have travel in Italy, but I was never interested in visiting Sicily. After reading this book, I want to go there.
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