Books of Madison Co. featuring Frances Mayes

Edward & Frances Mayes

Story & Photography by Woody Woodard.

The Jackson-Madison County Library Foundation held a successful fundraiser this year at Jackson Fairgrounds Park honoring Frances Mayes. Frances and her husband, Edward, were gracious to the 270 people who came to hear Frances discuss her book “Under the Tuscan Sun.” For two and a half years the book was a best seller even though it was written and published 20 years ago.  The movie is what breathed life into a hidden treasure, a book of “Hope & New Beginning.”

Frances spoke of how the places she lives or lived in the past are the shaping factors of who she has become. Once she and Edward moved to Cortona, Italy and bought a house named Bramasole, meaning “to yearn for the sun,” in a 2,600-year-old Etruscan community, they began a new life in an old-world environment. Three cheers for a super-sized achievement by the library!