I have not yet read the book, but I too love the movie, although I keep missing the beginning. I just wanted to reassure the person posting the question that the book definitely precedes the film, and that yes they are the same story. You can doublecheck me by just looking at the books on zstores and auctions-- same author, same title, and one has a banner that says "now a Hollywood film!" The book was published in 1960, the movie came out in 1962.

After spending six months in Florene, Italy, I saw the movie Light in the Piazza on a late night television movie channel. I fell in love with the movie as it gave me great memories of Italy. I have never been able to find the movie on video as it has not been released. So instead I read the book. The story is a true romance between a naive mentally-challenged woman and an Italian man. Very quick, easy reading. A must for anyone going to or having been in Italy.

Unfortunately, you don't give a synopsis of Light in the Piazza and I want to know was it made into a movie -or was the title borrowed from the movie with Olivia de Havilland, Rossano Brassi, George Hamilton and Yvette Mimieux? Since I can't find a video of the movie I would like to read the book as I loved the movie.

Did I say I love this book enough? Eudora Welty, the great Mississippi writer took these photographs many years ago. They cover churches and cemeteries around the Jackson area. Some of these places I know and have in my own collection of photos. Haunting places. There is much to be said of Welty's work with the camera. She has a great eye for detail, for light, and for mood. She has captured a period that is long gone. She loves angels. There are few commentaries because this is a book, not about words, but about churches, tombstones, and their lasting message. A great addition to both collectors of tombstone art and Eudora Welty's work. A classic. Buy it while you can. It will be a collectible one day.

Those who cherish Eudora Welty's earlier collection of photographs (_One Time, One Place_) need no urging from me to sample this new jewel box of images from a Mississippi past. Like the earlier collection, these black-and-white photographs document the rural South of the 1930's and 1940's when Welty worked as a photographer for the WPA. As its title suggests, this book offers a tighter focus: on the burying-places of the rich and poor, the black and the white. Here be angels of all sorts, urns and chapels, sheep and dogs, children who seem but to sleep in masks of marble. Those who know Welty's keen gift for description will see how her eye for detail, setting and atmosphere was trained up in her early photographic work. Each image seems surrounded by the rich and generous spirit through which Welty sees the world and those who toil in it.

The photographs are preceded by an account of a conversation with Miss Welty (as we Southern men and women of letters have learned to always refer to her) and interspersed with excerpts from the novels. Also a joy is the introduction by fellow Mississipian Elizabeth Spencer, who places these images in the landscape of Welty's fiction, as expressions of "Eudora Welty's vision of death as a part of life." Spencer continues, "It must find its ceremony within family and community, and its symbols, beautifully displayed here, arise out of the beliefs and feelings of shared love."

To spend time with this book is to walk among the mossy trees, rest among the cool white monuments, and feel the pull of that greater community which surrounds us. It gives further evidence why Miss Welty is one of our great national treasures. But I leave the last word to her, in this excerpt from _The Optimist's Daughter_: "The top of the hill ahead was crowded with winged angels and life-sized effigies of bygone citizens in old-fashioned dress, standing as if by count among the columns and shafts and conifers like a familiar set of passengers collected on deck of a ship, on which they all knew each other -- bona-fide members of a small local excursion, embarked on a voyage that is always returning in dreams."

While I had read about the triangular relationship between Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and Lady Elizabeth Foster, nick-named Bess, I never realized that Bess had such colorful life. The authors use letters and other historical documents to present Bess in a more positive way, than previously recorded. It is a fascinating biography.

Excellent book on the lives of two amazing women sharing the same man. Highly recommend it if you like reading about 'ton' society in late 18th-early 19th century England.

I'm reading this now, savouring it, allowing one story a day. The stories are gems, polished without feeling workshopped, elegant without seeming traditional, classics yet not stodgy. Spencer's understanding of the nuances of class are superb, and her settings are evocative, rich and compelling. I've read little Southern fiction and spent even less time below the Mason-Dixon line, but these stories still seem real to me, important, touching and relevant. Highly recommended.

Elizabeth Spencer's short stories are elegantly written and filled with moments of delicacy and insight. "Ship of Fools," written many years ago, retains a freshness in its youthful protagonist's perceptions, while her best-known work, "Light in the Piazza," takes the reader into an ethereal, long-lost but bewitching Italian setting. As piercing as her insights into human dynamics is her ability to capture a peculiar quality of light or the dreamy interior world of her many characters. Spencer expertly juxtaposes passages of apparently random stream-of-consciousness with exchanges between men and women that illustrate the kinds of tangled relationships we all make and encounter in daily life. There's never just surface events taking place in Spencer's fiction; much is constantly going on beneath the surface, which for me generates the kind of depth found only in the very best fiction. I strongly recommend her work to readers looking for prose that can be read and re-read, savored and enjoyed, many times over.

"A CT Place" places Weir in the highest ranks of 19th century American painters. This catalogue brings together some of his best work, revealing the amazing subtleties of his style as he portrays the Connecticut landscape as it really is and feels - the dense woods, rolling fields, the colors of spring and fall. A must have for any fan of impressionism and painting in general.

Miss Spencer's vivid comparisons of life in North and South Mississippi are especially interesting to those of us who have made this migration; she writes of the beauty of church names on the Mississippi Coast ("Our Lady of the Gulf," etc.) and how the construction of Interstate 10 changed things forever. Her description of the rustic conditions faced by Junior college teachers of the 1940s is revealing and a rather sad commentary on a system that took a long time to improve. The award she will receive in October from the Mississippi Library Association is much deserved.

Georgiana and Elizabeth were the first and second wives of William 5th Duke of Devonshire. Their tale is an eighteenth century one, but it is also a twenty-first century one. They had a friendship which eclipsed everything that society of their day thought was acceptable and it is only now that the truth is emerging. The best way to find out about the two Duchesses of Devonshire is to read the recent biography about Georgiana by Amanda Foreman which tells the brilliant story of the two duchesses amid a world of love, romance, deceit, adultery and money, from Georgiana's point of view. Then read this book from the 1890's written by a descendant of Elizabeth Foster, one member of the curious Devonshire menage-a-trois. There are letters from two-hundred years ago that tell a first hand account of events in Miss Foreman's book. They are fascinating and you meet many famous people of the day first hand, including Melbourne, Byron, George IV and Fox. I can't wait to read the modern day version of Elizabeth's story which can be found in Caroline Chapman's new book telling the story of Elizabeth Foster: 'Elizabeth and Georgiana: The Duke of Devonshire and His Two Duchesses' which has just been published. For any one who has not yet read about the Beautiful Duchess, her best friend and her husband it's about time you did. Vere Foster's book is essential reading, especially if you want to get an overview of the subjects of two very important eighteenth century figures and subjects of at least one brilliant modern bestselling biography. Read this and then read the two modern biographies and find out the truth!

This book has helped immensely with my anxiety disorder. When it first hit me I had no idea what was happening. If I did not acquire the book and follow the steps outlined in it, I would be incapacitated by now. I confronted the fear--it was tough--but succeeded and am so much better off because of it. I highly recommend this book for anyone who suffers from any kind of anxiety disorder.

Very helpful. Clearly written, good practical advice. Relates the importance of facing anxiety. The authors explain that denying or trying to minimize fears actually make them worse. The trick is to explore what is behind the anxiety and allow yourself to experience the fear. This can be done with small managable steps. The fear then loses its power over you. Also contained are helps and guidelines for support people. This book lives up to its name and is recommended.

I have just recently acquired this book, and within an hour I felt like I was on the right track to deliver a knock out punch to this little dragon that has been messing with me for many years. I fully expect to win this one, and as I progress, I'll tell you more.

It's about time someone gave us a map to the various flora and fauna "down there". Dr Stewart presents her information, which could easily overwhelm the layperson, in a highly readable and enjoyable form. Using excellent illustrations, she describes the various structures, their purposes, and the variety of issues that women may encounter over a lifetime of changes.

Substantial sections are given to everyday care, sexual issues, common (an uncommon symptoms), yeast and other infections, vulvar skin issues, vulvar pain, urinary issues, herpes, and genital warts. This book, among other things, discusses what should happen in a gyn exam, tests you should have, what you should ask your doctor, and gives you the vocabulary to ask it intelligently. It also gives a very good overview of the types of infections or skin disorders that may often be dismissed as "probably yeast" and therefore mistreated, perhaps causing permanent problems. There are excellent sections on latex allergy and prenatal exposure to DES, two issues that I have personal experience with.

Amazon.com's rating for the book would probably be higher except for a couple of people who gave the book only one star because the author did not embrace their pet treatment for vulvodynia. The author does, however, discuss that nutritional treatment, the problems it presents in the medical literature (and as a medical librarian, I did my own searches and came up with similar results). I think those low ratings are highly undeserved, especially considering the scope of the book. Dr Stewart is especially concerned with 1) educating women so that they can discuss symptoms with their doctors and not feel embarrassed by a natural and integral part of their health, and 2) alleviating unnecessary pain that many women assume is just "part of being female", and 3) helping women recognise what is "normal" and what needs further treatment. She points the reader to many more sources of information for further study, but this book is a good basic text of the vulvovaginal area. This is a great read for everyone who deals with the V area. Every woman should have a copy, but I would also urge doctors who do not specialise in this area but nevertheless encounter these issues in their practice to read it as well.

I am a nurse practitioner in Obstetrics and Gynecology and was thrilled to read "The V Book" by Elizabeth Stewart. This book is nothing sort of a gem, and provides in an easy-to-read format all the details of "everything you ever wanted to know about 'down there' but were afraid to ask." The information has been impeccably researched and is presented in a very balanced format. The drawings of female anatomy are beautiful and realistic and make it easy for women to identify areas of the vagina and vulva.

I have practiced in the Boston area and know many women who have been referred to Dr. Stewart's clinic. They have been extremely pleased with their care, and in many cases have had long-standing and difficult problems resolved. I am grateful that Dr. Stewart's wisdom and experience are now available both to women and to the clinicians who provide them with their gynecologic care.

It is clear that Dr. Stewart is deeply committed to helping women obtain quality health care. If you are a woman experiencing a GYN health issue, this book will provide you with the facts you need to understand the nature of your problem, to ask good questions of your health care provider, and to determine if the care you are receiving is effective and appropriate. Every conceivable topic regarding a women's gynecologic health is covered in a thorough manner, and it is done so with both accuracy and sensitivity.

After two months of agony and several incorrect diagnoses, I was correctly diagnosed with a "V" disorder and referred to the medical library in our town to look up my condition. They gave me this book, and at last, I understand what I have been going through and why. I am buying a copy of this book for myself and for each of my daughters-in-law. Every female should own this book--no woman should suffer in silence or be ashamed of this part of her body. And none of us should be subjected to continued misdiagnoses any longer. This book provides the information we need to help us lead healthier, happier lives and to be active, educated participants in our own health care. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It could literally be a life-saver for some women who have nowhere else to turn for answers.

Inchbald has a great talent with words. This books is insightful, provocative and dramatic. Inchbald talks about love with such candidness and frankness that while your reading you can't help but feel an overflowing of emotions toward the main characters. Very satisfying ending the tidies up all the problems throughout the book.

This is no "Gone With the Wind" -- everybody gets what they deserve, according to the strictest moral code, and some get it with interest.

However, Inchbald excels at characterization -- she unites vanity and passion in one character, and still has a believable personality to show the reader -- and she can show a character in change, without losing the character's integrity. Although the tragedy she creates has a moral "told you so" aspect hard for modern readers to take, it also has the pathetic grandeur of the great tragedies -- small, pointless faults and actions which lead to irreversible pain. The humanity of Inchbald's insight is what makes this book one of my favorites among the 18th century women writers.