Revamp: A Memoir of Travel and Obsessive Renovation

by Pamela Reynolds

When a big-city journalist quits her dream job to move to a remote Italian island for love, she discovers a whole new life beyond the romantic fantasies of Italy spun by books and movies. Struggling to adapt to a different culture, she buys a quirky house in the Sardinian countryside, goes to art school and becomes obsessed with home improvement and renovation. Ultimately, her ex-pat adventure opens her world to making and embracing art in life and home, understanding, ultimately that home is where the “art” is.

Genres: Italy, Nonfiction

183 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2020

About the author

Pamela Reynolds is an award-winning writer and artist who has written for numerous lifestyle magazines and blogs. Formerly a writer and editor at The Boston Globe, she currently writes on the visual arts for WBUR, an NPR affiliate in Boston. Pamela studied painting in Italy where she lived for many years. Her paintings belong to several corporate collections, were featured in two major motion pictures and grace the lobbies and meeting rooms of several Boston area companies. "Revamp: A Memoir of Travel and Obsessive Renovation" is her first book.

Reviews

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED reading REVAMP. I was transported to another place. I could feel the sense of loss, choice, freedom, excitement, getting outside your comfort zone and being rewarded for that. I smelled new smells of the countryside. I felt the sun and dampness. I didn’t want to stop reading it. It was so absorbing. The writing is terrific---very descriptive in a way that takes me along on Pam's journey. It is honest and moving.

I feel like I just finished a huge bag of potato chips and lost track of the time.

The book is very entertaining and practically reads itself. Move over Elizabeth Gilbert. There is a new sheriff in town!!!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a longtime admirer of Pamela Reynolds' journalism, I suspected her memoir would be just as clearly and concisely written, capturing not just the facts but the nuances and details that make a story come alive. Her memoir does all that and more.

It tells the tale of a woman who suffered the unimaginable, who transversed the ocean seeking adventure and who found healing and peace rebuilding her life - with brick and mortar and with a new love from another country.

Ms. Reynolds shares her story with insight and honesty, letting us peak into her heart as she transforms her houses into homes where the "art" is. Whether you're into art and design or not, if you live in a home - and most of us do - you'll want to read this compelling memoir.

[Kristen Lango · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is without a doubt the best personal memoir I've ever read - completely relatable to the creative mind whose exploration becomes both a thrilling necessity and conscience weight to carry. The book is exciting and honest in a way that connects the reader to the author in a manner by which many other books of this genre drastically lack.

As is the mark of any great read, I've found myself sad to have finished reading. There is a definite desire to see where the life of Pam and "Umberto" will be taken next.

Highest praise for this spectacular novel that will take it's reader on a great journey!

[SOM · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a ebook. The spacing between sentences is tight which made it tiring to read. Having said that, the details of finding, buying, and renovating homes Italy was fascinating. The author gives a hint of what it would be like living in a place where one does not know the language by periodically writing a person’s response in Italian. The reader becomes absorbed into the author’s situation and vision. A person can become renewed through working on improving their house which then becomes a wonderful piece of art and a piece of one’s heart. This book is more than a house renovation memoir. It is a story of self discovery.

[Ann Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Revamp for lots of reasons. First during this wretched pandemic I got to travel through Pam and her adventures. She not only shared her adventures but also the more painful parts life can throw at one so it is also a very intimate book. I must say that Pam clearly has big energy and vision which made me look at my place all winter long with an eye to changing big parts of my little house. Ms. Reynolds is also an excellent writer so I'm hoping to see more from her in the future.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

These two hopped among between Boston, Sardinia and Rome like I go to different grocery stores. Even though I love the "ex-pat moved to ....." genre, eventually I couldn't relate to them and skimmed the last third of the book.

[Desiree French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revamp is a true story about resiliency and exploration. After a traumatic experience, Pam’s life takes a new twist. Her tenacity—to live and find beauty, a sense of place and love—kept me captivated, page after page. This is because the book is well written, riddled with witty insights and unpretentious prose. It’s refreshingly honest, as she shares intimate details of her life and an obsession with making livable space both practical and pleasing. And it’s deliciously witty, whether detailing an Italian escapade or an American experience. My question: When will we see the film adaptation? I hope soon.

[Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 bk 156. An enjoyable look at a the life of one woman who dared. Her life is told through the homes she and her husband lived in after they first became partners. A property in Sardinia showed they had a shared interest in improving their homes, The apartment in Boston led to a new apartment - one as an investment property, and finally the story ends just before the couple moves from Italy to Washington, D. C. It is also the story a woman recognizing her background and knowing it doesn't define her. A good read.

[Ronda Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful, evocative memoir invites you to vicariously join the author’s unconventional life journey. Telling her story through the places she and her husband have lived and the spaces they created, Ms Reynolds carries the reader through interesting experiences of biculturalism, art, home renovations and personal growth. And, as an added bonus, the reader is inspired to immediately travel to Italy and begin that long-desired house renovation project!

[Jackie Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know how many of us say, “We should…!” But then we just continue to live our mundane lives? The author actually follows through— as a result she has a wonderful story to tell. Her words easily transport the reader into her adventures. Reading this book was an escape from reality, yet the author doesn’t sugarcoat her realities— making the book even more compelling.

[Susan M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fascinated by the author’s lifestyle and choices. Interesting how each step came with revamping a house/ living space. I appreciated learning about Sardinian, Italian, and US culture along the way.

[Gette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A raucous romp through times past and present in the transition from Boston to Sardinia then back to Boston. The book is well written and filled with drama with a few hikes. The book description does not accurately capture the coming of age and frustration with our material global world.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Federica Latta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful book, well written and engaging. The author writes about her life in Italy and in the United States and of the complicated process of turning a house into a home.