Adriana Trigiani

Advantages: Excellent and compelling story with great great characters!
Disadvantages: Coming to the end of the book !

...A few years ago I bought my mother an Adriana Trigiani book to read on holiday - in quick succession she devoured the first three Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler and Milk Glass Moon. She then gave them to me and they sat on my bookcase for months - then when I had absolutely nothing (and I mean nothing) to read I thought I would give them a go! I read all three back to back - and cursed that I had let them lie so long. They were great and Queen of the Big Time is just the same! The story follows the life of Nella Castaluca who we join aged 14. She lives on the family farm with ther parents and sisters but dreams of so much more. When the local teacher visits her parents and tells them she thinks Nella would benefit from attending the school in town three miles away it is the beginning of the dream. I won't go into too much... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Easily readable story with warm funny characters
Disadvantages: Not as great as her other work but still very good

...If you are looking for a easy read, with warm funny characters, receipes(!) and a heartwarming story then this is the one for you. The novel centres around Interior Decorator Bartolomeo Di Crespi (or B) and his family and friends. B is the champion of all things tasteful in his home town so when his parish Church requires renovation he assumes that he is the very man for the job, given that he as been worshipping there since he was an Alter boy! However the priest has other ideas! And so the story begins, with the battle to renovate, money troubles, parties, affairs, odd and very odd relatives and just life in general. The novel is not as gritty as other Trigiani books but if you like a good story with great characters then this is not to be missed - it is worth reading for the antics of his sister alone!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: a beautiful story, well written
Disadvantages: no sequel planned!

...I came to Adriana Trigiani by way of the Big Stone Gap books, and had no hesitation in buying this book. Set in 1950's New York it tells the story of an Italian American woman and her life, her work, family, friends and love. I always rate a book on whether I can 'see' what I am reading, can I picture the peopleand places, see them meeting and interacting like a film before me, can the writer create these images with their words? Reading this book was like watching an Audrey Hepburn movie, beautiful, elegant, funny, moving and thoroughly enjoyable. In fact a fantastic way to spend a rainy weekend... The narrative technique of this novel is a story within a story, an elderly Lucia recounts her life to a young neighbour, so you get the advantage of seeing into the past as well as finding out what might happen in the future... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful