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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I love the audiobooks that are written and narrated by Adriana Trigiani. There is just something about her voice that appeals to me. This story is about the life and loves of Nella. A farm girl whose life goes in a direction she didn't expect.
Adriana Trigiani is my favorite author! I absolutely loved this Italian-American family saga. She writes such beautiful stories about Italian families. Her characters are enjoyable & the way she writes about them makes you feel like you know them & care for them. Every time I read one of her books, I start off thinking I probably won't like it as much as I liked her others, but she never disappoints. I loved how this story lead you through Nella's life. I also loved where the story took place, Roseto, PA. This is not far from where I live & it was interesting to read about places I know. This book also had special meaning to me because Roseto is where my great-grandfather brought his new wife to live after he met her in Italy. As I read this book, I could just picture my Pop-Pop and Nonnie, with their two young daughters, being neighbors of Nella's and experiencing life in Roseto. I have many authors that I enjoy, but Trigiani is my favorite. I met her at a book signing and she is so funny and vibrant, you feel like you are a personal friend or family member by the time you leave. She makes each person in the room feel good & shows you how much she appreciates you reading her books & taking the time to come out & meet her. I can't wait for her next book. Since she has family in this area, I am sure she'll be back for a signing & I'll most certainly go again.
3.5 probably. I wish there would have been more of Franco pursuing Nella and her rejecting him. I liked her playing hard to get. Don't care very much for the jump of time spans. But I did enjoy reading about Nella's life and decisions throughout.
I've always mentioned that this is one of my favorite authors. This book was no exception.
It was the charming story of an Italian girl growing up in a farm family on the East Coast and her relationships with her parents, sisters, men, brother in laws, and other family. It's a pretty quick read and takes in nearly her entire life, so it paints in some broad strokes.
The characters are real and relate-able. Recommended!
It was the charming story of an Italian girl growing up in a farm family on the East Coast and her relationships with her parents, sisters, men, brother in laws, and other family. It's a pretty quick read and takes in nearly her entire life, so it paints in some broad strokes.
The characters are real and relate-able. Recommended!
Italian girl grows up in Roseto PA; falls in love w poet/priest but marries a faithful machinist in a shirt factory; really enjoyed
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Queen of the Big Time was a cute story. Took a while to get going but told a tale of a young girl's life into womanhood and beyond. I enjoyed the feminist aspects of this book especially dealing with the times 1920s to 1971.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Picked up from my pile of paperbacks that have been hanging around the house unread for years in order to have something non-Kindle to read during take-off and landing. I've read a couple of Trigiani's books before, I can't remember them so they couldn't have been that memorable but from the looks of what I've got written down about them they were neither terrible nor great. This probably fits the same pattern. It's the life story of Nella, starting out when she is a little Italian-American girl around the time of the great depression dreaming of getting to go to high school and become a teacher and following her through the twists and turns of her life that doesn't work out how she expected it to at the start. A bit sappy and feel-good in places but I found it quite moving and not entirely what I expected in others. An enjoyable enough read though I expect I'll forget this one before long too.
The settings are the stars of Trigiani's books. She has a way of making a reader feel the time and place. This story didn't totally captivate me but Rosetto, Pennsylvania and Rosetto, Italy did.
Adriana Trigiani's strong female characters always pull me in. Nella Castelluca was no exception - I enjoyed reading about her life in a peculiar Italian-American community in the mid-1900's.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.