The Queen of the Big Time

I did enjoy learning about a town that was copied almost exactly from a town in Italy. The book kept my attention. But the story lacked something. Nella (the main character) falls in love with a man who leaves her. He appears years later in her town as a Priest. Meanwhile she marries a very good man who chased after her for years. Supposedly years later the Priest finally gives Nella a reason for leaving her. The reason made no sense. Two characters just keeled over and died while pretty young. That is unrealistic. If they had heart attacks they probably wouldn't have died so instantly. I've read so many great novels since the pandemic started. This is a mediocre one.

This was the first Trigiani book that I read and remains my favorite after having read them all. Trigiani gives us "real" characters, a bit of Italian culture, lots of feeling and emotion without being overly sappy and sentimental, and humor. Her main character, to me, is reminiscent of Francie Nolan in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" with lots of spunk and ambition. In addition, for those who like coming-of-age stories, I recommend "I Capture the Castle," by Dodie Smith, and "Joy School," by Elizabeth Berg. All of Trigiani's books are worth reading, and I can't wait for the next one.

I am not one of those women who reads any book that talks about "love" and swoons for days over how "romantic" it was. I find those thinly-written pulp-romance books tiring in their lack of an original plot. That is why i LOVE Adriana Trigiani! Her novels have just the PERFECT amount of romance, and an even more perfect amount of reality. Her books are gloriously engaging, full of richness and familiarity. They have far more depth than the "romantic" fluff that most of today's books aimed at woman contain. I have loved each of her books more than the last. Her writing just keep getting better and better, and I am so excited to what she comes out with next. In my opinion, Queen of the Big Time is her best novel yet. I grew so attached to the characters, and cried my eyes out, and loved them so much, that i was torn between finishing the book as fast as i could, or savoring every page to stretch out my time with the Castellucas & Zollanos. Perfect. Just perfect.

Some books, particularly romantic fiction, are like potato chips --- tasty little morsels that offer a brief but satisfying crunch. You don't expect them to satisfy your hunger but they'll do for the moment. Others are more like multi-course meals --- epic sagas that take you weeks to read and leave you feeling sated, if slightly overly full --- like a great dinner at an exclusive restaurant; you can't do it all the time, but when it happens, it's a memorable event. Adriana Trigiani's THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME doesn't fall into either of these categories: it's the home-cooked meal no one makes quite like your Mom --- whether your Mom specialized in pot roast, baked ziti or arroz con pollo. Warm, satisfying and filling, without being overly rich, it's a book meant to be savored. THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME tells the story of three generations of the Castelluca family, who live near Roseto, Pennsylvania. The novel centers on Nella Castelluca, her parents and her sisters, as they grow up on a farm outside of Roseto. Nella meets and falls in love with the most popular boy in town, Renato Lanzara. Renato's fondness for books and poetry match well with Nella's own love of learning, and it seems like a match made in heaven. Then, inexplicably, Renato leaves Nella and Roseto altogether, breaking poor Nella's heart. Four years later, just as Nella is about to start a new life with another man, Renato returns. Trigiani's novel reads, in part, like a love letter to the immigrant families that settled in eastern Pennsylvania from Italy in the 1800s and worked hard to maintain their customs and way of life. The book takes its name from the town's biggest annual celebration --- "The Big Time" --- which is the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, occurring every year in late July. The genuine warmth and affection the author feels for her characters --- including the town of Roseto --- clearly is reflected throughout the book, particularly in the care with which Trigiani handles all her characters. There are a few missteps --- the novel's final sections feel much more rushed than the warm, leisurely pace with which the story opens, and early on in the novel Trigiani contextually includes several authentic recipes (sort of like an Italian-American LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE) that suddenly stopped appearing, leaving me feeling a little cheated. But these elements, while mildly frustrating, are like a few lumps in the gravy: they don't really distract from the overall satisfaction the book brings and, ultimately, add to the "homemade flavor" of the book. Fans of Trigiani's popular Big Stone Gap trilogy and LUCIA, LUCIA will find much to love in THE QUEEN OF THE BIG TIME, which similarly draws on the author's family history and background. Newcomers to Adriana Trigiani's work should thoroughly enjoy this novel as a fitting introduction to a talented author with a genuine affection for her roots. And who knows --- the novel may inspire some to visit its s

I loved "Lucia, Lucia" but this is even better. It's so easy to fall in love yourself with the people who fall in love in Trigiani's books. She writes with a knowledge of the deepest feelings of a very independent woman who has loved and lost. More importantly she keeps that love in her heart all the days of her life despite marrying and living happily with another man. A warm and loving portrait of a family who truly love each other and who laugh and cry together all the while striving for a better life. They do not forget their origins though and return to their roots more than once. This is a story to hold in your heart and to cherish along with all the truly wonderful tales you keep on your book shelf. READ THIS BOOK!

In the late 1800s an Italian village immigrated to America and settled in the farming community of Roseto, Pennsylvania, where they set about living as they'd done in Italy. That story alone would have made a heck of a book, but the story goes on to chronicle the lives of the Castellucas and their five daughters who live on a farm outside of town. More specifically the story becomes the story of one of the middle sisters.Nella isn't the most beautiful of the girls, but she is by far the smartest and she is determined at a very young age not to wind up living like her parents. She wants off the farm. She wants to go to school in town. She wants to get an education and be a teacher one day.However in town she meets and falls in love with a man seven years older then her, the educated handsome, irresistible and poetic Renato Lanzara. The have a friendship that turns to romance, the kind a girl never forgets and she has a lot of time to remember, because one day he disappears only to return the day before her wedding, now a priest. So she goes through with her marriage, has many good years with her husband, until she is widowed at a young age. Nella is now a young grandmother with aging parents and we can't help but reflect on her earlier hopes and dreams.This is a wonderful story that made me cry in several places. If you have a heart, then this book is for you and if you don't, perhaps reading this book will help you get one.