Audio: Tony's Wife - Adriana Trigiani

Audio CD, 12 h

Narrator. Edoardo Ballerini

Published November 20th 2018 by HarperAudio

historical fiction

Thank you Harper for this review copy!

MY Thoughts

That blurb sure makes it seem like these two meet one summer and fall in love. No they did not.

ChiChi wants to become a singer, and she tries everything to make it happen. She writes her own song, she records albums (in her garage). She is driven and smart.

Severio becomes a singer even if that was maybe not the road he really wanted to take. But well on it he wants more and more of everything.

They meet in the summer of 1938, and then go back at doing their own things. Their story will span until 2000. They become friends and coworkers. ChiChi writes hits, he sings. He flirts with women, she builds something. But obviously they will try something more, and I kept waiting for it, since after all the book is called Tony's girl.

I liked how ChiCi was always I will not be a doormat, I will choose my own fate. But then she becomes a biddable Italian wife. And she feels resentful that she is the one giving everything up. But he never asks that of her. And that is not the person he fell in love with either. She shapes herself into something she does not want to, nor he. Their story is not a happy one. He has wandering hands and I felt like if she had stayed true to herself then maybe he had too. Or maybe he was just a smex addict.

It is a book about working hard and trying to make something of yourself. About falling in and out of love. About how men think they can have it all, while the women carry the burden.

Conclusion:
I enjoyed it, even if I had wished for his hands not to wander so much. But then this was not a romance.

Narrator

I did like his voice for everyone, and I also liked how he aged them. From 16 to 80. He had a smooth voice that fitted the story.

Synopsis

Set in the lush Big Band era of the 1940s and World War II, this spellbinding saga from beloved New York Times bestselling author tells the story of two talented working class kids who marry and become a successful singing act, until time, temptation and the responsibilities of home and family derail their dreams

Shortly before World War II, Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore and fall in love. Both are talented and ambitious, and both share the dream of becoming singers for the legendary orchestras of the time: Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman. They’re soon married, and it isn’t long before Chiara and Tony find that their careers are on the way up as they navigate the glamorous worlds of night clubs, radio and television. All goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put their ambitions aside to raise a family and which will pursue a career? And how will they cope with the impact that decision has on their lives and their marriage?

From the Jersey shore to Las Vegas to Hollywood, and all the dance halls in between, this multi-layered story is vivid with historical color and steeped in the popular music that serves as its score. Tony’s Wife is a magnificent epic of life in a traditional Italian family undergoing seismic change in a fast paced, modern world. Filled with vivid, funny and unforgettable characters, this richly human story showcases Adriana Trigiani’s gifts as a storyteller and her deep understanding of family, love and the pursuit of the American dream. 

Review: Very Valentine - Adriana Trigiani

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Genre: Contemporary romance, fiction
Pages: 384
Published: 2009

From the authors site:

Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family’s old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a f amily secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected.

Book Review:

This is a book filled with laughs, sorrow, romance, and the love for your family and the love for shoes. They play a big part in this book and she presents those doing it the old fashioned way. A way that might be forgotten today. It’s the first book in a trilogy but it can be read as a standalone novel. The next book, Brava Valentine is out in February 2010.

Valentine gave up much to make shoes and she loves her job. It is what she was born to do. She a person easy to like for the reader, even if she herself does not always think so. She is the funnyone in her family, not the brain, not the beauty, and that has colored her. But she is in her best element when she is creative and making shoes. But it looks like the company might be going under, and they need help fast. A situation is presented that might give them a chance. She will be able to prove herself and make her family see that this is what she wants and is great at. The Angelini shoe company might live to see another day.

Trigiani knows how to write a compelling book. It has humor in hidden depths and it’s an easy book to read, but a hard book to put down. The family dynamics is real and they argue a lot, but they also love each other fiercely. Everything is not always that easy when it comes to family and love. Her grandmother is my favorite, she has spirit and she has a little story of her own in this book. A sweet story that is not to be missed.

The romance is not easy either in this book. It deals with real life and two very busy people. They hardly have time for each other and their budding romance. Valentine deserves her romance and even if this can be read as a standalone novel it does make you curious what will happen in the next one. How does the romance go, and what about their little shoe company? Because they do make the most remarkable shoes, and I do love shoes, and reading about them.

It’s a warm novel, and she knows what she is doing. She brings in a little of everything into the book so there is something for everyone and all ages. If you want some romance, some smiles, some hard times, and some shoes then this might be a book for you.

 

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: This is what made me pick it up.

Reason for reading: Borrowed from the library

Final thoughts: Nice book that held my attention and made me wonder what next?