Adriana Trigiani is one of my newish, favorite authors. She wrote "The Shoemaker's Wife" which is part of my Favorite Things Book Giveaway (see below to enter). Her writing is magnificent and has a way of transporting the reader through multiple decades without missing a beat. She writes about complex people with complex struggles, just like the rest of us. "The Queen of the Big Time" is no different and introduced me to some great characters.
Nella Casteluca is the main character. She and her large, Italian family live in the countryside of Pennsylvania. They are a true Italian family who are strict observers of the Catholic religion and take marriage, family and hard work very seriously Nella is constantly hoping and dreaming for something better and dreams about moving to the city to find her own way. She is smart for her age and one of her teachers really encourages her to step outside of the norms and try for a better life.
One of the best parts of this book is the way the author describes the every day relationships of the characters. They are hopeful of a better life while being hopelessly realistic about the way their life will be. Much of the book is the daily conversation and debates of which way to turn and how to solve life's difficulties. As it is in non-fiction world, the main character falls deeply in love with someone who she never expected to love and their relationship is one that can't last because of circumstances. I legitimately felt bad for Nella when her life path steers away from her first love because I know how that feels. It's so incredibly hard and a person spends their entire life wondering if they'll ever see that person again and will it be awkward. Been there, am there, have a few t-shirts. Nella finds resolve in her adult life, but there is always the looming conflict of making the right decision about how she handled being in love for the first time.
As is customary for my reviews, I will share one element that I wish would have been done better. I felt like this book wasn't long enough for how much time it covered. I felt like the reader was whisked through a time period in 2 or 3 pages and then suddenly it's 10 years later. This book was uncharacteristically short for the author which drew me to read it, but also had me really wishing for more content when in it was over.
Overall I really enjoyed this book! One of the quotes that caught my eye and summed up how this book inspired me was this-- "Many intellectuals believe self-education is as valid as any degree from a university." How true that statement really is and I continue to live it in my own life. We are truly blessed in so many ways and never know how our path will lead to something or someone better.
My recommended reading group would be age 16 and above. It's a PG-13 read with relationship elements and adult themes not suitable for a younger audience.
The moral of the story: Life is a beautiful garden of possiblities, but we have to water and nurture it through our faith and hope.
Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!
-R
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Other Books by Adriana Trigiani
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