Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An Italian American woman throws off the shackles of her constrictive New Jersey family in this sweet outing from Trigiani (The Good Left Undone). Giuseppina Capodimonte works for her savvy uncle Louie, drafting designs for fountains, bathrooms, and floors made from the distinctive Italian marble he imports. She's left her hometown husband, Bobby, and is living in her parents' basement, the dutiful daughter who's with Grandma Cap when she dies, who's always there to help Grammy B make the cavatelli, and whose college fund was used to put her brother Joe through law school. After Giuseppina takes over Cap Marble and Stone, she discovers that her uncle was in over his head with the IRS. The first thing she does is travel to Carrara, where the marble is quarried, and there her awakening begins. She rents a charming apartment overlooking a picture-perfect piazza, drinks superb espresso, acquires a stray kitten, and melts on multiple occasions into the arms of the landlady's gorgeous son. As Giuseppina straightens out her family's business, the Italian sojourn proves predictably life-changing. Trigiani's fans will lap this up. (July)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Trigiani's latest (after The Good Left Undone) is a compelling story that skillfully weaves together themes of self-discovery and an Italian American family's cultural nuances and traditions. Jess is a young divorced woman struggling with family dynamics as she strives to find her place in the world, which leads her from a blue-collar New Jersey town to Carrara, Italy. Jess worked for her uncle in the marble business for several years, and she inherits the company when he passes away. She also inherits a shell company, an FBI investigation, and a massive tax liability. While fully cooperating with the FBI and the IRS, Jess goes to Italy to learn about the marble business and herself; in the process, she learns the importance of letting go of the past to embrace change and finds new family and love. VERDICT This is the book Trigiani's fans have been waiting for. Her hallmark charm and love of family, along with a touch of romance, make for a captivating and memorable read. Recommend to those who enjoy the work of Dorothea Benton Frank, Lisa Scottoline, or Kristy Woodson Harvey.--Stacy Alesi
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A good Italian American daughter's 30-something rebellion forces her entire family to reckon with their choices, resulting in a happily-ever-after for all that's like the best affogato: rich, bitter, sweet. Giuseppina "Jess" Capodimonte Baratta lives in her parents' basement, and it's not the finished kind, but more like an old-fashioned cellar with a bed and a dresser. Her family has long struggled with money problems, so many that Jess had to go to community college instead of the four-year institutions her sister and brother attended. At 33, she's landed back at her childhood home in Lake Como, New Jersey (known for its location between a lake and the Atlantic Ocean), because she's left her husband, Bobby Bilancia, heir to Bilancia Meats and blue-eyed local heartthrob. Jess may not know what she wants for her life, but it isn't nightly TV and then several kids with Bobby, whose idea of sophistication runs to capicola-ham rosettes. Then Uncle Louie, the proprietor of Capodimonte Marble and Stone who has mentored Jess as his deputy, dies of a heart attack and leaves the business in her hands. Unfortunately, there's also some funny business that includes a side hustle with an associate known as "Googs" and a quarry's worth of unpaid taxes. Jess chooses to ignore her overbearing mother's advice and fly to Carrara, the home of the world's most beautiful stones--and stonemasons, like Angelo Strazza, whose specialty is applying fragile gold leaf to carved pieces. From brushing up on her Italian to investigating Uncle Louie's somewhat mysterious past, Jess soon discovers she needs less of her family's assistance than she or they ever believed. Trigiani risks gilding the lily here, but by placing Jess' love affair with Angelo alongside her love affair with her own future, she maintains a balance that will leave readers as satisfied as an Italian Sunday dinner would. A fairy tale stuffed with a meaningful moral, this is a funny and heartwarming novel. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
