Known and loved around the world for her sweeping Big Stone Gap trilogy and the instant New York Times bestseller Lucia, Lucia, Adriana Trigiani returns to the charm and drama of small-town life with Queens of the Big Time. This heartfelt story of the limits and power of love chronicles the remarkable lives of the Castellucas, an Italian-American family, over the course of three generations.In … three generations.
In the late 1800s, the residents of a small village in the Bari region of Italy, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, made a mass migration to the promised land of America. They settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, and re-created their former lives in their new home–down to the very last detail of who lived next door to whom. The village’s annual celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel–or “the Big Time,” as the occasion is called by the young women who compete to be the pageant’s Queen–is the centerpiece of Roseto’s colorful old-world tradition.
The industrious Castellucas farm the land outside Roseto. Nella, the middle daughter of five, aspires to a genteel life “in town,” far from the rigors of farm life, which have taken a toll on her mother and forced her father to take extra work in the slate quarries to make ends meet. But Nella’s dreams of making her own fortune shift when she meets Renato Lanzara, the son of a prominent Roseto family. Renato is a worldly, handsome, devil-may-care poet who has a way with words that makes him irresistible. Their friendship ignites into a fiery romance that Nella is certain will lead to marriage. But Nella is not alone in her pursuit: every girl in town seems to want Renato. When he disappears without explanation, Nella is left with a shattered heart. Four years later, Renato’s sudden return to Roseto the night before Nella’s wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her and the Castelluca family shaken. For although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nella’s, they are fated to live and work in Roseto, where the past hangs over them like a brewing storm.
An epic of small-town life, etched in glorious detail in the trademark Trigiani style, The Queen of the Big Time is the story of a determined, passionate woman who can never forget her first love.
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I loved the characters and identified with them.
I read it all in one day.. I couldn’t put it down!!!!!!
I’m not an experienced reviewer, but I did want to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. So many books are predictable and the writers envision a story where the majority of circumstances work out in the characters ‘ favor. This author of this book told a story that was more like real life; everything didn’t turn out “perfectly.” Because of this, it was a gripping story and there was real satisfaction in reading it. I highly recommend it.
Like everything this author writes!
Very enjoyable, as are Trigiani’s books
Wonderful tale of growing up in immigrant Italian family. Reminded me of my grandmother ‘s Italian friends. Touching story of resilience and the joy of unexpected opportunities.
Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorites. I didn’t enjoy this as much as others, but it was still a worth while read.
Excellent story telling by Adriana Trigiani. Very good presentation of life in the times of a small Italian town in PA through the eyes of a girl from the 1920’s on. Trigiani’s writing style grabbed my attention and held it to the end.
I really, really, really loved this book! The characters were so we’ll written! By the end of the book you felt like you knew them personally. It was set in a time where hard work was a part of everyone’s life. But the feeling of love and family and community was amazing!
It was like reading a page from someone’s life history but written by someone who writes well. The characters were well-developed. I had trouble putting the book down once I began reading it. I recommend it.
Like all of Her books. My favorite is The Shoemakers Wife.
Very enjoyable book.
Enjoyed it has I have all her books!
Ariadni creates this wonderful setting and family closeness. Her main characters don’t necessarily get what they want but their lives are interesting and fulfilling. I’m left with such a feeling of reality when I’ve finished one of her books. I hate to leave their world
Not just a romance novel. Nice characters. Good, fast read.
How I enjoy her take on history. No angst and drama, like Steele? But an interesting narrative of life a century ago.