Helpful Score: 1
This is the first book by Adriana Trigiani that I have read, and I loved it. I enjoyed the characters very much as I am Italian and can relate to the family dynamics and all of the Italian words mentioned throughout the book. I've since read "Lucia Lucia," and I have ordered all of her other books. I am so happy that this author was referred to me by someone I work with.
Good book
Great! Funny, visual and moving.
This book is set in the 20's and yet it could easily be for today. A young girl trying to hold out for the love of her life and ends up settling for the next best thing..... a good, easy read.
I got this for a book club I joined. I didn't expect to like it, but I ended up not being able to put it down. Real, lovely and painful at times.
I loved this story but was disappointed that they book itself wasnt longer. I felt like it skipped over a large portion of Nella's life when the story could have been further developed. That said, reading this book was like a walk down memory lane for me, I grew up very near to the town's mentioned in this book. My grandmother also worked in a garment factory and it brought back memories of her stories. I almost felt like this story could have been true since so much of the details were accurate. I cant wait to share this book with my mother who also grew up in the area. This book is an easy, good read.
another excellent book from adriana trigiani.
Really good
The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani is the story of Nella and her family. It follows her through the ups and downs of life from the 1920s to the 1970s. It is a great story about a family and growing up.
I loved reading Adriana Trigiani for the first time. It's so rewarding to find a new
author that you enjoy reading. I could relate to her Italian characters and their
saga. I can't wait to read another!
author that you enjoy reading. I could relate to her Italian characters and their
saga. I can't wait to read another!
This is a fantastic book! If you love Adriana Trigiani novels, you will love this one!
Because I grew up Italian, this book had special meaning for me. It gave me a picture of what my grandparents and aunts and uncles might have experienced growing up in Pennsylvania. Trigiani has blended the early American '20s with the immigrant experience in a perfect way. The characters are memorable. Her style of writing by telling the story from the different points of view of each character add to the total verisimilitude. Anyone, Italian or not, will enjoy the book. Trigiani's subtle sense of humor adds to the reading experience.
Good book, enjoyed reading it. If you love Adriana's style of writing & her character development, then you will enjoy. There is a good mix of emotion too, but the book is not overly emotional.
Ms. Trigiani's books are some of my favorites, and this is no exception. Queen of the Big Time is set from 1910-1971, following the life of Nella and her Italian family in a rural area in Pennsylvania.
Right away the reader is drawn into the story and involved with the characters. You can't always tell what may happen next.
I recommend this one to Adriana fans!
Right away the reader is drawn into the story and involved with the characters. You can't always tell what may happen next.
I recommend this one to Adriana fans!
One of my favorite books. I fell in love with the characters and was upset when the novel was over.
From AudioFile:
There's a lush loveliness at the core of this sweeping tale of America's multicultural heartland. A first-generation Italian-American family in small-town Pennsylvania is depicted against a backdrop of four decades of the past century. The central character, Nella Castelluca, is a farmer's middle daughter whose aspirations are boundless, but her dreams are dashed, and then reborn. Swirling around her are those timeless components of drama--young love, tragic death, and renewed hope. Adriana Trigiani's narration is perfect. Soft and lilting, it reflects a girlish naïveté that might be out of place in another story. Here, though, it works wonderfully.
There's a lush loveliness at the core of this sweeping tale of America's multicultural heartland. A first-generation Italian-American family in small-town Pennsylvania is depicted against a backdrop of four decades of the past century. The central character, Nella Castelluca, is a farmer's middle daughter whose aspirations are boundless, but her dreams are dashed, and then reborn. Swirling around her are those timeless components of drama--young love, tragic death, and renewed hope. Adriana Trigiani's narration is perfect. Soft and lilting, it reflects a girlish naïveté that might be out of place in another story. Here, though, it works wonderfully.
Excellent
Another novel by Adriana Trigiani that focuses on her Italian heritage. The story itself is good, but I was definitely not as enraptured with it like I was with her "Big Stone Gap" trilogy.
Another great book from Adriana Trigiani. I loved the sprited main character. The book takes some unexpected twists and turns through her life.
A sweet novel. I liked it.
It's a different small town and a different Italian American family but it's still good story telling.
Quick read and, to me, better than the Stone Gap trilogy.
This was a great book and a fun read!
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Romance woven together with warmth and good humor.
If you are an Adriana Trigiani fan, this book is a delicious read!
Everything Trigiani writes is wonderful!
Very enjoyable read.
Adorable story...it could have been about my grandmother as she came over from Italy and lived in the same enviornment as the main character in this story. I loved it.
A middle daughter of five aspires to life "in town", far from the rigors of life on the farm.
Another warm-hearted, entertaining story by Adriana Trigiani - small-town life - focused on an Italian-American family
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The Queen of the Big Time was the first Adriana Trigiani book I have read. This book is a beautiful story about three generations of an Italian family living in America and the main character's journey through life and love. I think every girl with fire in her blood will see something of herself in this book. A GREAT read. Enjoy!
Very much enjoyed this book.
This is a very good quick read and is suitable for anyone
I recently 'discovered' Trigiani and have enjoyed all of her books. This one excites me the least of the 5 I have read, but it was still worth the read!
An epic of small-town life...Trigiani takes from her own heritage to craft a generous plot-driven novel that's a breezy page-turner. It is a personal saga of american history and a romance woven together with warmth and good humor.
I'm not a mystery lover, but this was a good one.
A wonderful story about several generations of Italian, in Central Pennsylvania.
Nella Catelluca, middle daughter of five, aspires to a gentel life "in town", far from the rigors of life on the farm. But her dreams shift when she meets and falls in love with Renato Lanzara, a handsome, worldly poet. When Renato disappears without explanation, Nella is shattered. Four years later, Renato's sudden return just before Nella's wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her shaken; for although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nell's, they are fated to live and work side by side for the rest of their lives.
Nice story of three generations of Italian-Americans working and improving their lives. A love story and "feel-good" reading experience.
ANYTHING by Adriana Trigiani is great, including this novel. My favorites are her Big Stone Gap books. :>)
Nice story - really liked it. Trigiani in the form of the Big Stone Gap series.
This was a great book. I couldn't put it down. I love Adriana Trigiani's books anyhow, and this one was good.
Queen of the Big Time is the story of Nella Castalluca's life. She's the middle daughter of a close and loving first generation American-Italiian family in small town Pennsyvania. As a young girl, Nella dreams of going to college, becoming a teacher and marrying her first love. But after those dreams are dashed, her life turns in another direction and she finds new goals and a new unexpected life.
This is the kind of book that I love to read. It's the story of a life well-lived - a mostly happy life, but with a few regrets and lessons learned. The characterization in this book was wonderful, and I felt that I really got to know the characters. Nella especially, but also her family and friends. Since you already know that this book is about Nella's life, I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that the book ends with her funeral. And I found that I cried just as much while reading about the funeral as I imagine some of the fictional mourners did.
Highly Recommended.
This is the kind of book that I love to read. It's the story of a life well-lived - a mostly happy life, but with a few regrets and lessons learned. The characterization in this book was wonderful, and I felt that I really got to know the characters. Nella especially, but also her family and friends. Since you already know that this book is about Nella's life, I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that the book ends with her funeral. And I found that I cried just as much while reading about the funeral as I imagine some of the fictional mourners did.
Highly Recommended.
I love Trigiani's books, but frankly I was diappointed by Milk Glass Moon. It's nice to see her branch out from her Big Stone Gap stories. This is a GREAT read!
Trigiani is a wonderfully gifted author.
