The Queen of the Big Time: A Novel

by Adriana Trigiani

Paperback, 2005

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Ballantine Books (2005), Paperback, 304 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML: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 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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member wyvernfriend

The story of Nella Castelluca from the moment she is offered a place in the local high school through her life, love, trials and tribulations. Apparently inspired by the author's grandmother it's light and heartwarming.

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LibraryThing member alanna1122

I liked this. much better than Lucia Lucia. Typical Trigiani story arch. Sweet and interesting.

LibraryThing member Trinity

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.

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LibraryThing member whitebalcony

Easy to read.. but I was left a little short with the whole unrequited love bit.. it just never really rang true for me.

LibraryThing member Whisper1

As a child I lived near Roseto, PA. This book brought back many wonderful memories. If you are looking for a quick read that makes you laugh and cry, this is the book to get. Triginai is a master at painting the picture of this small-town, close-knit community. She also was very astutely accurate

in portraying the gossipy, pettiness of this area in North East Pennsylvania. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

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LibraryThing member judithann

Good story, the main character reminded me of the main character of Big Stone Gap, but that was fine. The story is set in the 1920s (although we follow Nella, with great jumps until her death much later). Nella is a farmer's daughter living in a town in Pennsylvania (USA) with many Italian

immigrants, like them. She has a good set of brains and wants to become a teacher.

She manages to go to secondary school for a while, until her father has an accident and she has to leave school, in order to work in a factory. She meets a man, 7 years older than her, and falls in love with him.

A believable story.

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LibraryThing member carka

Like Big Stone Gap trilogy, chronicles the experiences of an Italian family in Pennsylvania...what you want on the surface may not be what's best for you.

LibraryThing member birdsam0610

I just want to state that I do more in life than just trawl the sale piles in Borders. Queen of the Big Time was another one of these finds, although I had read good reviews about this author before.

Queen of the Big Time follows the life of Nella Castelluca, an Italian-American girl in small town

America. I like books that cover all about the character- Nella is charming, thought provoking and witty. However, what I didn’t like was that the book covered small sections of her life and then jumped several years without warning.

I think the title is also a bit of a misnomer- the Big Time is a festival held in Nella’s hometown, but it’s only described a couple of times and I felt that Nella didn’t play that big a role in the Big Time (no pun intended).

The characters are what makes this book- they are interesting with many quirks (some revealed, some hidden). There is also soap-worthy drama here aplenty- what happens to Nella in the first hundred or so pages will make you wonder what made her fate so awful! But of course she raises about it all to become a respected community member.

This is a good light read, suitable for a beach or holiday or just when you don’t want something too taxing. The language is easy and descriptive. Plus I’ve also found another book by the same author on the discount pile at Target…

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LibraryThing member CatieN

Roseto, Pennsylvania, is a town created by Italian immigrants and is almost an exact replica of the towns they left in Italy. The main character of the book is Nella Casteluca. (I apologizeto the author for any misspellings. I listened to the audio-book so never saw the Italian names in print.) It

is around the time of the Great Depression. Nella is a smart, down-to-earth girl who desperately wants to continue her education and become a teacher. Circumstances with her family and her family's farm conspire against that dream, and Nella ends up on a much different career path. Likewise, the dreams of a future she wants with one man are shattered, and Nella embarks on a completely different path in her personal life. This isn't a deep story, and the reader doesn't have to give a lot of thought to the motivation of the characters, but it is a lovely story, and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. Just as an aside, the "reader" in the audio-book was excellent.

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LibraryThing member espref

Okay, I listened to an unabridged audio of this. I would say it was enough to hold my attention, but not great. I believe it would be an excellent Lifetime movie and sometimes that's enough.

LibraryThing member nancynova

Small town life novel set near my hometown. I recognized the places! Nella Castelluca, the middle of five daughters of an Italian family, has to leave school and go to work in the blouse factory at age 15, after her Dad is injured in a quarry accident. She loves Renato, an older boy, who disappears

with her heart after his parents die. After years of pursuing her, Franco finally gets Nella to give in a marry him. But on the eve of their wedding, Renato returns to Roseto - as a priest. Nella and Franco marry, but has she really given him all her heart?

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LibraryThing member pennsylady

Beginning in early 20th-century TQOTBT chronicles the
lives of the Castellucas, an Italian-American family, over the course of 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: America. They settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, and re-created their former lives in their new home -- down to the very last detail "

I loved the immigrant flavor and experience............
I was surprised at the verve of middle daughter Nell as her dreams are shattered and yet she forges ahead and reconstructs her life.

Lots of laughter, lots of tears.
I became emotionally involved with the characters.
---------
The only "down" point was the reading by the author.
She was matter of fact and I probably saw the story in a different light than she.

However the end result was that I really enjoyed the read

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LibraryThing member BookConcierge

3.5 stars
Nella Costelucca narrates her story of growing up on a farm in PA but loving school and wanting to be a teacher. However, her father's injury forces her to quit school and go to work at the blouse factory, where she thrives and prospers. Trigiani lets the reader into her characters lives,

with all the twists and turns life's road takes.

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LibraryThing member SueinCyprus

This the story of a young Italian American girl called Nella. We first meet her in 1924 when she is fourteen. Nella and her family live on a farm, and she is the middle daughter of five.

The book is about her growing up and her adult life. It's primarily a character-based book, based in part on

reminiscences from the author’s father and grandmother. I enjoyed Nella’s take on life, the reasons for the decisions she makes, and her growing awareness of who she really is, something that doesn’t hit her fully until she’s in her fifties.

I know almost nothing about the Italian American communities, but there’s an authentic touch that made them come alive in my mind. The author is skilled in painting pictures of people’s lives and occupations without any hint of being overtly educational.

There are some unexpected and tragic incidents in the novel, but they’re sensitively dealt with. Given the era and the circumstances, they’re probably realistic. The ending is gentle and open, and there’s then a bittersweet epilogue which rounds it off in a way that helped bring it to completion.

Recommended to anyone who likes historical fiction with no real plot other than the unfolding and developing of somebody’s life.

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LibraryThing member readinglife11

A light but very enjoyable read

LibraryThing member tkcs

I liked the first 2/3 of the book a lot, but the end felt like I was reading a Reader's Digest condensed version. I wish she'd taken the same care in the last part as she did the first.

LibraryThing member witchyrichy

When I want to read a big-hearted story of family and community, I reach for Adriana Trigiani. The Queen of the Big Time is set in the real town of Roseto, Pennsylvania, and based loosely on family stories. The main character, Nella, grows up on a farm outside of town. She eventually ends up in

town working at the sewing factory where she is able to move up to leadership, an early career woman. Her teenage boyfriend disappears only to reappear years later just as she is ready to wed another. As with all of Trigiani's books, there is a mix of joy and sorrow, with tragedy leading to decisions that alter lives. No matter the sadness, however, the characters find love and support from family and friends. Roseto was founded by Italians who came from the same small village in Italy and has been studied for the health of its inhabitants.

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