Synopses & Reviews
The perfect gift—the beloved
New York Timesbestselling author shares a treasure trove of insight and guidance from her two grandmothers: time-tested common sense advice on the most important aspects of a woman's life, from childhood to old age.
New York Timesbestselling author Adriana Trigiani's gift for illuminating the profound challenges and issues defining women's lives has propelled her novels to the top of bestseller lists and earned her a wide, devoted readership. Now, she shares the roots of those insights—the wisdom handed down to her from her unforgettable grandmothers, Lucia and Viola, which she began collecting for her own daughter—with readers everywhere.
Filled with practical, sage advice, and infused with Trigiani's trademark warmth, love, and humor, Don't Sing at the Tableintroduces a pair of feisty, intelligent, and strong forces of nature whose lives embody the story of 20th-century America itself. Between them, the extraordinary Lucia and Viola lived through the century from beginning to end, surviving immigration, young widowhood, single motherhood, four wars, and the Great Depression. Culled from their remarkable experiences this heartfelt guide, at turns hilarious and poignant, offers answers to the seminal questions in a woman's life, from getting married to saving money, nurturing the soul to keeping calm in a crisis, raising children to finding private comfort.
Encouraging her readers to take risks but to play it smart, to follow their hearts while keeping their heads, Don't Sing at the Tableis essential for anyone who has wished they could turn to someone older and wiser to ask, "How did you do it?"
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“Best-selling author Trigiani (Very Valentine) presents a loving paean to her Italian grandmothers... there is much warmth in these remembrances that will resonate with readers who enjoyed strong relationships with their own grandparents and know the value they can bring to our lives.” Library Journal
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“Trigiani combines family and American history, reflections on lives well-lived, and sound advice to excellent effect, as a legacy to her daughter and a remembrance of two inimitable women.” Publishers Weekly
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“[C]harming… comforting lessons for readers seeking a simpler way of life.” Kirkus
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“Soothingly and with clarity…. Readers will find her strength and optimism helpful, and her legions of loyal fans will enjoy learning more about the women who influenced, inspired, and, according to Trigiani, made possible some of her best-selling fiction.” Booklist
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“One of the reigning queens of womens fiction.” USA Today
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“Delightful, energetic. . . . Trigiani is a seemingly effortless storyteller.” Boston Globe
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“Well crafted work with sometime lyrical, sometimes flat-out-funny writing.” Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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“Dazzling.” USA Today
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“Adriana Trigiani listens to her readers, then gives them what they want. ” Richmond Times-Dispatch
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“Trigiani has certainly not lost her ability to breathe life into everything she writes.” Roanoke Times
Synopsis
As devoted readers of Adriana Trigiani's New York Times bestselling novels know, this "seemingly effortless storyteller" (Boston Globe) frequently draws inspiration from her own family history, in particular from the lives of her two remarkable grandmothers, who have found their way into all Trigiani's cherished novels. In Don't Sing at the Table, this much-beloved writer has gathered their estimable life lessons, revealing how her grandmothers' simple values have shaped her own life, sharing the experiences, humor, and wisdom of her beloved mentors to delight readers of all ages.
Lucia Spada Bonicelli (Lucy) and Yolanda Perin Trigiani (Viola) lived through the twentieth century from beginning to end as working women who juggled careers and motherhood. From the factory line to the family table, Lucy and Viola, the very definition of modern women, cut a path for their granddaughter by demonstrating moxie and pluck in their fearless approach to life, love, and overcoming obstacles.
Lucy's and Viola's traditions and spiritual fortitude will encourage you to hold on to the values that make life rich and beautiful. Their entrepreneurial spirit will inspire you to take risks and reap the rewards. And their remarkable resilience in the face of tragedy will be a source of strength and comfort.
Trigiani visits the past to seek answers to the essential questions that define the challenges women face today at work and at home. This is a primer, grand-mother to granddaughter, filled with everyday wisdom and life lessons that are truly "tiramisu for the soul" (The Examiner), handed down with care and built to last.
Synopsis
"No one ever reads just one of Trigianis wonderfully quirky tales. Once you pick up the first, you are hooked.” —
BookPageNew York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani shares a treasure trove of insight and guidance from her two grandmothers: time-tested, common sense advice on the most important aspects of a womans life, from childhood to the golden years. Seamlessly blending anecdote with life lesson, Dont Sing at the Table tells the two vibrant womens real-life stories—how they fell in love, nurtured their marriages, balanced raising children with being savvy businesswomen, and reinvented themselves with each new decade. For readers of Big Stone Gap, Very Valentine, Lucia, Lucia, and Rococo, this loving memoir is the Trigiani family recipe for chicken soup for the soul
About the Author
Adriana Trigiani is beloved by millions of readers around the world for fifteen bestsellers, including the blockbuster epic The Shoemaker's Wife; the Big Stone Gap series; Lucia, Lucia; the Valentine series; the Viola series for young adults; and the bestselling memoir Don't Sing at the Table. Trigiani reaches new heights with All the Stars in the Heavens, an epic tale from the golden age of Hollywood. She is the award-winning filmmaker of the documentary Queens of the Big Time. Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture Big Stone Gap, based on her debut novel and filmed entirely on location in her Virginia hometown, to be released nationwide on October 9th, 2015. She lives in Greenwich Village with her family.