My Thoughts

I am such a fan of Adriana Trigiani’s writing, so it’s hard to turn down a new read from her. And whilst this read contained all her usual flair, it proved just a little too long to be truly compelling. At over 500 pages this is an epic family drama of Italian-American families in post war USA. Inspired by her own family experiences, Adriana details tales of love, loyalty, adventure and hope in this post war society.

“He leaned over the sink, looked in the mirror, and thought, Everything must change.”

There are many tales to enjoy from this book from the feuding brothers to taxi dispatcher, Hortense, to the variety of comic daughter-in-laws. However, the bulk of the story revolves around Nicky and Calla and their respective journeys: Nicky’s search for a life with meaning and Calla’s quest to save the family owned theatre. The problem is in fact, there are just too many stories all loosely based around family, and it’s difficult to keep track of.

“Nicky Castone decided he must not die until he had lived.”

If some of the plots could have been trimmed or even excluded, it would have made a world of difference, as this book seemed to stretch on for far too long. I struggled to appreciate the whole ambassador’s role and the mistaken identity seemed a little far fetched. And with SO many characters to keep track of, it took some of the enjoyment out of it - many storylines and dilemma’s to resolve, it detracted from getting deeper into the true search for meaning for the main characters.

“Why are you so determined? Who put you in charge of the happy ending of my life story?”

Adriana Trigiani could never really write a ‘bad’ book and this simple tale, with no great highs or lows, has much to offer. You respect Nicky’s desire for more from life, you rally behind Calla’s efforts to save her livelihood and passion; but the book needed to be shorter and more interactive to score higher from me.

“What did you mean by that? If something doesn’t happen to you —”
“You heard right. If something doesn’t happen to me, this life is all for nothing.”



This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release

Having read Big Stone Gap many years ago, I saw this book by Adriana Trigani and I decided to read it as the description piqued my interest.
It is a family story in a historical setting- post World War 2 America - with some amazing characters who are so well described by the author that I felt they were my own personal friends.
Nicky Castone is an orphan in his 20s living with his large extended Italian family who have cared for him since he was 5. He works as a cab driver in the family business run by his Uncle Dom. However his passion is the theatre and he has a second job working for Calla Borelli who is running her father's family theatre in Nicky's local neighbourhood of South Philly.
Nicky has been engaged to Peachy Del Pino for 7 years and she has waited for him through his army service. Now it is time to get married- or is it? Nicky begins to doubt this is what he really wants.
This book also looks at the "American Dream" with several characters striving to fulfil their hopes,Nicky as an actor, Calla as a succesful director and even Hortense who works at the cab company has her own aspirations. All these characters really come to life and I loved the Italian American family descriptions, feuds and all.
The novel also examines how a chance event can alter the course of a person's life, in this case Nicky's when he decides to impersonate Ambassador Carlo from Rosete, Italy who is travelling to Rosete in USA . He is taken ill. On his voyage over and Nicky steps in for reasons of his own changing his life forever.
This was a joyful book full of lots of family occasions. There were lots of characters introduced at first but once I had got used to them it was lovely to see them grow and change. The romantic tension also added another dimension to the story as did the references to Shakespeare's plays which had a huge impact on both Nick and Calla.
A thoroughly enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Adriana Trigiani's characters are, as ever, engrossing and complex.

I love everything by Adriana Trigiani, and Kiss Carlo did not disappoint. This book is an epic novel that tells the story of Nicky Castone and his family. While the beginning was a bit confusing to me-it was hard to keep all of the characters straight-it was soon very easy to get lost in the story. This is a story that is much more about characterization than plot, which I always enjoy when done correctly. Kiss Carlo is the perfect novel if you want an escape!

Adriana Trigiani is fantastic at writing the big Italian family. She makes all character interesting and understands their dynamic and secrets. Nicky Castone works hard for his family trying to do the right thing but never truly fitting in always thinking there must be more to life until Calla Borelli needs a last minute stand in for the play he works behind the scenes at. He then discovers what makes him happy and tries his luck.. a great read with real heart

I'm really sorry, I tried reading this for over 100 pages but it just wasn't sticking with me so I won't be able to review this one.

I have read all of Adrian books and have loved all of them , this one does not let you down a feel good book