Kiss Carlo
A Novel
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4.0 • 109 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Instant New York Times Bestseller • People’s Book of the Week
From Adriana Trigiani, the beloved New York Times-bestselling author of The Shoemaker’s Wife, comes an exhilarating epic novel of love, loyalty, and creativity—the story of an Italian-American family on the cusp of change.
It’s 1949 and South Philadelphia bursts with opportunity during the post-war boom. The Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph Office, owned and operated by Dominic Palazzini and his three sons, is flourishing: business is good, they’re surrounded by sympathetic wives and daughters-in-law, with grandchildren on the way. But a decades-long feud that split Dominic and his brother Mike and their once-close families sets the stage for a re-match.
Amidst the hoopla, the arrival of an urgent telegram from Italy upends the life of Nicky Castone (Dominic and his wife’s orphaned nephew) who lives and works with his Uncle Dom and his family. Nicky decides, at 30, that he wants more—more than just a job driving Car #4 and more than his longtime fiancée Peachy DePino, a bookkeeper, can offer. When he admits to his fiancée that he’s been secretly moonlighting at the local Shakespeare theater company, Nicky finds himself drawn to the stage, its colorful players and to the determined Calla Borelli, who inherited the enterprise from her father, Nicky must choose between the conventional life his family expects of him or chart a new course and risk losing everything he cherishes.
From the dreamy mountaintop village of Roseto Valfortore in Italy, to the vibrant streets of South Philly, to the close-knit enclave of Roseto, Pennsylvania, to New York City during the birth of the golden age of television, Kiss Carlo is a powerful, inter-generational story that celebrates the ties that bind, while staying true to oneself when all hope seems lost.
Told against the backdrop of some of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, this novel brims with romance as long buried secrets are revealed, mistaken identities are unmasked, scores are settled, broken hearts are mended and true love reigns. Trigiani’s consummate storytelling skill and her trademark wit, along with a dazzling cast of characters will enthrall readers. Once again, the author has returned to her own family garden to create an unforgettable feast. Kiss Carlo is a jubilee, resplendent with hope, love, and the abiding power of la famiglia.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Trigiani takes readers on a journey to post World War II Philadelphia, where one man suddenly realizes that he wants more from life than the path that he has been given. After being orphaned at a young age, Nicky Castone lives with his uncle's family, the Palazzinis. In 1949, following his military service, Nicky is now driving a cab for his uncle's company and engaged to Peachy DePino. But he discovers true passion when he fills in as a substitute actor in a Shakespearean play at the nearby theater run by Calla Borelli and her father. When the taxi dispatch office receives a telegram that Carlo Guardinfante, an Italian ambassador, is unable to make an appearance at a local festival in Roseto, Pa., Nicky jumps at the chance to impersonate Carlo and further his acting skills. His experiences in Roseto lead him to question where his life is headed. Trigiani brilliantly brings 1949 South Philadelphia to life, complete with the humor and heartbreak of the close-knit Italian families who live there. Yet the true star is Nicky who, in his quest to break free, is most memorable.
Customer Reviews
Doesn't measure up to author's previous books
Having read all of Adriana Trigiani's previous novels, I was disappointed in her newest book. I found it tedious, boring and found myself skipping paragraphs to get to a potentially exciting part of the story. It never arrived.... This was a seemingly endless and most predictable saga.
Kiss Carlo
Andrianna is a favorite author of mine; however, this book had to many characters, moving from one unbelievable situation to another with very little actual character development. After reading the entire book, there was really was not one character that I liked. Unfortunately this one gets a "C"!