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Summary
Summary
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.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Calla Borelli inherited her love of the theater from her father, Sam, but directing only Shakespeare plays in 1949 might spell the end of her beloved Borelli theater.Trigiani (All the Stars in the Heavens, 2015, etc.) uses the motifs of the Bard's playsorphans, star-crossed lovers, family feuds, and mistaken identitiesand the Borelli theater stands at the center of all the action. She has crafted a world of warm, lively characters whose charming idiosyncrasies lead them to collide and ricochet along the way to love. Orphaned at 5, Nicky Castone was lovingly folded into his Aunt Jo and Uncle Dom's family in South Philly. Now 28 and a WWII veteran, he works in the family cab business, which competes with his Uncle Mike's business across town, since Dom and Mike have been feuding since 1933. When he's not squiring Peachy DePino, his fiancee of seven years, he moonlights at the Borelli theater as a prompter and anything else Sam and Calla need. One fateful night, however, two leads of Twelfth Night are called away, leaving Nicky and Calla to take the stage for Sebastian and Olivia's marriage scene, and chemistry ignites. Of course, Nicky and Calla don't know they are in love yet. First, the course of love must be strewn with obstacles: Frank, Calla's boyfriend, who wants to demolish the failing theater; Peachy, who objects to Nicky's breaking off their engagement; Mr. DePino, who also objects and whose threats of violence inspire Nick to flee town. Nick volunteers to drive a telegram to Roseto, Pennsylvania, but instead of delivering the message, he decides to impersonate Ambassador Carlo Guardinfante of Roseta Valfortore, Italy, a decorated WWII veteran who can no longer attend the Roseto Jubilee given his sudden illness. Chaos ensues. A delightfully sprawling comedy full of extended families, in all their cocooning warmth and suffocating expectations. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Trigiani's latest domestic drama is the story of the Palazzinis, a boisterous Italian clan led by feuding brothers Dominic and Mike, set in post-WWII South Philadelphia. Cleverly riffing on many of Shakespeare's most enduring themes, the thrust of the action revolves around Nicky Castone, an orphaned Palazzini cousin who has lived with Dominic and his family since he was five years old. Nicky drives a cab for his uncle Dom's company by day and works as a prompter at the Borelli Theater by night, waiting for the day he and his fiancée of seven years, Peachy Di Pino, will marry. Carla Borelli, daughter of the founder, is determined to revive the floundering theater, a local institution that specializes in Shakespeare productions, despite low ticket sales and a crumbling building. The short chapters switch perspective among the numerous characters, coalescing to create a vivid picture of the complex family and community ties that bind. Trigiani brings her characteristic warmth and wit to this charming story, which is sure to please her fans.--Szwarek, Magan Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Trigiani's 13th adult novel (after All the Stars in the Heavens) is set in early 1950s Philadelphia and follows the lives of two families, the Palazzinis and the Borellis. The Palazzini brothers, Dom and Mike, each run a cab company but do not speak to each other owing to a feud. Curmudgeon Dom is tempered by his sweet wife, Jo. Their three sons and their wives and Dom and Jo's nephew Nicky Castone also live in the family home. In the same neighborhood, Sam Borelli and his daughter, Calla, struggle to keep their small theater running. Nicky moonlights as a stagehand and affectionately spars with Calla. Things get a little crazy when Nicky breaks up with his fiancée and flees to Roseto, PA, to avoid her murderous father. A series of events involving both families and a cast of affecting secondary characters drive the narrative. While this may sound like a drawing room farce, the humor and heart of the story shine through. Verdict Entering the world of the Palazzinis and the Borellis is like taking a trip to a simpler time when families still lived, loved, and fought together, bound by tradition and affection. This truly pleasurable read will strike a chord with fans of Fannie Flagg. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/17.]-Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
