Listening length: 12hr,39min,7sec Set in the lush Big Band era of the 1940s and World War II, this spellbinding saga from beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani tells the story of two talented working class kids who marry and become a successful singing act, until time, temptation, and the responsibilities of home and family derail their dreamsShortly before World War II, Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore and fall in love. Both are talented and ambitious, and both share the dream of becoming singers for the legendary orchestras of the time: Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman. They’re soon married, and it isn’t long before Chiara and Tony find that their careers are on the way up as they navigate the glamorous worlds of night clubs, radio and television. All goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put their ambitions aside to raise a family and which will pursue a career? And how will they cope with the impact that decision has on their lives and their marriage? From the Jersey shore to Las Vegas to Hollywood, and all the dance halls in between, this multi-layered story is vivid with historical color and steeped in the popular music that serves as its score. Tony’s Wife is a magnificent epic of life in a traditional Italian family undergoing seismic change in a fast paced, modern world. Filled with vivid, funny and unforgettable characters, this richly human story showcases Adriana Trigiani’s gifts as a storyteller and her deep understanding of family, love and the pursuit of the American dream.
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DNF at 40%
Content warnings: dysfunctional family, anger issues, hospitalization, death of a loved one, grief
Listened to the audiobook for a book club choice. I knew when I downloaded the book I hadn't left myself enough time to finish before the meeting, but I still continued to listen.
The first chapter was young Sevario, and he seems sensitive and a little bit of a dreamer, and he has his heart broken and then is kicked out of his childhood home, so I felt for the guy!
Chapter 2 we meet Chi Chi, who is feisty and seems wise beyond her years with her observations on life and people. She has big dreams of being a successful singer/song-writer, and has good relationships with her loving family, plus she saves a young boy who was drowning at the beach.
But then it's chapter 3, I'm 2+ hours into the audio book and still everything just feels very... earnest and mellow? The Sevario we meet here is a few years older and is barely recognizable as the dreamer sensitive type from the start--he's hardened, but we didn't get to see why he's become that way.
I was just pretty 'meh' with this book. I hadn't developed any real like or investment in any of the characters or plot. It was just a 'this is somewhat/kinda interesting, but not really' listening experience.
My other book club members also rated it very in the middle: 2.5 star average, and also reported it was 'just boring' and 'meh.'
I still had the audio checked out from the library and thought I might continue, but asked for a summary of the rest of the book, and it sounded like it took a serious down turn: he joins the navy and they fall in love over letters, she marries him for some reason, they have 3 kids together by he cheats on her and they divorce. Years later they reconnect and on the day when they are to get re-married, he runs off and marries a very young woman instead?
Yeah, no thanks.
Narrator was fine, I liked the accents he used. I was annoyed how he said the names sometimes, heavy emphasis on first syllable and such a fast decrescendo that I frequently wasn't even sure what the end of the name was: SEV-elo? SEV-aro? SEV-elio?
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