***5 Stars
This was my first book by popular author, Adriana Trigiani. I read it for a book club and now I know why she’s so popular. The story centers on a family of jewelers, the Cabrelli’s, and 81-year-old Matelda, who lives in the Italian town of Viareggio. Matelda has children, grandchildren, and a husband. The book starts on Matelda’s 81st birthday where she reflects on her life and realizes she hasn’t shared her family history with her relatives. She wants to do this before she dies.
Matelda recalls her mother, Domenica, who was a nurse during World War II. Domenica grew up with Silvio who had no father and was ostracized by the town. After an incident where he was accused of stealing a map of a treasure from the library, his mother left Viareggio with him. Domenica didn’t see him again until he’d returned to town during a fair, and she discovered he was engaged.
Domenica’s story continues when she is sent to a nunnery in France because she’s given out birth control information which went against the church’s teachings. While she decides not to become a nun, she meets a Scottish sailor during her time in France and falls in love with him. As Matelda shares her mother’s story with her family, they learn more about their ancestors and the trials they faced during the war in several countries and how they made it back to Italy and Viareggio.
I enjoyed this book and hope to read more by the author. It took me a little time to get into the story, but once I did, it kept me reading. The only difficulty I had was keeping up with all the characters and a few of the foreign phrases. I appreciated the fact that the main character was a senior and recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about family relationships, romances, and history.
Ruff Drafts 