I've loved Trigiana's work since her fictional Big Stone Gap series, the first of which I pre-ordered because I had lived in the area as a child and couldn't wait to read the book. Her novels always focus on family relationships, but in this book the focus is on her wonderful real-life grandmothers.
Both came from Italy to the U.S. with little education and little money, but learned from their experiences and became fountains of wisdom. They shared that wisdom with the author, in words and actions, and she lives by their teachings long after they've been gone.
The grandmothers were amazing women and I adored their stories. They would have been a 5 star book. Unfortunately toward the end of the book, the author started giving her own advice and I was nearly bored to tears. In her defense, most of her advice is on child rearing and I'm well past that stage of my life. Readers with young children may appreciate those final chapters.
Overall the book is well worth reading and I would recommend it to anyone.
By Adriana Trigiani
4 Stars
January Tag, published 2010, and Shelfagory # 9, non-fiction
I've loved Trigiana's work since her fictional Big Stone Gap series, the first of which I pre-ordered because I had lived in the area as a child and couldn't wait to read the book. Her novels always focus on family relationships, but in this book the focus is on her wonderful real-life grandmothers.
Both came from Italy to the U.S. with little education and little money, but learned from their experiences and became fountains of wisdom. They shared that wisdom with the author, in words and actions, and she lives by their teachings long after they've been gone.
The grandmothers were amazing women and I adored their stories. They would have been a 5 star book. Unfortunately toward the end of the book, the author started giving her own advice and I was nearly bored to tears. In her defense, most of her advice is on child rearing and I'm well past that stage of my life. Readers with young children may appreciate those final chapters.
Overall the book is well worth reading and I would recommend it to anyone.