The Queen of the Big Time

A Novel

By: Adriana Trigiani

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A heartfelt novel of the power of love across three generations of an Italian-American family, from the author of the Big Stone Gap series

“[An] epic of small-town life . . . A personal saga of American history and a romance woven together with warmth and good humor.”—The Oregonian

In the late 1800s, the residents of a small village in coastal Italy migrated to the promised land of America. They eventually settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, where they re-created every detail of their former lives, including the centerpiece of Roseto’s colorful old-world tradition: the annual pageant for Our Lady of Mount Caramel—or “the Big Time,” as it’s called by the young women competing to be its Queen.

The industrious Castellucas farm the land outside Roseto. Nella, the middle daughter of five, aspires to a genteel life “in town,” far from the rigors of life on the farm. But her dreams of making her own fortune shift when she meets and falls in love with Renato Lanzaro, a worldly, handsome, devil-may-care poet. When Renato disappears without explanation, Nella is shattered.

Four years later, Renato’s sudden return just before Nella’s wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her shaken. For although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nella’s, they are fated to live and work side by side for the rest of their lives in Roseto, where the past hangs over them like a brewing storm.

Etched in glorious detail in Adriana Trigiani’s trademark style, The Queen of the Big Time is the story of a determined, passionate woman who can never forget her first love.©2004 Adriana Trigiani; (P)2004 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Pure pleasure. . . full-bodied and elegantly written.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Moving and poignant . . . Trigiani has again defied categorization. She is more than a one-hit wonder, more than a Southern writer, more than a women’s novelist. She is an amazing young talent.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

“[The Queen of the Big Time] will make you smile and reminisce about gentler, more civil times in small-town and rural America.”—The Boston Globe

“Intensely detailed characters . . . Deaths lead to births, dreams deferred yield wondrous new visions.”—Entertainment Weekly

What a lovely book

I enjoyed this book very much. The main character, Nella, gives the story of her life starting at the age of 14. Her feelings and relationships are well developed. The narrator has a very smooth voice and add an Italian accent when it is called for. She reads the book much the way I would have. This is definitely a book I plan to listen to again, from time to time.

Italy in America

To me this was about family and lots of love. The scene in the middle of the night and elephants raising the big tent that Franco took his family to see was so heartwarming. We have lost those days.

Beautiful family saga

I love how she develops each character and weaves them into a can’t-wait-to-get-back-to story. No book of hers has ever disappointed me. Thank you, Adriana.

Excellent book - bad synopsis on this site

This is a terrific book (as are all of Adriana Trigiani's books). She's a fabulous storyteller.

I wanted to make note here that the description of this book, as it appears here on audible.com, has a lot of errors in it. Nella is not the eldest (which is important to the story), she's the middle of 5 girls. And the so-called "rumors" of Lanzara's disappearance are also wrongly described here. I won't spoil it, but felt these errors should be noted.

Wonderful characters

I love Adriana's work. In all her books she developes her characters so well that they seem like they were your aunts or uncles! Real people living ordinary lives. Being of Italian heritage myself,her writing really does describe what it's like to be part of a big Italian family. Lucia Lucia was another favorite of mine.