Rococo, Adriana Trigiani
Rococo, Adriana Trigiani
List: $17.50 | Sale: $12.25
Club: $8.75

Rococo

Author: Adriana Trigiani

Narrator: Stephen Hoye

Unabridged: 10 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/21/2005

Categories: Fiction, Women, Family Life, Sagas


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • One small Italian American town in America gets the makeover it never expected in this “eccentric, unpredictable, entertaining” (The Boston Globe) novel from the author of the beloved Big Stone Gap series

“An artfully designed tale [with] characters so lively they bounce off the page [and] wit so subtle that even the best jokes seem effortless.”—People

Bartolomeo di Crespi is the acclaimed interior decorator—not to mention the most eligible bachelor—in Our Lady of Fatima, New Jersey. From the dazzling shores of the Garden State to the legendary fabric houses of New York City, from the prickly purveyors of fine art in London to the Mediterranean coast of Italy, Bartolomeo is on a mission to bring talent, sophistication, and his aesthetic vision to his hometown. So when the renovation of the local church is scheduled, he assumes there is only one man to oversee the job.

Recruiting an artist and a stained-glass artisan to help with the project—two handsome men who create romantic mayhem among Bartolomeo’s sister, his erstwhile fiancée, and all the other lovelorn ladies of OLOF—Bartolomeo struggles to create art while remaining the steadfast linchpin of the volatile di Crespi clan. Together, Bartolomeo and his team will do more than blow the dust off the old Fatima frescoes—they will turn the town upside down, challenge the faithful, and restore hope where there once was none.

About The Author

Adriana Trigiani is beloved by millions of readers around the world for her fifteen bestsellers, including the blockbuster epic The Shoemaker’s Wife; the Big Stone Gap series; Lucia, Lucia; the Valentine series; the Viola series for young adults; and the bestselling memoir Don’t Sing at the Table. Trigiani reaches new heights with All the Stars in the Heavens, an epic tale from the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is the award-winning filmmaker of the documentary Queens of the Big Time. Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture Big Stone Gap, based on her debut novel and filmed entirely on location in her Virginia hometown. She lives in Greenwich Village with her family.Stephen Hoye has worked as a professional actor in London and Los Angeles for more than 30 years. Trained at Boston University and The Guildhall in London, he has appeared in several feature films, television series, and on stage in London’s West End.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Cathi on 2007-09-10 17:43:38

The narrator is very talented, which sometimes can make or break an audiobook. The story was lively. I wouldn't call it a page turner but it WAS great fun. If you are into decorating, even just mildly, you should hear this book!

Goodreads review by Dawn on May 12, 2011

Adriana Trigiani is my favorite author. Even though this is not my favorite book by Adriana, it was still a very enjoyable read. Maybe it was a little bit harder for me to get into because I am used to her books having women as the main character. Still I enjoyed the quirky characters and all the re......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on November 25, 2007

I've read other books by Adriana Trigiani and enjoyed her "Big Stone Gap" trilogy. I found this book too predictable, the characters more like caricatures. It was sent in the 1970's but written in 2005. It felt like the author did that more to be able to describe the bad fashion and decorating sensi......more

Goodreads review by I'd So Rather Be Reading on June 25, 2010

I know, I know. I said in my In My Mailbox post last week that I was going to save Rococo for later, since I've been reading a lot of Adriana Trigiani lately and I want to make her books last. But, I have no self-control. That is why I read compulsively! I just couldn't return Rococo to the library......more

Goodreads review by Eva on January 06, 2010

I so enjoyed this book. Being of Italian descent I can easily relate to the behaviors, mannerisms, sayings and traditions covered in this book. This following excerpt from the book describes it so very accurately and beautifully: "We have a way of being as a family that is purely Italian, beginning......more

Goodreads review by Yvonne on September 08, 2018

One of my favorite books ever! Very entertaining!......more


Quotes

“A veritable crazy quilt of quirky Italian Americans . . .Trigiani weaves all [the] subplots together with wonderful ease.”Entertainment Weekly

“A summer must-read. . . a hilarious mix of. . . humor, lust, [and] family dynamics.”The Hartford Courant
 
“A feel-good story . . . manages to soothe, in part because of its cozy design talk, and in part because of the likable, competent B.”Publishers Weekly
 
“An affectionate celebration of the support we derive from family and community, told with humor and warmth.”Hartford Courant

“[Trigiani] delivers charming, dependably satisfying books that you know will be stuffed with quirky but likable characters. . . . Throughout this fast-paced, abundantly charming novel, Trigiani focuses on the things that really matter: family, faith and home. Especially home. It is a deeply rewarding book that should make her legions of fans very happy indeed.”BookPage

“A rollicking read . . . The comic prose itself deserves applause.”Booklist

“Here’s your beach read . . . [Rococo] is as much fun as [Trigiani’s] previous novels. . . . There are hilarious encounters here and abroad, with so many colorful citizens darting in and out of the pages that it is impossible to name favorites.”Roanoke Times

“[A] kitschy, quaintly amusing Italian American saga . . . [B is a] unique and winning protagonist.”Kirkus Reviews

“Tiramisu for the soul . . . It’s rejuvenating to read a book as light and crisp as Rococo. . . . An authentic sentimental tale, with characters you very quickly adore . . . like a bubble bath you don’t want to get out of.”—Washington Examiner
 
“[Adriana Trigiani] again shows her abilities to take the everyday happenings of a small town and turn them into a story that is entertaining and just plain fun in Rococo. Trigiani has an elegant writing style that captures the essence of her characters and makes them larger than life on the written page.”Texas Times Record News

“It would be impossible not to like a hero who declares that ‘Italy, despite its earthiness and charm, can never be New Jersey.’”The Christian Science Monitor
 
“Breathtaking . . . full of color, fabric, love, lust and secrets”The Huntsville Times

“Lighthearted . . . hilarious . . . Trigiani has a bombastic comedic style.”—Deseret Morning News

“A paean to Italian life . . . laugh-out-loud funny . . . it’s The Sopranos without the mob hits and the psychotherapy.”Fort Worth Star-Telegram