Instant New York Times Bestseller - People's Book of the Week
From Adriana Trigiani, the beloved New York Times-bestselling author
of The Shoemaker's Wife, comes an exhilarating epic novel of love,
loyalty, and creativity--the story of an Italian-American family on
the cusp of change.
It's 1949 and South Philadelphia bursts with opportunity during the
post-war boom. The Palazzini Cab Company & Western Union Telegraph
Office, owned and operated by Dominic Palazzini and his three sons, is
flourishing: business is good, they're surrounded by sympathetic wives
and daughters-in-law, with grandchildren on the way. But a decades-long
feud that split Dominic and his brother Mike and their once-close
families sets the stage for a re-match.
Amidst the hoopla, the arrival of an urgent telegram from Italy upends
the life of Nicky Castone (Dominic and his wife's orphaned nephew) who
lives and works with his Uncle Dom and his family. Nicky decides, at 30,
that he wants more--more than just a job driving Car #4 and more than
his longtime fiancée Peachy DePino, a bookkeeper, can offer. When he
admits to his fiancée that he's been secretly moonlighting at the local
Shakespeare theater company, Nicky finds himself drawn to the stage, its
colorful players and to the determined Calla Borelli, who inherited the
enterprise from her father, Nicky must choose between the conventional
life his family expects of him or chart a new course and risk losing
everything he cherishes.
From the dreamy mountaintop village of Roseto Valfortore in Italy, to
the vibrant streets of South Philly, to the close-knit enclave of
Roseto, Pennsylvania, to New York City during the birth of the golden
age of television, Kiss Carlo is a powerful, inter-generational story
that celebrates the ties that bind, while staying true to oneself when
all hope seems lost.
Told against the backdrop of some of Shakespeare's greatest comedies,
this novel brims with romance as long buried secrets are revealed,
mistaken identities are unmasked, scores are settled, broken hearts are
mended and true love reigns. Trigiani's consummate storytelling skill
and her trademark wit, along with a dazzling cast of characters will
enthrall readers. Once again, the author has returned to her own family
garden to create an unforgettable feast. Kiss Carlo is a jubilee,
resplendent with hope, love, and the abiding power of la famiglia.
