The Queen of the Big Time

by Adriana Trigiani

Known and loved around the world for her sweeping Big Stone Gap trilogy and the instant New York Times bestseller Lucia, Lucia, Adriana Trigiani returns to the charm and drama of small-town life with Queens of the Big Time. This heartfelt story of the limits and power of love chronicles the remarkable lives of the Castellucas, an Italian-American family, over the course of three generations.

In the late 1800s, the residents of a small village in the Bari region of Italy, on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, made a mass migration to the promised land of America. They settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, and re-created their former lives in their new home–down to the very last detail of who lived next door to whom. The village’s annual celebration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel–or “the Big Time,” as the occasion is called by the young women who compete to be the pageant’s Queen–is the centerpiece of Roseto’s colorful old-world tradition.

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 farm life, which have taken a toll on her mother and forced her father to take extra work in the slate quarries to make ends meet. But Nella’s dreams of making her own fortune shift when she meets Renato Lanzara, the son of a prominent Roseto family. Renato is a worldly, handsome, devil-may-care poet who has a way with words that makes him irresistible. Their friendship ignites into a fiery romance that Nella is certain will lead to marriage. But Nella is not alone in her pursuit: every girl in town seems to want Renato. When he disappears without explanation, Nella is left with a shattered heart. Four years later, Renato’s sudden return to Roseto the night before Nella’s wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her and the Castelluca family shaken. For although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nella’s, they are fated to live and work in Roseto, where the past hangs over them like a brewing storm.

An epic of small-town life, etched in glorious detail in the trademark Trigiani style, The Queen of the Big Time is the story of a determined, passionate woman who can never forget her first love.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Book Club, Italy, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Join Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts: https://linktr.ee/adrianatrigiani

Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.

Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had literally two minutes to pick something at the library. I don't love Adriana Trigiani, although I liked the Big Stone Gap books. In this one, I think she made her common error. Really, she writes character-driven fiction. So, the first half where the characters are developing, is engaging and strong. Then, she forgets herself, and drives 50 years of plot in less than 100 pages. It just doesn't work. I wish she had a really good editor because I think she could do better work than this...

[Justina Neliubšienė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tai mažo miestelio gyvenimo epas apimantis Kastelukų, italų kilmės amerikiečių šeimos tris kartas. Nuostabus pasakojimas apie ryžtingą ir aistringą moteri Nela, kuri niekada nepamiršo savo pirmosios meiles. Bet gyvenime tenka rinktis, kartais paaukoti svajones ar užgniaužti jausmus. Labai graži ir jauki knyga. 😉

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've gotten back to Adriana Trigiani, & I forgot how much I loved her stories & how hard it is to explain why I like them so much. What I can say is that Queen of the Big Time is similar to Trigiani's other stories about hard-working emotionally isolated Italian American women.

Trigiani is one of the few authors my mom & I read together, mostly because my mom hardly ever finds the time to read a good book (I don't blame her, she's a busy woman). My aunt sent us an advanced proof of Big Stone Gap, the first book in the series about self-proclaimed spinster Ave Maria Mulligan and the sleepy Blue Ridge Mountain town of Big Stone Gap & we were both hooked. But I haven't read anything of hers since Milk Glass Moon, the last, & so far best installment in the Big Stone Gap series.

Queen of the Big Time follows the life of Nella Castelluca, middle daughter of Italian immigrant farmers in Roseto, Pennsylvannia. Nella's teenage years bring several challenges to Nella's family and force the talented girl to make decisions for the sake of her family, but contrary to her own dreams. As she adjusts to her new situation, Nella must descide if she should give her heart to the "ideal" but distant man or the "ordinary" but dependable one, a decision she struggles with throughout her life, as the man she thought she'd given up suddenly returns to her life in a way that neither of them can avoid.

A lot of the themes I like in the Big Stone Gap books reappeared in Queen of the Big Time. There was the requisite trip to Italy, the heroine's struggle with motherhood (one of the reasons I love reading her books with my mom), the struggle to hold onto old-world values while still desiring to keep up with the times, and above all, a dedication to family and community.

Trigiani's book are about such ordinary people in such ordinary communities, I always think it's strange that I get so excited about them. Maybe because they're so ordinary it's easier to identify with them. At least in Queen of the Big Time it makes sense for me to identify with the daughter of a hog farmer hoping to use her brains to get off the farm. I have no idea what I have in common with a 35-year-old Southern spinster of Italian ancestry in Big Stone Gap, but I found myself identifying with her too. So many times Trigiani's heroines' reactions feel like my own & their emotional struggles could have been pulled from my life. I don't know how she does it, and makes it feel so natural, but I love it & I can't wait for the next Big Stone Gap novel, Home To Big Stone Gap, comes out in October 2006.

[La Libridinosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stelle e mezzo

Non servono centinaia e centinaia di pagine né tanti volumi per raccontare e bene la storia di una famiglia. Lo si può fare, come ci dimostra Adriana Trigiani con questo romanzo, in maniera completa, senza lasciare lacune né a livello storico né per ciò che concerne i personaggi.
Si può soddisfare il lettore che, giunto all’ultima pagina del romanzo, non avrà l’impressione di essersi lasciato dietro dei grandi vuoti.

Adriana Trigiani torna con un nuovo romanzo e ci porta in Pennsylvania, a Roseto, dove Nella e la famiglia Castelluca sono pronti ad accoglierci tra le mura della loro casa, per raccontarti la loro storia, per farci capire cosa voglia dire aver lasciato la propria vita e il proprio Paese per costruirsi un futuro e dare la possibilità ai propri figli di inseguire i loro sogni.

Sarà la voce di di Nella, una delle cinque figlie dei Castelluca, a raccontarci questa storia. Nella, una ragazza forte e tenace, che questi sogni dovrà chiuderli in un cassetto, ma, nonostante ciò, riuscirà a realizzare qualcosa di grande!

#lamiafascetta Perché, in fondo, ogni viaggio si affronta con l’idea del ritorno a casa!

La recensione completa su La Libridinosa

[Sidna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure what to say about this book. The author was new to me and I thought it looked like an interesting story. The story follows one woman, Nella, from the time she is 14-years-old and fell in love for the first time with a 21-year-old man, until her death at the age of 61. Although she realizes the man she loves is too old for her, she is never able to forget him even after she marries another man and has a family.

Trigiani is a good writer and keeps the reader interested in the story. Nella is the third daughter in a family of five girls. Her two older sisters are fleshed out a little, but I wonder why the two younger sisters are in the book. We learn very little about them other than their names and they seem to have no purpose other than to make the family a large one that is struggling through hard times.

The title is sort of lost, too. Each fall there is a celebration, called the Big Time, in the town near the farm where Nella's family lives. A local girl is crowned the Queen of the Big Time, but the Queen isn't necessarily the prettiest girl in town nor is she elected. Girls sell tickets to raise money for the local Catholic church and the girl who sells the most becomes the Queen. Neither Nella or any of her sisters are ever the queen, but her niece is. Somehow it seemed like a side story instead of the theme of the book.

Two recipes were printed in the first three chapters which I thought was a little odd.

This was a fairly light story, but well-written.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I have read in a very long time! My kind of story!

[Trudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars! A really enjoyable story of a striving ambitious Italian girl and her family.

[Alexis Leon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first Trigiani... I now want to read the entire Big Stone Gap trilogy. She manages to create flawed but lovable characters with only a few sentences, often through observations from another character who is equally complicated and human.

This story revolves around Nella Castelluca and takes us from her childhood through her death. The author gives us keen insights into Nella's dreams, and more so into her pain when they are either dashed or revised. While the "full-circle" narrative may feel contrived for some, in this case, Trigiani creates a character in whose life you can rejoice along side her, such that you may cry openly when her eulogy is delivered in the Epilogue.

It was both thrilling and bizarre to read a story that was set in my home state and that routinely referenced places where I live and work. But Trigiani paints Roseto as a beautiful little Pennsylvania town I am now desperate to visit.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I pulled this book out hoping for a light-hearted read. I had high hopes because the setting was in my home state, and the characters were mostly Italian women who would be contemporaries of my mother. I found I could barely get through it.

For me, everything was just wrong with this book. The plot was trite and simplistic, the writing wasn't very good overall and filled with cliches, and the characters simply didn't resonate for me. It covered too much ground--basically the protagonist's entire life, and as a result, I found it less than satisfying. I can't recommend it, and I doubt I'll read anything else by this author.

[☼♎ Carmen the Bootyshaker Temptress ☼♎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story where a young girl is determined to follow her dreams.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful story of a Nella Castelluca's life from age 15 to her death. She was the middle daughter of 5, and this story takes you through her life of love and loss, of joy and sorrow, during a time and place in America of the development of our education system, workforce, churches, cities, and most importantly women's rights. The beauty is that Trigiani never makes you feel like she's promoting awareness of such hugely social and historical issues, but they are there, and impact you so much as a reader.

I believe Trigiani's greatest gift to us is the richness and believability of her characters. She draws them to you, makes you yearn for what they are yearning for, makes you have hope for what they hope for, and makes you love while they love.

There was a similarity in this to the Big Stone Gap series, in the ethnicity, the coming of age aspect, even some of the characters' qualities, but this was compacted into one book, which on the one hand, was more concise, but on the other hand, left me yearning to know more about those years that were not explored and not revealed to the reader.

This was still a gem and I'm so grateful to have read it!

[Katherine Sartori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed yet another of Trigiani's Italian novels, this time a historical one. Nella Castelluca is the third daughter of an Italian family living on a farm outside Roseto, Pennsylvania. Her parents and many other Italians immigrated there in the late 1800s. Nella is a good student who wants to become a teacher. Her dreams are smashed, however, when her father has an accident. Now she must work in a clothing mill to help support the family. Though young, she begins to show strong managerial skills and advances in her job.

Meanwhile she meets Renato Lanzara, a handsome poet and college student, and Nella falls in love. However, he leaves town with nothing more than a quick note, but she never forgets her first love. Later, Franco Zollerano, a mechanic at the mill, courts her and they are married the day after Renato returns to town. To Nella's surprise, Renato has become, of all things, a priest!

This story is about romance, family, religious faith, and the history of both rural and urban immigrants. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of depressing. Plus I think that Renato is overrated and it was frustrating that she never fully appreciates Franco. But it's a fairly realistic portrayal of how the drudgery of a mundane job can suck the joy out of life. And definitely a reminder not to take anything for granted - success, prosperity, time, relationships - especially relationships. The Big Stone Gap trilogy (actually I just realized that there are 4 books - what is that called?? A series?) is still my favorite from Adriana Trigiani.

[Kellie Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 probably. I wish there would have been more of Franco pursuing Nella and her rejecting him. I liked her playing hard to get. Don't care very much for the jump of time spans. But I did enjoy reading about Nella's life and decisions throughout.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another book by Trigiani that I could barely put down. A charming, relatable story of a farm girl determined to make something of herself and follow her dreams.

[Mindy W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would give a 4.5 if I could.

[Dhimitrula · Rating 5 out of 5]

ma rrëmbeu 🌟 e pestë.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When you're part of a family, they come first."

[Italia8989 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will never take a book where "accidentally" is spelled wrong and there is no clarification between "then" with "than" seriously. It is against my true nature--and true form as a grammar Nazi.

This book flew by--not because I am a fast reader or had time to read it--but because it was trash in the simplest definition. The Queen of the Big Time is about an Italian family in the 1920's, something when written right could have captured my attention. The narration begins with a young girl who meets a boy (whoot whoot! *sarcasm) who is 22 when she is 15. I understand that there is a bit of age difference during this time period, but this is stretching it a bit before legal age. Anyhow, said boy has a terrible life and thus leaves her. Oh, am I spoiling the book? Can it be considering spoiling when you could have guessed this from reading the trite plot "arc" anyway?

She then meets Franco, who has promise as a character before they become a couple. But as soon as this happens, he becomes uninteresting and pining because she is still connected with Renato. Renato, who has become a priest! This would be droll if it were not so boring.

In my reviews, I do not typically summarize the novel but instead focus on the big picture. However, summarizing this terrible plot is necessary to determine that there is none. Trigiani leans towards realistic themes but does nothing in her words or plot to enhance them. For example, when the main character has to quit school because her family needs more income, she loses her childhood dream but manages to use her leadership skills in other ways. She provides a stable income to her future children but does not spend time with them, resulting in ambivalent emotions.

These are themes that need to be discussed more in historical literature as they stem from immigration issues. The main character's parents were poor and she struggled through her life and her education suffered because of it. In offering her children what she wished to have (money and the opportunity to get a college degree) precious time that could have been taken with them was not. This is realistic but was not portrayed correctly. The story-line was drawn too loosely to get a firm grasp on characters. It is clear that Trigiani's theme was more important than building the originality of her characters and making a more detailed plot line. Having one's first kiss on a Ferris Wheel does not happen in real life that often. They say that truth is often stranger than fiction and unrealistic writers lie (I say that, actually).

Another prevalent theme is holding onto previous intimate relationships while marrying or being with another person. In the poorly done sex scenes, the message seems to be that getting close to someone will make you unable to forget them. This is true in some situations but irrelevant to the overall theme. It results in an awkward situation between Franco, his wife, and Renato the priest (who has indiscretions). Then Franco conveniently dies so his wife can have a private conversation with Renato. But of course Renato will not cast off his priesthood! We are being "unpredictable" here.

The book's message is so important that the author feels the need to expand a 230-page novel into over sixty years of narration. It seems that the most important or interesting romances and themes in the main character's life are discussed and her life itself is thrown to the wayside. Whatever happened to character-driven novels? Why do authors feel the need to disregard their characters to provide a theme and not let the characters establish the theme for themselves?

A book like this makes me want to write my own Italian family's history into a fiction. It was impossible for me to appreciate an Italian story when a woman gives birth to her child in a matter of a few words. No wonder she had a hemorrhage! There needs to be a novel which has a wider use of vocabulary but still manages to capture the spirit of all immigrants during this time period and the changes of life values in them.

For more information on my own family's experience, read my review of The Age of Innocence.

[Kaljeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ne pamundesi te realizimit te deshirave, dashuroje ate qe jeta te ofron dhe ne fund do kuptosh se eshte ajo per te cilen ia vlen te luftosh dhe jetosh.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adriana Trigiani is my favorite author! I absolutely loved this Italian-American family saga. She writes such beautiful stories about Italian families. Her characters are enjoyable & the way she writes about them makes you feel like you know them & care for them. Every time I read one of her books, I start off thinking I probably won't like it as much as I liked her others, but she never disappoints. I loved how this story lead you through Nella's life. I also loved where the story took place, Roseto, PA. This is not far from where I live & it was interesting to read about places I know. This book also had special meaning to me because Roseto is where my great-grandfather brought his new wife to live after he met her in Italy. As I read this book, I could just picture my Pop-Pop and Nonnie, with their two young daughters, being neighbors of Nella's and experiencing life in Roseto. I have many authors that I enjoy, but Trigiani is my favorite. I met her at a book signing and she is so funny and vibrant, you feel like you are a personal friend or family member by the time you leave. She makes each person in the room feel good & shows you how much she appreciates you reading her books & taking the time to come out & meet her. I can't wait for her next book. Since she has family in this area, I am sure she'll be back for a signing & I'll most certainly go again.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Queen of the Big Time is the Catholic schoolgirl who sells the most tickets for the local parish fundraiser. Nella Castelucca, at 14, embraces this concept fully: If you work hard, you will be rewarded. Born of Italian immigrants, in a small Pennsylvania town of Italian immigrants, Nella wants to go become a teacher. However, when her father is injured, Nella and her older sisters go to work to help the family. Instead of going to high school, Nella takes a job at the local blouse factory and works very hard. She stoutly takes her older sister's place doing the pressing, a much harder task than the one she was assigned. It is hot and dangerous, burns are common. Nella uses her bright mind to learn as much as she can to make the factory safer and more efficient. She is rewarded by becoming the youngest supervisor in the factory.

The story embraces Nella's hometown, her friends and family, her loves and her losses, and her successful career in clothing manufacturing. It is a lovingly told tale of a family learning to adjust to the rapid changes going on around them and to their own personal tragedies. It is the life story of a woman constantly questioning her faith, trying to resolve the ancient questions "What is love? Why are we here?" and learning to accept herself and her family for the gloriously flawed and loving people they are.

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nella Castelluca is the third daughter of an Italian family living on a farm outside Roseto, Pennsylvania. Her parents and many other Italian families immigrated to the area in the late 1800s. Nella is a good student who wants to go to high school in town and become a teacher. Her dreams are dashed when her father has an accident, and she has to work in a clothing mill to help support the family. Soon she shows strong managerial skills and advances in her job.

Meanwhile she meets Renato Lanzara, a handsome poet and college student, and Nella falls in love. He leaves town with nothing more than a quick note, but she never forgets her first love. Later, Franco Zollerano, a mechanic at the mill, courts her and they are married the day after Renato returns to town.

This is the story of the Castelluca family through several generations during the 20th Century. The book gets its name from the annual celebration where the Queen of the Big Time crowns the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The story is about romance, family, religious faith, and the history of both rural and urban immigrants. It was an enjoyable book.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spanning the 1910s to 1970s, The Queen of the Big Time is a fictionalized account of the life Adriana Trigiani's Italian grandmother. I wouldn't say the plot is hugely dramatic, but it is engrossing. What makes this book worth the read is the clear, colorful picture of the time and place, showing how various ethnic groups were viewed during the 1920s and '30s, what courtship and marriage were like during these times, and the work and role options for women of the day. The characters are wonderfully well drawn, especially the female protagonist and other female characters. Women's options were supposedly limited compared to today, but Trigiani shows that although marriage and family were important, there was more to women's lives than just marrying and raising children. Best of all, she shows how strong, ambitious women aren't products of the post-1960s, and how such women always manage to break the mold.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I got it as part of a Blind Date with a Book program my library was doing for the month of February. I didn't know what book it was until I got it home and tore off the brown paper wrapping. I've read Lucia, Lucia by this author and that was pretty good. The Queen of the Big Time kind of had a formulaic plot with just a few surprises. The first part gave us lots of detail about Nella's life as a 14 year old growing up on the family farm, longing to go to school so she can grow up and become a teacher. As she gets older, things happen, her family changes, she falls in love, and then we get to the second part of the book. I thought the second part was way too fast-paced. I couldn't keep up with all the big jumps in time. I felt like the author left out important information and then threw stuff at us in the story, expecting us to understand. The characters weren't as well developed as they were in the first part.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this story of an Italian-American woman in a Pennsylvania community. It is set mostly in the 1920's and then follows the rest of her life as she lives it to the best of her ability. I thought it would be just a light read and although it's definitely not super deep, I found it had some interesting and profound things to say about first love vs. true and abiding love, faith in God and His workings in our lives, the choices women must often make as they provide for their families, and the immigrants' struggle to make a better future for their children and the costs that involves. It was a good story about an interesting character. Nella is a farm girl who dreams of more education and becoming a teacher but life forces her into a different path that ultimately makes her into a different person, for good and bad.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is true love? Would you know it if you saw it? Are you sure? That is the central question of this heartwarming story. Nella Castelluca is the middle of five daughters in an Italian family on a farm on the outskirts of a Pennsylvania mining town made up of Italian immigrants. She is very smart, but her family is so poor they can't afford the trolley fare to send her to the high school in town. She falls in love with the dashing Renato, while the steady and determined Franco falls in love with her. The story follows the ups and downs of Nella and her family, finally forcing her to look and see what it is in life that she truly loves and what love has meant to her. It's impossible not to like these characters, although Nella is perhaps the least sympathetic of all of them. It is a lot easier to see her faults than our own. Maybe that was Trigiani's point.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book but found myself being sad for the main character, in the end.

It's a story about the main character wanting something from her life. But when life events happen, she has to change direction (as we all do). She marries someone that is dependable and safe but not the love of her life. I'm sure a lot of women have done the same and it's not a bad life, just not one she would've necessarily chosen.

I was sad for her in the end because of all the years she kept this one man in her mind and her heart. But because he chose a life that, let's just say women are not allowed in his life intimately, she cannot be a part of his life in that way.

A good book....

[Kat Hilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Main character is middle daughter of five girls. She aspires to be a teacher, but goes in a different direction due to unfortunate circumstances. Her father is a poor farmer. This story tells of this young girls first love and how it effects the rest of her life. She marries a fine young man and has a wonderful life with him. There are philosophic reflections in this book that tells a lot about life, our dreams, ideals, and the true events that happen to us. My favorite books by this writer are 'The Shoemaker's Wife" and the Valentine series.

[Linda Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adriana Trigiani can write, especially about Italian Americans and their colorful culture. This was a very enjoyable book that leaves you with the understanding of the importance of living your life to the fullest and appreciating the love all around you, instead of longing for what you don't have. This is a happy, uplifting, all ends well story.