Iris & Lily: Book One

Iris and Lily #1

by Angela Scipioni, Julie Scipioni

In Book One, Iris and Lily are the lovably ingenuous youngest daughters in a family of fourteen, starving for attention as they struggle to survive in the chaotic Capotosti household. The explosive rage of Carlo, their hot-blooded father; the submissiveness of Betty, their overwhelmed mother; the abuse meted out by half a dozen domineering brothers; the inaccessible ken of their older sisters; all join forces to make the home a minefield of emotional pitfalls for the two neglected girls, whose natural exuberance is squelched by the fear of punishment and the dictates of Catholicism.

As Iris and Lily scrape their way through puberty to adolescence, outside forces begin driving a wedge between them. The favoritism of an aunt, the shame of sexual abuse, the socioeconomic shifts and eruption of the women’s movement of the ‘70s become the catalysts that lead to the disintegration of what little security was once offered by their family.

Desperate for love, Iris and Lily naively take refuge in marriages that push them worlds apart, altering their relationship as sisters dramatically.

Told in alternating chapters in the voices of the two protagonists, sprinkled with episodes of comedy and tragedy that will make you laugh and cry, this is the story of every woman who has memories of what it is like to be a little girl, then a young woman on the cusp of adulthood, filled with hope and expectations.

All three volumes are available in one ebook under the title "Iris & Lily: The Complete Series".

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Womens Fiction

584 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2014

About the author

Angela Scipioni came into the world during a blizzard in the January of 1959, the seventh in a not-yet-completed lineup of snot-nosed, scraggly children. Not surprisingly, like generations of romantically inclined, novel-devouring young women before her, during a trip to Italy Angela fell in love with the country, its climate, its natural and artistic beauty, its people (yes, including its men), language, flavors and flair. Not yet 21, bewitched by fantasies of a sunny world filled with love and adventure, she moved to Italy to live out her own fairy story, and draft the first of several versions of a happy ending.
Three decades and many twists later, from her home in Liguria, she co-authored her first novel, Iris & Lily, with her sister Julie, working long-distance across the Atlantic for four full years.
A family saga covering the story of two sisters struggling to survive a chaotic childhood, a confused adolescence, and an adulthood for which they are unprepared despite being wise beyond their years, Iris & Lily follows their relationship as it evolves over the course of their very different lives.
Angela has also written Gently, Jolene, a novel set in Italy's fabled Cinque Terre.
When she is not working on her writing projects, Angela enjoys noodling on her guitar and ukulele, cooking for and with friends, and spending as much time as possible outdoors, gardening, hiking, swimming, visiting with the cats that stop by to be petted and fed, and nurturing her soul with the beauty of God's nature.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really want to get through this book. I reminds me, especially in the size (!) of And Ladies of the Club which was a book set in Ohio, 100 years ago and near where I lived for many years. I read that LOTC book while living in Singapore, It was like a good friend. I could hardly wait at night to sit down with my book. I was almost glad when Tom was away as this was my treat. However, I am falling asleep after just a few pages.

When I started the boo, I'd would fall asleep. It's not that the book is poor writing. I even went out to the Dollar store to buy 2.75 magnification glasses because I thought it might just be that my eyes are working too hard. I will continue. There are many things that already remind me of my growing up years, living on the shores of Lake Ontario in a large Italian-American family.

The writing is excellent. I enjoyed the first part since I grew up in Greece, New York and many things they wrote about brought back long-forgotten experiences.

About halfway through the book, I could not longer put the book down! Lengthy, yes- captivating- yes. Can hardly wait to start Book 2.

The characters become so real. I listened to an interview and loved hearing the Rochester accent. Kudos to these sisters and thanks for the book.

I'd like to recommend a book not yet published, also somewhat of a memoir but fiction about a woman who grew up in Rochester also, The Evolution of Im. The book has humor, mystery, good writing and for those of us who grew up in Italian American families, a lot to identify with.

[Sharon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did, but at times it both bored (so many details) and depressed me. I was looking for a Hallmark movie instead of Lifetime, I guess.

[Gale Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is difficult to rate this story since it is 3 books combined into one. It indeed needs 3 reviews, so let's call it a 3.5. They first book was often boring to me but boring wasn't necessarily bad, so I kept on going. I'm glad I did. The story evolved and I found myself wondering how Iris and Lily were doing. Just a side note, there were hardly any likable male characters in this story. Interesting, but not too likable. I'm glad I read it.

[Becky Morlok · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3-book series that caught my eye simply because of its title. I have a granddaughter named Iris who has a little sister. I also have 2 younger sisters and we grew up in the 70’s.....all key identifiers with Iris & Lily.

The writing, the detail, the stories these two sister authors share is masterful. It’s a long book and gets better the more you read to the point that you’re ready to dive into book 2 the minute you finish.

I’ll have to get back to this saga later. So many books have stacked up since I began Iris and Lily. But I’ll be back!!

[Mary M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually more sad than anything, especially in Volume 1, in which the 2 sisters are forced to grow up in a family that is much too large for the parents to handle, and chaotic. The older children are physically and sexually abusing the younger ones. Their mother is far too overworked to take any sort of action. Subsequent volumes improve, so stick with this, as the sisters have to deal with consequences of the poor choices they have made. Their marriages are disasters, for very different reasons. But have they learned from their mistakes? At the end they both meet new men who look promising at first. So did their disasters. We just don't know.

[Karen Cino · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!! The book was absolutely amazing. The beginning of the book, I almost put it down, but I'm glad I did. Once I got used to the format, I breezed through it. The story of Iris & Lily was right on the money, bringing me back to my childhood. I can't believe these women remembered so much about their childhood. By the last chapter I was sorry to see the book end, wanting to know more about these women living on opposite sides of the world. I would highly recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading book 2 and 3.

[Janet]

I just wanted to slap some sense into these two throughout the entire three books. I kept reading, hoping for some kind of a revelation, some kind of sense that they got it. But it was 1395 pages of "OMG, you two brought everything that happened to you upon yourselves". Ugh

[Diane Cloutier bennett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well I am now on pg 100 & nothing has happened. Sorry, but I should have been drawn in way before now. Disappointed and probably won't finish.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have heard so much hype about this book (or books) that I just had to check it out. 577 pages later I am not sure what the hub-bub was about. It was a good book, an interesting family drama. Italian family drama is what drew me in, a family of 12, two teenage girls coming of age in the 70's with a strong Catholic church influence. Of course there would be rebellion and teenagers acting out. The story alternates between the two sisters (in email and flashback form). It was good, but I was glad to put it on my READ shelf!

I doubt I will read the next two books unless my TBR list is complete...so, it's unlikely! so many books, never enough time.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read Iris & Lily Book 1 because it was chosen by a member of my book club. Parts were poignant but I found it mostly depressing and somewhat irreverent. I have no desire to read Book 2 or Book 3.

[Michelle Carson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing that kept me reading this book was that it took place in Rochester and it brought back some good memories. I don’t plan on reading book 2 and 3.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This almost-six hundred page tome is the first in a trilogy about two Italian-American sisters who grow up in a large family in New York state in the 60s and 70s and in adulthood, one moved Italy and one stayed in the U.S. The book is written by two Italian-American sisters who grew up in a very large family in New York state in the 60s and 70s and in adulthood, one moved Italy and one stayed in the U.S. I spent the first half of the book wondering just how autobiographical the book actually is and which sister was which. I have been unable to verify how closely the story of Iris and Lily follows the story of Angela and Julie but I am suspicious it is fairly close and perhaps enhanced with details from other similar families with which they were familiar. The story alternates between the two women, past and present and I found it difficult keeping the girls straight because they each don't have a clear persona. Iris is older, luckier and more optimistic. Lily is younger, less fortunate and more pessimistic but other characteristics ebb and flow with the passage of time and at the whim of the author. I also had problems with their mother's situation who seems to have an unrealistically difficult time divorcing her husband in the 1970s. Needed better editing and more distinct main characters.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the complete three book bundle in digital and finished book one. I could identify with the beginning part having come from a large Catholic family growing up in the 60s. But the similarities soon ended with the neglectful mother, the verbally abusive father and more abuse from males in their lives. I needed a break before diving into the second and third parts. It was frustrating watching Iris and Lily make bad decisions that we, the readers, could see a mile away. But coming from their background, they were unable to be strong enough to choose a different path. I kept wanting to get back to the book, which is one way I judge if I liked a book or not. After reading the new Maggie O'Farrell book (I LOVE her writing) I'll be ready to get back and see what's going on with Iris and Lily.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all three books back to back, so this is really about all three books. I enjoyed them, but reading them all at once made them too long. I especially tired of the thorough descriptions of Italian sights. These descriptions slowed down an already slow read. I liked the female characters and became involved in the story enough to laugh and cry about their experiences. I liked how the long, winding story came together at the end with a message about the various types of abusive romantic relationships and the damage some religious beliefs can cause in real life. It's certainly a book worth reading.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Iris & Lily The Complete Series in ebook format. It is a 3-book series. Although it was long it was an engaging story of the two sisters' lives. The nods to cultural changes through the decades are authentic and help the reader understand Iris and Lily's personalities. The ending gives you hope without tying everything up in a neat little unrealistic bow.
(Re-entered as the three separate books on my read list.)

[Jen Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a little bit to get into. (Its not all letters going back and forth between Iris and Lily, don't worry about that.)
Coming from a big Catholic family myself, there was a lot that I related to in this book! Its a story I kept wanting to get back to...which is what I need to give a book 5 stars.
I want to know what else happens to the girls.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were times I would have given this book one star...or, I should say, these three books read as one. I often wanted to stop in the middle, just tired of their story. But their stories interested me enough to get to the end with some feeling of fondness for the characters and the book as a whole.

[Maureen Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought the three books as a complete series for my kindle. As someone who grew up in the same time period, I could relate. It was most interesting, that two girls who grew up in the same family, had such different perspectives of their lives. It makes me wonder if my own brothers and sister have a completely different view of our family.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the complete series (3 books) and really enjoyed it. I guess we all have to graduate from the School of Hard Knocks before we figure out who we really are! Iris and Lily certainly had some bumps in their paths but came out stronger because of it!

[Linda Aranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review plus book club discussion questions for Iris & Lily Book 1 can be found at: www.bookclubcompanion.com

Please contact me if your book club would like discussion questions for Book 2 or Book 3. Message me at least a week prior to your meeting. Thanks!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed Book One. Switching between the two sisters was a great way to get perspectives of the family and kept me wanting to know what was coming next. Look forward to Books two and three.

[Connie Bongiorni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, loved the characters. Related to an Italian Catholic upbringing.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Iris and Lily is by Angela and Julie Scipioni. This is a novel about two girls growing up.
I did not like this book. I simply could not get into it.

[Nancyliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not read this in one day. It took all summer plus September and October. I had a hard time getting into it, but it finally grabbed me. When I read stories about little kids, I’m worried that something terrible will happen to them, and it has to, in a novel, because no one wants to read a novel if nothing happens. Got to have a conflict of some kind. The conflicts were survivable, and the two sisters’ lives became interesting. The women’s libber mom doesn’t come off too well, but I imagine there were many like her, who completely disengaged from their families, leaving daughters to pick up and carry on. This mom seemed particularly clueless. There’s little sympathy for her, and it’s clear that the children of this marriage, all twelve of them, struggled in their marriages, too, including the sister protagonists. The one successful marriage is traditional in a mid century way, with lots of maternal yelling and butting in, rigid but loving, so long as everyone plays their roles.
Is it true that Italian families are seriously invested in their spaghetti sauce?
The sisters’ dad is a jerk, too. The writers are more sympathetic towards him, and I don’t know why. I think many of us believed that dads from the past were excused from knowing their kids, and only expected chores and obedience.
I will read the rest of the books in the series, just to see how things turned out.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book I found it boring, long and drawn out. There was too much talk about nothing and too much detail. For example at one point there was a discussion about what type of cereal the girls would purchase with their coupons, which went on way too long. Who cares! Tell me more about the characters and their lives I wanted to scream out!

Anyhow, I did not give up and continued and am glad that I did. The first part of the book contained many childhood antics and going-ons that were somewhat interesting, and I was able to relate to them. There were also some hardships in their lives and family turmoil - after all Iris and Lily were growing up in a family of 12 children, and this was bound to happen. Reading this story brought back memories of the 1970s and 80s. There was humor, goofiness, sweetness, naivety, teenage issues, sisterly bonds, and lots of love in this story. I truly began to enjoy this read!

We did not learn much about the other brothers and sisters in the Capotosti family, which I found interesting. Perhaps this is because Lily and Iris were the closest in age and the other girls were older and left home before them. There was a section on the brother Henry, but we did not learn too much about him as a person or a child growing up.

Anyhow, the main theme seemed to be based on the traditional Italian family whereby women were expected to marry, raise children and take care of their homes. The men were the providers. If anyone strayed from this, they were gossiped about or put down. Feminism was in its early years during this time frame and it was interesting to read how this played out in this family.

An interesting story that ended up being a really good read! I would love to read the next book in the series!

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel about two sisters, who are the youngest girls of a family with 12 children. They grew up poor and in a time where a woman's place was in the home a servant to her husband and sons. Their mother became involved in the woman's movement and decided she couldn't be a slave to her husband's home. One day she got up from the dinner table, told her husband she was leaving and walked out the door. The older girls in the family we out on their own by then so Iris and Lily were responsible for cooking, cleaning house, taking care of the three younger boys along with going to school. The book is set up with each girl telling how they saw and remembered what happened in their lives growing up. The first book goes as far as the two of them getting married (two years apart). This is the first book of three. Definitely reading the next book.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book kept popping into feeds, which made me a little suspicious. I think someone is doing a really good job marketing through social media. But I succumbed to the advertising and read it last week. I was not enjoying the first part of the book; I found the family dynamics to be very off-putting, but as I got further into it, I increasingly liked the two main characters and the method they used for writing the book, i.e. two sisters taking turns telling the stories of their lives. Although there were only 7 in our family, and we were much better off than their family, less strongly Catholic, and without a domineering father, I could still relate to the dynamics of growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s in a large, suburban Catholic family. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iris and Lily are the youngest daughters in a Catholic family of 12 children. Their father and older brothers are depicted as abusive, and their mother is bitter. They decided to write a book together about their lives. But, this is not a likable family!
Book 1 takes us from their childhood to their early 20s - from school to marriage. It is a bit of a coming of age story, but it took nearly 600 pages to tell the story and it was way too long!
I felt like the book was just recounting events of their childhood, many of which were boring. Iris is an overachiever and Lily seems to be a sorry sort, always moping about how life has been tough for her.
I am going to try Books 2 and 3 and hope they get better.

[Cheryle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. I had read good reviews of it, but found it less than satisfying. The story of the youngest daughters in a family of 12 children. At first the book focuses on their typical childhood in such a large family, but then the mother leaves her husband to become her own person. This is during the women's lib era and she is delving into the time. But in the meantime the rejected husband is bitter and the children who remain at home are left adrift in the aftermath of the storm between the parents.

[Joyce Peak · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book about 2 sisters growing up in a family of 12 children. These two sisters went from being wrapped up with each other at night in bed, to young adult lives that put them physically and even emotionally much more separated. This novel takes us through the Women's Liberation Movement, a long and difficult separation between the parents, and the struggles and
joys of life itself.

The good news is that there are two more books on the shelves called IRIS & LILY, Parts 2 and 3.