Audio-Bibliophiles discussion

The discussions for this book will start August 1st.

Please be courteous to others and don't post too many "spoilers" without at least posting what chapter you are on so others know if you are further ahead than what they themselves are. You may even use spoiler tags if you wish.

Most of all...Enjoy the book & the discussions.

Hello- It's August 4th and I want to say that I have listened to the audio book for my Book Group a few months ago. I loved it. I have to be careful and not give any spoilers. I am going to get it out of the Library and go along with it as we post.

I finally started listening to my copy & it is a very good story so far. I'm enjoying the narrator...even though she is a female & the majority of the story is being told about Chiro. She has just enough accent in her voice to make those Italian words seem authentic...at least to my ears. I'm just a little ways into Part 2 (not sure what chapter...I'm on at least Ch. 10, I believe).

(view spoiler)[When we first meet Chiro, he heart is being broken because his mother is leaving him & his brother at the convent. I can't imagine what he felt or his mother for that matter. You just feel so sad for the boys because they have no choice in the matter. She can't afford to keep them.

Once we skip to Chiro at 15, we realize how head strong he still is. In love from afar with Conchina (?sp) but once he catches her with the priest you know things are about to change in his life. It's so hard for me to fathom, a priest having that much authority to be able to send a young boy away from a village. I am not catholic but I do know the priests had a lot of power years ago. I don't agree with it...but it's what it was.

We meet Enza at the age of 10 as well. She is a very head strong young lady. Not afraid of hard work & is very loyal to her family. Once she is grown & she loses her sister Stella...you can't help but feel the sorrow she feels.

I wondered how those 2 were going to meet & was surprised that it was because Chiro dug her sister's grave. He was so gentle with Enza though. I really liked how their relationship starts. I hated that as soon as Chiro arrived back at the convent that everything changed. Poor Enza arrives a week later to see him and she is told that he no longer lives there. She just assumes that he didn't care for her like she thought he did...Sad.

I loved that the Sisters conned the priest into getting money for Chiro to make it to America. I realize it went against everything they believed in but knew Chiro was being punished wrongfully.

When Chiro had to leave the Sisters...I cried. When Chiro & Eduardo had to part...I cried.

Chiro has just set foot in America and has been taken off to the side. He isn't sure if he will get to stay in America or if he will be sent back. I figure he will stay but I can't imagine what all is going through his head. (hide spoiler)]

I can't wait to find out what happens and will update a little further along.

I enjoyed this book SO much!!!

I didn't know this was the monthly read when I got it from the library. I'm loving this story. It's so much better as an audio since I don't have to struggle with all the Italian words. I believe I'm on the second chapter of Part 2. Can't wait for the drive home to listen to more!

I'm at Chapter 20 where the narrator changes. Why the change? Her voice isn't as fluid and dreamy like the first narrator. Is it because the story is going to become harsher because of the war, so therefore have someone with a huskier voice? I think I've enjoyed this story so much because of the first narrator.

I'm around the same place Denise & I don't understand the narrator change either. I do not really care for this new narrator so far. I find myself day-dreaming & then have to rewind to listen to what I missed. I loved the first narrator as well.

I'm still fixated on the narrator change. I'm listening with cd's and I noticed on the disc the notation, "Performed by Adriana Trigiani and Annabella Sciorra". So the author is also one of the narrators.
I'm still enjoying the story quite well. It's always making me tear up in the car. Sure, there are too many coincidental meetings between Ciro and Enza, but it still makes for a good story.

I had to stop listening to this in the office this morning. I'm afraid I'll get too main questions of concern. I'll have to finish tonight in the privacy of my car.
I'm on Chapter 24 or 25. Be prepared.

Hi!
The change in Narrators---I will get to that in a second.
I read this with my book group a good while ago but I re-read my commentary and remembered , from one of the updates I did, to the gist of I feel love/hate reading a book that makes me sit and sob....
I said I had to force myself to read the last bit of it because I just get ridiculously emotional. And my Book Group was meeting the next day.

I love Adriana's books. I think that I as the Audio-Bibliophile listened to the very last part of the audio and if I remember that Adriana came on and said that she had listened to the audio and found that she did not care for the harshness of her own voice, which is who it was reading those parts- She, on the second ummmmm- would it be called..?printing? edition? run? whatever it is, someone please tell me. had gotten in touch with the reader, Annabella Sciorra and they re-did the later editions.
(Does anyone else recall that or did I dream that up?)

I wondered if anyone in this day and age would actually leave their home, travel to another country where you do not speak the language and work your fingers to the bone, so to speak- and the little money you do make, send a large portion back to the land you left? I wish I could say I am that good. I have my doubts. Of course I am nearly 40 years older than Enza, and perhaps I have become either jaded or realistic about my own limitations?

Next thought- Does anyone think there is ONE person only for you to have that connection to? I have to question that love that Enza had for Ciro. And what the heck was he waiting for? Yes, yes, I do understand the quandary. And the details, the hit and miss times that they almost connected. But I do not think there is "One and Only One"Mr Wonderful" person because the situation needs to be the right place- the right time and the person, well, I feel there are several men in my dating life, aka younger years, Mr. Rights that I could have had a good comfortable loving life with.

How many of "us" now a days would do that? Have we evolved to the point where when we see what we want we go for it? What would you do? And why? Have the times changed so much that "Enzas" are not for real people anymore?

My last thought- before I get beeped for over writing my character limit. Could Enza have been happy with Vito? She had a wonderful life and they enjoyed similar things. Religion- Nationality- Theater? Would she have loved Vito, and had a happy life? Or made it a happy life? Being Catholic, she would not have divorced Vito. But he did , Enza learns way later from her friend, that he had been married, what, three times?

Okay- last comment. This is because my own Book Group, the "BELLS", when we read one other of Adriana's stories in the Big Stone Gap series, Adriana herself called us conference style while we were having our gathering to discuss it. She talked to us for 45 minutes- She was totally delightful. She answered our questions and chatted like we had known each other forever! What a gal!

Okay I lied- I have to say if anyone likes her stories,"Very Valentine" and "Brava Valentina" were just delightful. I am from PA and "Queen of the Big Time" touched me and is another have a box of tissues ready.

Denise wrote: "I had to stop listening to this in the office this morning. I'm afraid I'll get too main questions of concern. I'll have to finish tonight in the privacy of my car.
I'm on Chapter 24 or 25. Be p..."

YAY! I am so glad to know I am not the only person who has to listen/read discreetly!

Pat wrote: "Hi!
The change in Narrators---I will get to that in a second.
I read this with my book group a good while ago but I re-read my commentary and remembered , from one of the updates I did, to the gis..."

On the audio version I listened to, which was on CD, there was a Q & A with the author and editor and she mentioned her reason for changing the narrator. The first lady is an Italian actress, the second the author herself. The author wanted to separate the past and then what she considered the present or where she felt the story was changing. If I remember correctly, this was when Ciro went to war. I personally preferred the Italian actress but got used to author's narration. I don't think the characters voice were as defined with the author though. I got lost at times with who was speaking because they sounded too similar.

Yes! I sew while I listen to the audio story- and often I must rewind and clarify someone's statement or who said what- and that is the only thing I have a problem with in respect to an audio book. With a hand held book it is just flip a page, whereas the audio, I may have to replay once or twice to get it right.

But in truth, I also am guilty of going to the end of a book to see what the final part is, and I am less likely to do that with the audio.

Yes, you are right. Adriana did not define the voices the same.
Have you by any chance gone on to watch Johanna Parker's YouTube of how she narrates in the studio, and how much work there actually is to the audio book? I was impressed. I guess I thought someone just read and changed tones for different characters. Yes, they do but it is an art!

Check it out- it is 8 minutes, but interesting for us readers to appreciate! YouTube--Inside the Studio with Johanna Parker.
Johanna is a favorite voice to listen to but there are many more that are wonderful as well. It does take time and talent.
Anabella narrates, Adriana writes! And we enjoy!

I finally finished the book a few days ago. I am so torn on how I felt about this book. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book. I wish, I guess as other reviewers did, that the book ended right after they were married. I felt the last 1/4 of the book dragged somewhat.

I should have sat down & typed out my thoughts right after I finished the book but we have been having computer problems so I waited. Now my mind is not remembering many of the points I wanted to express. ::sigh::

Now, about the narrator. I loved Annabella Sciorra's narration. To switch to a different narrator, and with no warning, really took me aback. I was listening to a library mp3 copy & I worried that something happened to my mp3 version. I had an audiobook from the library totally skip an entire section before so I thought...did they give me an entirely different version?!?!? Once I read some comments on here though, I realized that it wasn't an error! I did not take to Ms. Trigiani's narration at all to start. Her voice was too harsh. I don't understand why she thought that would make the past and the present separate. It took me a good hour or more to finally get used to her narration style. That did not help my feelings about the last 1/4 of the book either.

I,of course wasn't happy that (view spoiler)[ Ciro died. I could see it coming & even though I hoped his Italy trip might "cure" him, I'm enough of a realist to know that it wouldn't. I believe it did help him to have resolution with his mother though. Also, after hearing the interview with the author at the end of the book, I realize that she based this story on her grandparents. Her actual grandfather was "Ciro" and he did die in his mid-thirties. Not ideal, but at least I understand why she wrote it that way now.

The author does weave a very beautiful story. It's a bit unbelievable at times with the random meetings over the years. I was very aggravated with Ciro for putting off seeing Enza. That just seemed so self-centered to me. He was too concerned with losing the fun & easy relationship he had with Felicitana (?sp)just decided to throw away everything to marry Ciro. I mean, I do believe in true love but even I would have said...hold up. We need to date for a little bit & make sure we are compatible before I jump into marriage. But, once again...times were different. Maybe that was how things were done with immigrant families back then.

Did anyone else feel that the last 15 years seemed to drag & be disjointed. I know the author skipped time passages a bit during the first parts of the book but it seemed a little extreme at the end. We go from Ciro dying to 5 years into the future. Then I guess Papina's death was around 5 years after that?? Then we skip forward another 5 years or so for Enza's son to come home from the war? Did anyone else think it was a bit sudden for him and Papina's daughter (sorry, names are just not being remembered at this moment) to get married. I know they knew each other all of their lives but until he came home from war, we thought he was madly in love with Betsy all this time. Now he comes home to NYC and sees his "somewhat sister" and they decide within a few days times that they should get married? I know things were different in that day & age but that seemed a bit far fetched to me. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, it was a beautiful story of love between two people. If Goodreads allowed 1/2 stars, I probably would have given it 3.5 but since they don't, I gave it 4 stars. I honestly believe the narration made me take it down to 3.5. If Ms. Sciorra had been allowed to finish the book I know I would have enjoyed it more. Unfortunately that is not the case.

Pat...thank you for the info on the Johanna Parker video. I enjoyed that. I didn't realize what was involved in narrating a book either.

So Nikki, I have wanted to listen to this book, but I haven't yet. Would you suggest it to others and are you glad that you listened to it?

Linda wrote: "So Nikki, I have wanted to listen to this book, but I haven't yet. Would you suggest it to others and are you glad that you listened to it?"

I would recommend the book. I'm not sure i would recommend the audio if its the same copy I had. Mine was from the library & the narrator change in the middle really aggravated me. I checked Audible though & they have a different narrator all together so it may be better. It's definitely worth reading, IMO. Not going on my list of favorites but I'm not sorry I read it.

Okay, good information, I will see If I can tell on my audio copy from my library.