Tony's Wife by Adrianna Trigiani

I am a big fan of AdrianaTrigiani and have read most of her books. This is a stand alone so far so if you haven't read the Big Stone Gap or Shoemaker's Wife series you won't feel like you've missed out on getting to know the main characters, Tony (Saverio) Arma and Chi Chi Donatelli.
I ended up looking the main characters up on Google because they were so true to life, however, they are fiction. I love the characters and all their depth, flaws, and humor.
Chi Chi is a songwriter who lives on the Jersey shore. Tony (Saverio) is a Michigan-raised Italian with a gift for singing. His father kicks him out of the house at 16 because he feels Saverio is wasting his life on a silly career.
Chi Chi and Saverio finally meet and find magic in her songwriting and his voice. The story follows their ebb and flow through their careers and relationship ups and downs. It was a very satisfying story. I looked forward to reading this novel every day!

And the Mountains Echoed / Khaled Hosseini / 404 pages / Literary Fiction

It is 1952, in a small village in Afghanistan. Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father, stepmother and baby stepbrother. Abdullah raised Pari when their mother died in childbirth and the two are extremely close. In the afterword, Hosseini mentions that the title for the book was inspired by this phrase in a poem by William Blake: "The little ones lept, and shouted, and laugh'd/and all the hills echoed". However this idyllic upbringing is soon to be abruptly ended.

This is quite a different book to The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Whilst a large part of the book is set in Afghanistan, the impact of the Russian war and the Taliban's rule is only peripheral to the narrative. This is a smaller book, about family relationships. Again and again, we explore the relationships between children and their parents, whether the children are biological or adopted, whether the adoption is known or a secret. And yet, while the stories are intimate, the story spans 60 years and the terrain is epic, moving from the Middle East to Europe to the US and back again. The book begins and ends with Abdullah and Pari, but in between the stories will encompass characters as diverse as a Bosnian nurse, an American doctor, a French poet, a Greek housewife and an Afghan warlord. All are connected - sometimes closely, sometimes remotely - to the central story. Many characters will face difficult ethical dilemmas and sometimes they respond in ways that surprise the readers.

Edge of Eternity / Ken Follett 1098 p.

Ken Follett completes his Century trilogy with Edge of Eternity which continues the stories of 5 families: American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh as they move through the tumultuous times of 1961-1989.  Through these families, Follett tells the history of the times: the rise and fall the the Berlin Wall, the Freedom Rides, assassinations of JFK, RFK, and MLK, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal, and crumbling of the Kremlin.  The third generation gives voice to the tragedies and hard times of this era.  It is the personalization that give life to the stories and compels the reader to keep turning the pages.

Those readers who enjoy this series may also enjoy the works of James Michener, North and South by John Jakes, and Edward Rutherfurd's Dublin Saga.

Check the library catalog.

Great Alone / Janet Dailey 716 p.

Great Alone / Janet Dailey 716 p.  Big Books

Janet Dailey tells the story of Alaska in a family saga. The story opens with a love story (It's Janet Daily) between an Aleut woman and a Cossack hunter. Through the happenings of their progeny, some two hundred years of the growth and development of Alaska is told from its earliest beginnings when the sea otter hunters braved the Bering Sea in the 18th century to make their fortune to the gold rush days through the war years.

In the style of the epic sagas of James Michener.

Check the library catalog

The Light in the Ruins/Chris Bohjalian/305 pages

The story begins in the countryside of Florence, Italy with war raging all around, the Rosati family  believes that the walls of their ancient villa will keep them safe from harm. Ten years later, there has been a brutal murder, a serial killer targeting the Rosatis. The investigator Serafina, finds herself digging into a past that might also include her own tragic history.  It seems the author at times was trying to write a romance and then other times a murder mystery, and not really developing the story line of either. Very vivid picture of Germany's occupation of Italy during the war and how it affected the people. It was heartbreaking for families trying to do whatever they could just stay alive.

Given Day / Dennis Lehane 704 p. Big Book

This historical novel focuses on the post-World War I Boston.  The intricate plot follows two main characters; an African American Luther Lawrence and Irish cop Danny Coughlin.  Danny has strong family ties to the upper echelon of the Boston Police Department.  He and Luther force a strong bond when Luther comes to work for the Danny's police captain father.  It is interesting to read of Calvin Coolidge, governor at that time, as he makes a name for himself during the Police Strike of 1919.  Boston cops were paid below the poverty level and worked in appalling situations.  Union members are persecuted by the police commissioner.   Luther is on the run.  He got involved in illicit activities and kills to save his life.  This story tells of anarchy, socialism, Bolsheviks, Prohibition, racism, the strikes, baseball, and Babe Ruth.  Through the tragedies it tells of the bonds between family and friends.  This page-turner was hard to put down and left you wanting to know more about Danny and Luther.

The Shoemaker's Wife/Adriana Trigiani/475 pgs.

I'm normally not a fan of "family sagas," but when a co-worker recommended this book, I thought I would give it a try--I'm so glad that I did. This is basically the story of two families from the same area in Italy: the Lazzaris and the Ravanellis--mainly Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravanelli. Their paths cross, first in Italy, and later, in the United States. Due to family problems, Ciro and his brother, Eduardo, are left by their mother at a convent to ultimately be raised by the sisters. Enza , the eldest of six children, takes on much of the responsibility in helping both of her parents sustain a large family. The time is pre-World War I, and the economy is not at its best. Ciro is banished from the convent because of something he witnesses, and finds refuge in the United States. Enza and her father travel to the United States in order to make money to send back to the remaining family. In each case, both Ciro and Enza plan on returning to their native Italy. But then  life happens, and the author takes the reader on a beautiful journey of Ciro and Enza's trials and tribulations. It is a well written, wonderful story!

of Bees and Mist / Erick Setiawn / 404p

A story about a young woman, growing up in a dysfunctional family, in an unnamed land, believes she'll find refuge in her married life. She finds that this is not always true. All the characters in the story seem motivated by grief, jealousy, greed and thwarted love and are emotionally immature.

I do think the symbolism of the bees and mist are well thought out and descriptive of how, when we harbor feelings as stated earlier, they would manifest themselves visually and eat away at an emotionally healthy life.

The Weird Sisters / Eleanor Brown / 318 Pages

Three sisters, each different and each trying to find her own place in the family & world, all come back home located in a small college town for different reasons. Their father is a distinguished Shakespearean professor and communicates through quoting the Bard. The girls, all named after Shakespearean characters, grew up immersed in the plays and sonnets and can recite lines at will. The entire family is constantly immersed in reading all types of books. In the end, they each find who they are and their path in life. This is a very thoughtful book. As readers, it makes you think about why you are reading so much! As parents, it makes you think deeply about your continuing impact on your children. If you are a sibling, it makes you think about your place in the family. I think this would be an excellent Book Club Discussion title. A well-written book that's meaty with themes.