The View From Lake Como
A Novel
-
-
4.3 • 380 Ratings
-
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
Selected for CBS News New York's Book Club with Mary Calvi
As seen on Good Morning America, The View, Good Day New York and featured on Katie Couric Media and Read with Jenna Open Book podcast
PEOPLE: BEST NEW BOOKS
An Elle Best Book of Summer 2025
USA Today Most Anticipated Read of Summer 2025
Publishers Weekly Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2025
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, a “dazzling” storyteller (Washington Post), and a “comedy writer with a heart of gold” (NYT), comes a novel about one woman’s quest to build her own life before it’s too late.
Jess Capodimonte Baratta is not living the life of her dreams. Not even close.
In blue-collar Lake Como, New Jersey, family comes first. Recently divorced from Bobby Bilancia, “the perfect husband," Jess moves into her parents’ basement to hide and heal. Jess is the overlooked daughter, who dutifully takes care of her parents, cooks Sunday dinner, and puts herself last. Despite her role as the family handmaiden, Jess is also a talented draftswoman in the marble business run by her dapper uncle Louie, who believes she can do anything (once she invests in a better wardrobe).
When the Capodimonte and Baratta families endure an unexpected loss, the shock unearths long-buried secrets that will force Jess to question her loyalty to those she trusted. Fueled by her lost dreams, Jess takes fate into her own hands and escapes to her ancestral home, Carrara, Italy.
From the shadows of the majestic marble-capped mountains of Tuscany, to the glittering streets of Milan, and on the shores of enchanting Lake Como (the other one), Jess begins to carve a place in this new/old world. When she meets Angelo Strazza, a passionate artist who works in gold, she discovers her own skills are priceless. But as Jess uncovers the truth about her family history, it will change the course of her life and those she loves the most forever. In love and work, in art and soul, Jess will need every tool she has mastered to reinvent her life.
Fed by the author’s cherished Italian roots comes a bighearted, hilarious novel of the moment: the story of one woman’s determination to live a creative life that matters, with enough room left over for love. With a one-way ticket to Italy, Jess is determined to write a new story on her own terms--this time, in stone.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
An Italian American woman throws off the shackles of her constrictive New Jersey family in this sweet outing from Trigiani (The Good Left Undone). Giuseppina Capodimonte works for her savvy uncle Louie, drafting designs for fountains, bathrooms, and floors made from the distinctive Italian marble he imports. She's left her hometown husband, Bobby, and is living in her parents' basement, the dutiful daughter who's with Grandma Cap when she dies, who's always there to help Grammy B make the cavatelli, and whose college fund was used to put her brother Joe through law school. After Giuseppina takes over Cap Marble and Stone, she discovers that her uncle was in over his head with the IRS. The first thing she does is travel to Carrara, where the marble is quarried, and there her awakening begins. She rents a charming apartment overlooking a picture-perfect piazza, drinks superb espresso, acquires a stray kitten, and melts on multiple occasions into the arms of the landlady's gorgeous son. As Giuseppina straightens out her family's business, the Italian sojourn proves predictably life-changing. Trigiani's fans will lap this up.
Customer Reviews
Live Laugh Love!
A story for all generations - peppered with Adrianna Trigiani’s descriptive prose, moments of laughter, and the wisdom of family, tradition and self growth.
Good book to read before bed
Basic, easy read. A good book to read before bed each night.
Poorly Written
Terrible. Ridiculous writing. What a waste of my money.