I’ve reviewed books by Adriana Trigiani on here before, so when I was offered the opportunity to review Tony’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani, I was quick to do so. She’s quickly made her way up in my list of favorite authors over the past several years.
Tony’s Wife does not disappoint. This novel is set during the 1940s, and follows the lives of Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada, who meet just before World War II. Saverio changes his name to Tony Arma, and he takes Chi Chi on tour with him, they fall in love, and then they are forced to make decisions – do they continue to tour, or do they have a family? Just where will life take them? Trigiani does a masterful job at developing her characters and her plot, and does no differently in this novel.
About Tony’s Wife
Love, ambition, and the consequences of both lie at the heart of this spellbinding epic of two working-class kids who become a successful singing act during the big band era of the 1940s.
Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore before World War II. Chi Chi is a talented and ambitious singer-songwriter working in a local blouse factory looking for her big break, while Saverio, a singer already on the rise, is fronting a touring band and has the good looks and smooth vocals that make success seem assured. It isn’t long before Saverio becomes Tony Arma and he and Chi Chi form a duo; together they navigate the glamorous worlds of nightclubs, radio, and television. Soon they’re married and all goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put ambition aside to build a family and which will pursue a career? What compromises will they make to achieve their dreams? And on the road to fame and fortune, how will they cope with the impact these compromises have on their marriage, family, and themselves?
From the Jersey shore to Hollywood, New York City to Las Vegas, the hills of northern Italy and the exuberant hayride of the big band circuit in between: Tony’s Wife tells the story of the twentieth century in song, as Tony & Chi Chi make studio recordings and promote them with appearances on The EdSullivan Show and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As they juggle the demands of their public lives, secrets are revealed, promises are broken, and loyalty is tested as the Armas attempt to keep the music playing and their family together.
Tony’s Wife is a richly layered novel that explores how a traditional Italian-American family grapples with the seismic shifts they face in a rapidly changing world. Replete with a pageant of vivid, complex characters, this deeply human saga of love and sacrifice showcases Adriana Trigiani’s gifts as a captivating storyteller and reveals her understanding that there are many different kinds of families: that over time love can evolve in ways that nobody can predict, especially when the hearts involved are open to forgiveness, the sweet reprise of redemption.
Social Media
Please use the hashtag #tonyswife and tag @williammorrowbooks, @adrianatrigiani, and @tlcbooktours.
Purchase Links
HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
About Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani is the bestselling author of 17 books, which have been published in 36 countries around the world. She is a playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker. She wrote and directed the film version of her novel Big Stone Gap, which was shot entirely on location in her Virginia hometown. She is co-founder of the Origin Project, an in-school writing program that serves more than a thousand students in Appalachia. She lives in Greenwich Village with her family.
Find out more about Adriana at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for being on the tour!
I just finished Tony’s Wife. Though a quick and interesting read, it is not one of my favorites from her. I had the opportunity to meet her, she is a hoot, very funny – not what I had imagined at all.