Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Group, Dutton for the digital ARC of The View from Lake Como.

Giuseppina "Jess" Capodimonte Baratta is newly divorced from the man who used to steal her lunches, and is back in her parents’ basement. She feels stuck in her small-town, Lake Como, New Jersey, just as her namesake Zia Giuseppina did. Jess is determined to write her own story, on her own terms.

Unfortunately I only made it 25% of the way through this book before I decided to DNF it. This truly surprised me - I generally enjoy Adriana Trigiani's books, but this one just dragged and I couldn't get into it.

This book!!!!! I have a list of at least 10 people in my family that need to read this book when it comes out in July!!!!!! Being an Italian American who grew up in South Jersey, I could relate to so much of this book. The foods (cavatelli, macaroni, gravy, zepploi, ...) I lost my aunt (the matriarch of the family) last week and having to attend two viewings and a funeral, I could relate to Jess and all that she went through. (down to the Eagle's Wing............sob!!!!). This book is about a 30 something Italian American girl who does so much for her family, that she forgets who she is and what she really wants out of life. It takes a trip to Italy for Jess to find herself and in doing so, he finds love, and a few secrets along the way. Adriana Trigiani is a master class of fun, humor, and emotions all rolled into one! I have read most of her other books and loved them. This by far is my favorite! I can wait to send copies to my family when this book is finally published!

I absolutely adored this. I loved the spirit of rebuilding your life - maybe that is where I am at in life, but this resonated so deeply with me. Trigiani has a way with words and story telling and I look forward to discovering more of her backlist!

I did not like this book. It was so slow. There was so much talk of religion, I just started rolling my eyes every time. The narrator was annoying. The only thing I liked was the LGBTQ+ representation.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the parts of this book that were set in Italy, as the protagonist, Jess, is at her best there. But, when she is in New Jersey and interacting with her family there are so many unbelievable scenes, especially involving her parents. Her journal entries provide a window into past events and highlight how she is exploring her life through therapy. I just didn’t quite get Jess and her actions. The reader is left in the dark about the reasons for the breakup of her marriage for too long, in my opinion. While I understand how this adds suspense, it mostly left me confused. I’ve read and loved all of Adriana Trigiani’s books, and while this was an interesting story, it didn’t engage me quite as much as others have. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC of The View from Lake Como. Although I’m usually a huge fan of Adriana Trigiani, I struggled through this one. It was an ok story but perhaps a little too much talk of marble and quarries to truly keep my interest. I do love reading about Italy and Italian families as an Italian American though. Maybe next time more of that, less marble and quarries?

From New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani, a luminous novel about family, reinvention, and the courage to carve out a life of one’s own—set between the blue-collar charm of New Jersey and the timeless beauty of Italy.

Jess Capodimonte Baratta has always played by the rules. Raised in a tight-knit Italian American community in Lake Como, New Jersey, she’s spent her life putting family first—cooking Sunday dinners, tending to her aging parents, and working as a skilled draftswoman in her uncle’s marble business. But after her divorce from Bobby Bilancia—once deemed “the perfect husband”—Jess moves into her parents’ basement, caught between heartbreak and the sinking realization that she’s been living a life designed by others.

Then, an unexpected family loss opens long-buried secrets, forcing Jess to reevaluate everything she thought she knew. With nothing holding her back, she buys a one-way ticket to Carrara, Italy, the legendary birthplace of the world’s finest marble. In the shadow of Tuscany’s majestic mountains, among artisans who have worked in stone for centuries, Jess rediscovers her passion and her power.

Her journey takes her from the marble quarries of Carrara and finally to the shores of the other Lake Como, where she meets Angelo Strazza, a goldsmith whose smoldering personality inspires interest. As Jess learns to shape marble into something lasting, she begins to see herself in a new light—strong, capable, and ready to craft a future on her own terms.

But the past isn’t finished with her yet. The truths she uncovers about her family will change the course of her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever. As familiar as a favorite shirt, the humor, heart, and the generational banter keep the story light and. charming. This is a wonderful story for anyone who is part of a big family.

#TheViewFromLakeComo #AdrianaTrigiani #PenguinGroup #ItalianAmericanStories #SecondChances #FoundInItaly #FamilySecretsAndMarbleDust

I have read every single one of Trigani's books. The stories are usually upbeat, a tad predictable but enjoyable from the get go. Although I ended up liking this one, it started off very very slow and was just not up to par with her prior books