The View from Lake Como - by Adriana Trigiani (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good Left Undone, "a big-hearted writer who tells big stories" (Jeanette Walls) comes a story of love, second chances, and making your own fate"--

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"Trigiani is a master of palpable and visual detail."
--Washington Post

"One of the reigning queens of women's fiction."
--USA Today

"Utterly splendid! If you are reading Adriana for the first time, get ready for a lifelong love affair!"
--Kathryn Stockett

"Adriana Trigiani never fails to sweep you away with her richly transportive prose."
--Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Adriana Trigiani is a gifted, natural storyteller."
--Kristin Hannah

"A big-hearted writer who tells big stories."
--Jeannette Walls

"Adriana Trigiani has written the triumph of her career in this historical epic... I have always loved Adriana Trigiani's books, but The Good Left Undone is a crown jewel of historical fiction."
--Lisa Scottoline on The Good Left Undone

About the Author

Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-one books of fiction and nonfiction. Her work has been published in thirty-eight languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, and filmmaker, Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, adapted her novel, Very Valentine, for television, and directed the documentary, Queens of the Big Time, among others. In 2023, President Sergio Matterella of Italy awarded Trigiani the Cavaliere dell'Ordine della Stella d'Italia. The Library of Virginia bestowed their highest honor, the Patron of Letters degree, to Trigiani in 2024. Trigiani grew up in Appalachia, in the mountains of Virginia, where she co-founded The Origin Project, a year-round, in-school writing program that has served over 25,000 students since its inception in 2014. Trigiani is proud to serve on the New York State Council on the Arts. She lives in Greenwich Village with her family.