Varina Palladino's
Jersey Italian Love Story
by Terri Lynne DeFinco
What a fun, comically, and exciting read. About an Italian NJ family, the Palladino's.
The escapades of matriarch, Sylvia, 92 years ago, Varina, 70 years old, and Donatella, the granddaughter. Which includes the large extended family. The brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Think of Moonstruck, and Saturday Night Fever, loud, large, extended family.
The three, Grandmother-92(Sylvia), daughter-70(Varina), and granddaughter(Donnetta) live in the same house under one roof. Varina during the day owns and works in her specialty Italian grocery store in the neighborhood. We also meet Paulie who has been adopted to the family, Paulie since he was 5 years old. Who Donnetta treats Paulie like a brother. A large family gathering during Christmas Eve Donetta is held up at the police station. She is always getting in trouble. Paulie "The man in shining army" rescues her. She has constantly had issues. No one but Paulie knows what happened. Donnatella has so many issues herself. You don't find out later until much later what is with her.
Another twist Sylvie schemes with her grandaughter to make posters advertising her daughter would like to meet a man. Varina has no idea. So men start popping up at her store without her realizing why she is so popular. Men popping up at her store. Can you imagine?! There is so many escapades they scheme, and continue to plot ideas. There is so many funny, comical lines. You are laughing out loud.
I could see the scene as I used to live in New Jersey and knew the area she was writing about. I could picture it in my head as a movie. In Wyldale, NJ. I picture the row houses in a close knit community like in Jersey City, North Bergen. As I have never been in this community. It was fun reading about the shopping malls she mentions, Bergen Mall, Paramus Park, etc,
I enjoyed reading until the last part. It just bothered me. What a way to ruin a book that was a fun book to read. To a book that became tragic, and sad abruptly. I wasn't expecting it. I understand novels that have to have a bit of meat. Which is a book I like. But the sadness was unexpected. Why would you ride a fun book and then put sadness, and tragedy in a novel. What were the publicists thinking? The novel didn't work for me only in the last part. If you are going to write a serious novel, OK, I like serious. This was too sad. But to go to two extremes it was so sad it made me cry! The book was great and fun until the last part. I would have given it 5 stars unfortunately because the story didn't work at the end I give it three stars.
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