Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Tony's Wife: A Novel
    Tony's Wife: A Novel
    Tony's Wife: A Novel
    Audiobook12 hours

    Tony's Wife: A Novel

    Written by Adriana Trigiani

    Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times Bestseller • People’s Book of the Week

    “A heartfelt tale of love too stubborn to surrender to human frailties."" — Kirkus Reviews

    Set in the lush Big Band era of the 1940s, this spellbinding saga from beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani tells the story of two talented working class kids who marry and become a successful singing act, until time, temptation, and the responsibilities of home and family derail their dreams.

    Shortly before World War II, Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore and fall in love. Both are talented, and dream of becoming singers for the legendary orchestras of the time: Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman. They’re soon married, and it isn’t long before Chiara and Tony find that their careers are on the way up as they navigate the glamorous worlds of night clubs, radio, and television. All goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put their ambitions aside to raise a family and which will pursue a career? And how will they cope with the impact that decision has on their lives and their marriage?

    From the Jersey shore to Las Vegas to Hollywood, and the dance halls in between, this story is vivid with historical color and steeped in the popular music that serves as its score. Tony’s Wife is a magnificent epic of life in a traditional Italian family undergoing seismic change in a fast paced, modern world. Filled with vivid, funny, and unforgettable characters, this richly human story showcases Adriana Trigiani’s gifts as a storyteller and her deep understanding of family, love, and the pursuit of a dream.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateNov 20, 2018
    ISBN9780062866646
    Tony's Wife: A Novel
    Author

    Adriana Trigiani

    Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is “a master of palpable and visual detail” (Washington Post) and “a comedy writer with a heart of gold” (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People’s Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana’s screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 1,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.  Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.  Join Adriana’s Facebook LIVE show, Adriana Ink, in conversation with the world’s greatest authors- Tuesdays at 3 PM EST! For more from Adriana’s interviews, you can subscribe to her Meta “Bulletin” column, Adriana Spills the Ink: adrianatrigiani.bulletin.com/subscribe.

    More audiobooks from Adriana Trigiani

    Related to Tony's Wife

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'The Heart's Invisible Furies' Is the Funny, Touching Story of an Irish Everyman

      Sep 1, 2017

      Boyne's new novel follows its protagonist throughout the decades, from birth in 1945 to age 70, and the story encompasses a great deal of history.

      3 min read

    • Article

      March Fiction

      Feb 15, 2022

      Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson (Century, £20) In 2018 the ever-prolific James Patterson got together with Bill Clinton to write the best-selling The President Is Missing: a novel that combined Clinton’s insider knowledge with Patter

      2 min read

    • Article

      Romantic Entanglements Bring Humor And Heartache To Small Town

      Jun 21, 2021

      Katherine Heiny’s novel transplants readers to Boyne City, Michigan, through the keen eyes of the town’s new schoolteacher.

      3 min read

    • Article

      Home Before Dark

      Apr 2, 2020

      Home Before Dark
      1 min read

    • Article

      Best-sellers

      Feb 25, 2018

      Rankings for hard-cover books sold in Southern California, as reported by selected book stores: ___ Fiction 1."The Great Alone," by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's: $28.99) A family discovers it is in peril after the father, a returning Vietnam War POW,

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Millions Top Ten: July 2019

      Aug 8, 2019

      Benjamin Dreyer graduates to our Hall of Fame, making room for new Colson Whitehead, while Sally Rooney pulls off the extremely rare double listing. The post The Millions Top Ten: July 2019 appeared first on The Millions.

      1 min read

    • Article

      January Fiction

      Dec 14, 2021

      The Maid by Nita Prose HarperCollins, £14.99 Molly Gray, the narrator of Nita Prose’s startlingly good debut novel, is a young woman who knows her place—and who rather likes it. For “approximately four years, 13 weeks, and five days” she’s been worki

      2 min read

    • Article

      February’s BOOK CLUB

      Jan 5, 2023

      River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (£18.99, HB, Headline) It’s Barbados 1834 and slavery has been abolished, but former slaves must work for another six years – for free! In an act of resistance, Rachel heads off through the Caribbean and South A

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Creator Of ‘Duchess Goldblatt’ Finds Herself – And Twitter Fans

      Jul 16, 2020

      In the memoir, “Becoming Duchess Goldblatt,” the anonymous author shares her struggles – and the online community that saved her.

      2 min read

    • Article

      This Race Debate Over ‘Bridgerton’ Is Much Ado About Nothing

      Jan 9, 2021

      IT TOOK me just over five days to watch Netflix's latest original, Bridgerton. It’s a binge-able soapie drama that has some good moments and other moments that make you cringe. It’s not the finest TV ever made, but it’s watchable. Bridgerton is the

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Richest Girl In The World

      Aug 12, 2020

      The Richest Girl In The World
      10 min read

    • Article

      Making More Memories

      Aug 4, 2023

      Making More Memories
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Tony's Wife

    3.5/5

    53 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Two young musicians, singer Saverio and songwriter Chi Chi try to make it in the Big Band world. But is success everything they dreamed of after all?I've been fairly meh on most of what I've read by Trigiani, but I decided to give this book a try anyway. The title is very misleading because we don't meet Tony for quite some time and it's even longer before we meet his wife. The beginning of the book was a bit slow, especially because it started off focusing on Saverio, who I never felt was compelling as a character. Once Chi Chi entered the scene, I was far more interested as she is a vibrant and engaging character. But as time went by, I felt that Trigiani did Chi Chi wrong; she deserved a far better life than she was given and, frankly, some of her behavior (e.g., being a doormat for her ex-husband) was very out of line with her character (e.g., insisting on financial independence at a time when that was not a thing for women). The pacing was a little off here and there -- long descriptions of someone's clothes for instance and then the barest mention of a marriage, divorce, or birth -- but overall the writing was decent. I suppose the argument could be made that Trigiani wrote a rather gripping story because I felt so strongly about both main characters, but I felt like so much of Saverio's parts could have been downsized or completely stripped and the book would have been improved. Honestly, a story about Chi Chi and her sisters working the music scene with their all-girl band would have been a better one, and no Saverio was needed. It seems from what I've read so far of her works, Trigiani can write some really stand-up female leads, and then stinks at procuring male leads worthy of them.For the audiobook reader, the narrator here did a good job of giving different voices and accents to the various characters. However, his voice for general narration was a bit too placid for my taste.
    • 2/5
      Quite a disappointment after others that I've read by her. I did finish it- and I'm not sure why. Just a story about a young, Italian girl who gives up everything for nothing.
    • 3/5
      I picked this up because of the author, but I wasn’t impressed. The characters had no depth. The language seemed unrealistic. This was one of the few books I did not finish reading.
    • 3/5
      Capable and talented Chi Chi marries her musical partner Tony and deals with his infidelity while raising the kids and keeping up her song writing career. She’s such a saint it makes me angry!
    • 4/5
      Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani is a highly recommended historical family drama that begins in the Big Band Era and flows through the decades.Saverio Armandonada is kicked out of his home by his father on Christmas Eve, 1932, when he wants to forego working at the auto plant and pursue a singing career. Later, before the start of WWII and after he experiences some success, he meets the feisty Chi Chi (Chiara) Donatelli at Sea Isle City on the Jersey Shore. She wants a career in music too, and although she is attracted to Saverio, she also realizes that he is a womanizer, and besides all that, she is very serious about a career on her terms and wants no part of marriage. Later she meets Saverio again. Now he has changed his name to Tony Arma. The two begin to work together as friends in Tony's band and become a successful singing act. She writes successful songs and Tony has hits singing them.Then WWII begins and Tony joins the Navy. As he receives Chi Chi's friendly letters, he realizes he has strong feelings for her and pursues her. She is uncertain because she has seen him with many other women over the time she has worked with him. He swears she is the only woman for him and finally she agrees to marry him. Then, the girl who never wanted to get married, has twin girls while Tony is still enlisted. This marks a change in Chi Chi's life, because now she is the one who must set her career aside and take care of their family. In the meantime, Tony returns and returns to life on the road, singing, and womanizing. Now Chi Chi has some difficult decisions to make as she lives life on her own terms.This is a drama following a passionate Italian family full of life and opinions. It is well written and follows the characters from the 1930s to the 1980's, although the earlier years are much more detailed and the later years rushed. Once the plot took shape, it did become a bit predictable. Chi Chi is the main character and the one who is truly portrayed as a complete individual. The historical setting adds a special touch to the saga, along with the strong family connections and opinions that Chi Chi holds. Trigiani definitely captures the emotions and closeness of a devoted Italian family and their many extended connections.The first part of the book features a strong narrative voice from Chi Chi, with Saverio's character having his own issues and feelings that are also clearly presented. Then the novel changed, and the main narrative voice is Chi Chi. Tony becomes, quite frankly, a cad. I've been back and forth on this novel. There were parts where it is a page-turner that I enjoyed quite a bit, and others that left me a bit bored. It will appeal to Trigiani's many fans and does introduce an unforgettable character in Chi Chi. It's also a good choice for anyone who loves a sweeping family saga that covers a lifetime.Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from HarperCollins.
    • 5/5
      Adriana Trigiani's newest novel, Tony's Wife, begins in 1932 Detroit. Saverio Armandonada (that's a mouthful!) is on his way to work in the Ford motor plant, along with this father Leone and all the other men in the neighborhood.Saverio's job is to bolt the driver's door handle on 978 cars every day, ten hours a day, six days a week. On the seventh day, Saverio sings in the church choir. He has the loveliest voice in the choir, everyone said so.On Christmas Eve, he was all set to give fellow choir member Cheryl a beautiful necklace and declare his love. When his love life doesn't work out as he planned, he gets an offer to audition for a band. His father is furious that Saverio would give up a good steady job for the unknown life as a singer, and throws him out of the house.Chi Chi Donatelli lives in New Jersey with her family, where they all work in a textile factory. But Chi Chi dreams of being a singer, and her father supports her, even building a studio in their garage to record Chi Chi and her sisters in the hopes of becoming the next big girl group.Chi Chi meets Saverio, hoping that he can get her record to a music label. They spend the day at the beach, and Tony is smitten with Chi Chi, although she is wary of his playboy ways. Tony is invited to the Donatellis for Sunday dinner, and he envies Chi Chi the warmth of her family. How he wished he had that!Saverio and Chi Chi both dream of becoming stars, and they fall in love and marry. Chi Chi fears that becoming a wife and mother will force her to give up the life she has come to relish- writing and recording songs, performing on stage with Sav (now known as Tony Arma).They move to Hollywood, where Chi Chi writes songs and cares for their children, while Tony tours the country and works as an actor in films. Chi Chi wants the traditional Italian family that she grew up with, but it appears that Tony may no longer want that. Can their marriage survive?Anyone who loves the music of the 1940s and 1950s will adore Tony's Wife. Trigiani names each chapter as a direction in music- Feroce, Crescendo, Teneramente- adding to the authenticity of this engaging story. She even includes song lyrics throughout and a Tony Arma discography at the end of the book.I found Chi Chi's story so very captivating. She is such a strong woman, a woman who took care of her family's finances and took charge of her career and life, all the time remaining traditional to her family values. I absolutely fell in love with her!As with everyone, there are ups and downs in Chi Chi's life, happy times and incredibly sad and challenging times too. Once again, the cover art work is astonishing, and the descriptions of family meals and the beautiful clothing so evocative that you use all of your senses while reading this gorgeous story.Tony's Wife would make a perfect hostess gift if you are traveling for Thanksgiving, as well as a lovely gift during this holiday season. Pair it with a Frank Sinatra record and a bottle of good Chianti as a gift to your best friend as well as for yourself. I highly recommend Tony's Wife.