A Heartwarming Story of Love and Music

Saviero and Chairs have big dreams when they meet on the Jersey Shore in1938. Although success and its vices get in the way, their love endures over decades.

Adriana Trigiani is a gifted writer whose books transport you to another time and place. The characters feel like people you know or have met. I was interested in Trigiani's description of the writing process and wonder if it came from her own life.
This book, in particular, that had so many deep insights into relationships. I really loved this book, from a favorite author. ( )

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. ( )

Thanks to Book Club Cookbook's Galley Match program and Harper publisher for a copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've read and liked several books written by Adriana Trigiani so I thought I knew what I was going to get with Tony's Wife but it turned out to be a different novel. What I liked: the large and loving Donatelli family; Chi Chi, a woman who pursues financial independence beginning in the 1930's; Mariano, an Italian father who encourages his daughter to develop her career instead of just to get married and have babies; and the backstage scenes of the swing era and the growing music industry. Loved the cover with those white sunglasses! What I didn't like: the way Chi Chi was strong and independent in every way except when it came to Tony; the author's over-explaining and repetition of certain facts and the omission of others - where was the editor?

The novel is over 400 pages, and I'm just not comfortable recommending my friends spend so much time with this book when I only rated it 2 1/2 stars. If you want to read a good Adriana Trigiani book, read Very Valentine or Lucia, Lucia. ( )

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. ( )

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! ( )