The Queen of the Big Time Audiobook By Adriana Trigiani cover art

The Queen of the Big Time

A Novel

 Preview
Get this deal Try for $0.00
Offer ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just $0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible Premium Plus.
1 audiobook per month of your choice from our unparalleled catalog.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Queen of the Big Time

By: Adriana Trigiani
Narrated by: Adriana Trigiani
Get this deal Try for $0.00

$14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime. Offers ends December 16, 2025 11:59pm PT.

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $11.23

Buy for $11.23

Get 3 months for $0.99 a month
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A heartfelt novel of the power of love across three generations of an Italian-American family, from the author of the Big Stone Gap series

“[An] epic of small-town life . . . A personal saga of American history and a romance woven together with warmth and good humor.”—The Oregonian

In the late 1800s, the residents of a small village in coastal Italy migrated to the promised land of America. They eventually settled in Roseto, Pennsylvania, where they re-created every detail of their former lives, including the centerpiece of Roseto’s colorful old-world tradition: the annual pageant for Our Lady of Mount Caramel—or “the Big Time,” as it’s called by the young women competing to be its Queen.

The industrious Castellucas farm the land outside Roseto. Nella, the middle daughter of five, aspires to a genteel life “in town,” far from the rigors of life on the farm. But her dreams of making her own fortune shift when she meets and falls in love with Renato Lanzaro, a worldly, handsome, devil-may-care poet. When Renato disappears without explanation, Nella is shattered.

Four years later, Renato’s sudden return just before Nella’s wedding to the steadfast Franco Zollerano leaves her shaken. For although Renato has chosen a path very different from Nella’s, they are fated to live and work side by side for the rest of their lives in Roseto, where the past hangs over them like a brewing storm.

Etched in glorious detail in Adriana Trigiani’s trademark style, The Queen of the Big Time is the story of a determined, passionate woman who can never forget her first love.©2004 Adriana Trigiani; (P)2004 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc. Contemporary Fiction Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Sagas Women's Fiction Italy Heartfelt

Critic reviews

“Pure pleasure. . . full-bodied and elegantly written.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Moving and poignant . . . Trigiani has again defied categorization. She is more than a one-hit wonder, more than a Southern writer, more than a women’s novelist. She is an amazing young talent.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

“[The Queen of the Big Time] will make you smile and reminisce about gentler, more civil times in small-town and rural America.”—The Boston Globe

“Intensely detailed characters . . . Deaths lead to births, dreams deferred yield wondrous new visions.”—Entertainment Weekly
All stars
Most relevant
The reader made the most of this wonderful poignant story. This author does a marvelous job of painting a visual picture. I look forward to reading more from her

Another winner from Adrianna Trigiani

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an interesting study of family dynamics. I enjoy having Adriana's books narrated by herself. One of her books was narrated by another person and the effect was startling... really lost something. I am hoping that Adriana comes out with a new series of stories, as I really enjoy her writing. She always does studies of families and relationships. My only complaint is that the female protagonists often "mess up their relationships" and Ms. Trigiani walks the reader through the knowledge on the part of the protagonist that she is aware that her thinking and behaviour is faulty. This can occasionally get annoying. However, the stories are always worth the listen.

Really enjoy Adriana Trigiani

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love her style of writing. She brings it. Makes you really feel what the characters are feeling.

How timeless love is

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.