Rococo

A Novel

By: Adriana Trigiani

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • One small Italian American town in America gets the makeover it never expected in this “eccentric, unpredictable, entertaining” (The Boston Globe) novel from the author of the beloved Big Stone Gap series

“An artfully designed tale [with] characters so lively they bounce off the page [and] wit so subtle that even the best jokes seem effortless.”—People

Bartolomeo di Crespi is the acclaimed interior decorator—not to mention the most eligible bachelor—in Our Lady of Fatima, New Jersey. From the dazzling shores of the Garden State to the legendary fabric houses of New York City, from the prickly purveyors of fine art in London to the Mediterranean coast of Italy, Bartolomeo is on a mission to bring talent, sophistication, and his aesthetic vision to his hometown. So when the renovation of the local church is scheduled, he assumes there is only one man to oversee the job.

Recruiting an artist and a stained-glass artisan to help with the project—two handsome men who create romantic mayhem among Bartolomeo’s sister, his erstwhile fiancée, and all the other lovelorn ladies of OLOF—Bartolomeo struggles to create art while remaining the steadfast linchpin of the volatile di Crespi clan. Together, Bartolomeo and his team will do more than blow the dust off the old Fatima frescoes—they will turn the town upside down, challenge the faithful, and restore hope where there once was none.

©2005 Adriana Trigiani (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A veritable crazy quilt of quirky Italian Americans . . .Trigiani weaves all [the] subplots together with wonderful ease.”—Entertainment Weekly

“[Trigiani] delivers charming, dependably satisfying books that you know will be stuffed with quirky but likable characters. . . . Throughout this fast-paced, abundantly charming novel, Trigiani focuses on the things that really matter: family, faith and home. Especially home. It is a deeply rewarding book that should make her legions of fans very happy indeed.”—BookPage

“A feel-good story . . . manages to soothe, in part because of its cozy design talk, and in part because of the likable, competent B.”—Publishers Weekly

Loved the story! The narrator was fantastic!

Adriana Trigiani is amazing! Stephen Hoye’s Jersey accent and portrayal of Bartolomeo di Crespi is so believable you wonder if it’s really him telling his own story. I wanted to be a part of this Italian family that loved one another deeply in spite of hilarious turmoils and the pain and glory of life. I laughed out loud and couldn’t wait to be a fly on the wall to see what would happen next. Would love a sequel!!

another good one from Ms Trigiani

Loved the book - I found the quality of the book equal to others I've read by Ms Trigiani. The reader made me a little crazy, though - don't think he's ever been to NJ. I cringed every time he pronounced Belmar with the accent on the second syllable - its pronounced BEL-mar! Ms Trigiani's description of the girls from St Elizabeth's in Convent Station is right on the mark - and I know several of them!

Loved it!

I loved this book, but it's not for everybody. It's about a funny, Italian family in New Jersey, with the 40 year old interior decorator son as the narrator and main character. I thought that the dialogue was very funny, and touching at times. But there is a lot of description of interior design, the fabrics, decor, etc. I loved the descriptions, but as I said, not everyone would enjoy them.

Silly and dated, but with some good laughs anyway

A first-class narrator, some very funny character sketches, and descriptions of early seventies fashion and interior design that are truly cringe-worthy make this piece of fluff worth a listen.

Thoroughly Enjoyable

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, but I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it as much if I had read it. Tbe narration of Stephen Hoyle was fantastic. He seamlessly moved between characters and had me believing I was really hearing Toot , 2, Capri and all the other wonderful characters that populated this book.

Laughter and more laughter.

I’ve never giggles or laughed my way through another book as I have Rococo. Bravo Ms Trigiani. More!

wonderful story, so creative, so trigiani!

i loved this book. the narration is fabulous, and the story is, in my opinion, one of trigiani's best. just listened to it a second time .. even better. highly recommended, particularly if you happen to "get" the NY/NJ sensibility.

Sorry, but it was very disappointing.

Having read all of Adrianna Trigiani's books (either listening to them or on my Kindle), I couldn't wait to listen to "Rococo." I love her writing, musings and descriptions of life along with the story-lines of her books. Her gentle observations are well read by the various women narrators. However, in "Rococo", Steven Hoye is the reader, and this is appropriate because the main character in this book is a man. But, his very bad New York accent comes across as caustic and sarcastic instead of charming. I finished the book out of respect for the author and because I kept expecting it to get better. But, it didn't.

Didn't Grab Me

Sorry, but, this book did nothing for me. Yes, there were a few fun spots but the storyline just never seemed to go anywhere exciting and I never found myself laughing out loud as I'd hoped for. References to NJ towns were fun because I live there (and grew up during the 70's), but that was about it for me. The readers voice, while funny, never once made me believe that B was into hetero relationships...sorry!