Sophia Rose is here with Varina Pallodino’s Jersey Italian Love Story by Terri-Lynne DeFino. I am curious about this chick-lit novel since I am a Jersey girl who married into an Italian family. Grab an espresso and check out Sophia’s thoughts….
by Terri-Lynne DeFino
Genres: Chick-Lit
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Heat Level:
An utterly delightful and surprising family drama--think Moonstruck and My Big Fat Greek Wedding set in New Jersey--about a boisterous, complicated Italian family determined to help their widowed mother find a new boyfriend.
Lively widow Varina Paladino has lived in the same house in Wyldale, New Jersey, her entire life. The town might be slightly stuck in the 1960s, when small businesses thrived and most residents were Italian, but its population is getting younger and the Paladinos are embracing the change. What Varina's not embracing, much to her ninety-two-year-old mother's dismay, is dating. Running Paladino's Italian Specialties grocery, caring for her mother, and keeping her large, loud Jersey Italian family from killing one another takes up all of Varina's energy anyway.
Sylvia Spini worries about her daughter Varina being left all alone when she dies. Sylvia knows what it is to be old and alone, so when her granddaughter, Donatella, comes to her with an ill-conceived plan to find Varina a man, Sylvia dives in. The three Paladino sons--Dante, Tommy, and Paulie--are each secretly plotting their own big life changes, which will throw the whole family for a loop.
Three generations of Paladinos butt heads and break one another's hearts as they wrestle with their own Jersey Italian love stories in this hilarious and life-affirming ode to love and family
Sophia Rose’s Review
Holding a New Jersey Italian family together is no easy feat for a widowed grocery store owner- especially since they start matchmaking. The title had me sold, but then I spotted the blurb for this new to me author effort and I couldn’t resist if I wanted to.
The story opens on an Italian American widow in her seventies who runs her late husband’s family Italian grocery store, cares for her ninety-two year old mother, Sylvia, keeps an eye on her grown sons, David and Dante, troubled Donatella, and a neighbor man, Paulie, who grew up with her kids and got kicked out of his family. Sylvia and Donatella decide Varina needs help getting back into the saddle when it comes to dating when Varina doesn’t begin dating on her own.
And, off we go with this boisterous, riot of a family giving the reader a full-senses read with color, language, food, emotions all over, and the ups and downs of a multi-generational family story. Varina might be the center of them all and her lack of love life the catalyst for some aspects, but this is not just her story. It’s a family saga, really with Sylvia being the one to get a romance, Varina considering what she really wants, and Paulie and Donatella taking the spotlight later as do other family members when Varina is background. So, there is romance and even some comic moments, but there is a lot of just life story of people tied to each other as family.
The author doesn’t shy away from mental health troubles in at least two characters, sexual orientation for another, family secrets, family misunderstandings, loss, and more including a late December surprise romance for Sylvia.
Incidentally, the beginning of each chapter was headed with Jersey Italian colloquialisms that cracked me up often enough. Some were familiar since I come from a Sicilian heritage, but most were not since my family doesn’t hail from Jersey.
While there are moments when the story meanders and doesn’t have a crisp plot thread (or threads) and I didn’t take to some of the characters, that feeling of being immersed in a big and clamorous Italian family, mouth-watering food descriptions, and emotional moments were there. In the end, I was glad to have spent time with the Pallodinos and hope Ms DeFino writes more in this vein. I would recommend it to women’s fic, chick lit, general fiction, and fans of romance that like the focus on family.
About Terri-Lynne DeFino
Terri-Lynne DeFino was born and raised in New Jersey but escaped to the wilds of Connecticut back in the nineties when her kids were babies and everyone wore flannel. She is the second of four children born to a homemaker and a then-fledgling attorney, in a Paterson, NJ household that included two grandparents and the occasional uncle, where Sunday dinner was a given and the noise level often required earplugs. According to her mother, she started writing stories at the age of seven, and learned to cook at any elbow she could wedge herself under. These days, her famiglia is larger, and louder, which might explain why she’s still in Connecticut, but if you knock on her door, she’ll invite you in and feed you, because you can take the Italian girl out of Jersey, but you can’t take the Jersey Italian out of the girl.
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About Sophia Rose
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Lola
This sounds like a good read with the big Italian family. I also like the sound of those food descriptions, I always like reading about food in books. And it sounds nice there are some emotional moments as well.
Sophia Rose
Oh yes, it was all that good stuff, Lola!
Katherine
This sounds like a fun read and this is the kind of story that I don’t mind if it meanders a bit as long as I feel connected to the characters. I’ll have to give this a try.
Sophia Rose
Yes, knowing what you’re getting into and being in the right mood can make for a good book experience. 🙂
Terri-Lynne DeFino
<3 🙂
Sophia Rose
So glad you could drop by! 🙂
DEBBIE HAUPT
I’m with you Sophia Rose about being pulled in by the blurb sorry it missed some marks but glad you enjoyed it.
This looks like something i would like too
Sophia Rose
It was definitely all the blurb promised. You’d like it. I think I was in the mood for it to stay lighter and it went for a more deeper dive into family situations and had a lot of moving parts within the large group that I struggled to keep up with.
Wendy
This sounds like a lot of fun. I dated a guy once with a large, loud Italian family. Wonderful review, Sophia
Sophia Rose
LOL, that sort of experience sticks with you. My poor hubby married into a large extended Italian family. 🙂
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
This sounds like a really good story. Love that cover too. Great review!
Sophia Rose
Thanks for that and yes, a cover that I thought was perfect for the book, Lisa!
Nadene
Interesting to Sylvia finding romance while attempting to propel her daughter back into the dating world.
Sophia Rose
I thought that was funny, too. A match for the matchmaker and it was the guy she planned to set her daughter up with. 😉
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
Sounds like a fun, multi-generational story! Love that there’s a romance for the 92 yr old!
Sophia Rose
It got heavy in places, but yeah, it was fun because we all have families that drive us nuts. Oh yeah, Sylvia’s romance happening was one of the cute parts.