View from Lake Como

After the divorce, Jess Baratta returns to her parents' home in Lake Como, New Jersey. In her life, there are only relatives with their desires and demands and work for her uncle, who deals in Italian marble. She has put others' needs above her own for so long and has defined herself through loyalty to traditions and duty that she has forgotten how to understand what she herself wants. The unexpected death of her uncle, who left her the business along with a burden of debts and secrets, makes Jess doubt everything she knew about her family. Wanting to start fresh, she travels to Italy, the historical homeland of her ancestors. The beauty of Tuscany, a new social circle, and a meeting with an attractive goldsmith give her a taste of another life — Jess feels at home for the first time and finds hope for happiness.
But will she be able to free herself from the burden of others' expectations and gain independence? Or will the shadows of the past force her to return? The new novel by Adriana Trigiani is an engaging, richly Italian tale of growing up, even if delayed, about close family ties that provide support but restrict freedom, and about the courage needed to find one's own voice.