ISBN: 9780061958946
Grade: D
Is it gravy or marinara sauce?
Don't Sing at the Table is the story of Adriana Trigiani's grandmothers Lucy and Viola from the time when they were just young immigrants to their last days. The book is about the life lessons both women taught Trigiani from finances to family. Included are black and white photos of both women throughout their lives.
Obviously from my rating, this was not one of my favorite reads. I wanted so badly to love this book but it just fell short of my expectations. Given the author's last name I thought there would be more of Lucy and Viola's personalities included. The Italian Americans that I've met have been rather animated to say the least, and I'm not being stereotypical...every Italian I've known has been that way (and I should know considering I am part Italian). Passionate about food, family, and their heritage is how I've come to know anyone of Italian descent. While I appreciated reading about the lives of these hard working women, I felt like they were being filtered. The nostalgic black and white photos were a phenomenal addition and probably the only thing that made me finish the book. There is something about those old photos where no one smiled that's such a kick for me and makes me wish certain styles of eyeglasses would make a comeback (cat's eye glasses are an obsession of mine).
Overall I felt preached to in this book. If I wanted to hear what a bad wife and woman I am because I'm not a stay-at-home-mom, yadda yadda yadda, I'd ask my own grandmother to lecture me. Maybe I'm just too much of a feminist to enjoy this book. I'd love to hear what you guys think!
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