Allison’s Book Report - “The Good Left Undone” by Adriana Trigiani

We are home from our big road trip. I am already missing the salty sea air and those gorgeous Redwoods, but I'm super glad to be back home. Two weeks in a camp trailer is a long time for sure and I missed my house and my own bed. That being said, let me tell you this:  the worst part of going on vacation is how hard reality slaps you in the face when you get home. I have a crazy week of driving teens and tweens to a million different camps, orthodontist appointments, and other activities. Don't worry, it's not all bad. Driving kids places and waiting for them gives me tons of idle time to get lost in a book. As I tell my girls all the time, readers are never bored as long as we remember to bring our book with us everywhere we go.

This week, I went a little deeper into the stacks of books that I have been hoarding in my little library with a book I have had for a while. It has me wondering why I waited so long to crack it open. “The Good Left Undone” by Adriana Trigiani is a family saga about three generations of artisans in Tuscany and a remarkable family secret.

Domenica Cabrelli’s idyllic life in her beloved Italian village is turned upside down at the beginning of World War II. Her journey takes her all over war-torn Europe - experiencing love, loss, and grief while she longs for home. A hundred years later, her daughter, Matelda, is nearing the end of her life, and she is determined to share a long-buried family secret with her granddaughter, Anina. Together, they face the same big questions about life and their family's history and legacy that Domenica tried so hard to keep under wraps. With Matelda running out of time, the two timelines intersect and weave together in unexpected, heartbreaking ways that will eventually lead the whole family to redemption. 

The dual timelines of this book, with Matelda serving as the storyteller and liaison between the two, kept me reading and guessing as fast as I could turn the pages. Trigiani’s writing style is poetic and beautiful, and the descriptions of Tuscany had me ready to board a flight to Italy immediately. “The Good Left Undone” has strong themes of identity and belonging. It is part historical fiction, part love story, part family saga—and 100% beautiful and engaging storytelling.

That's it for this week. Wave if you see me sitting in my car or a waiting room around town this week while I jump back into reality. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram @allison.the.reader, where my reading and rambling continue. I can't wait to hear what you think of this book and what other books you think I should be reading next.