The Italian Wedding

Written by Nicky Pellegrino

Narrated by Jane McDowell

Two feuding families, two love stories - and a lot of delicious Italian food.

Pieta Martinelli's sister is getting married. Since she is a bridal designer it falls to her to make the wedding gown. But Pieta is distracted by a series of unanswered questions. Why is her father feuding with another Italian in the neighbourhood? Why is her mother so faded and sad? And could the man she's always held a torch for really be getting married to someone else?

As Pieta stitches and beads her sister's wedding gown she uncovers the secrets that have made her family what it is and that stand between her and happiness.

THE ITALIAN WEDDING is a feast of food and love. It's about discovering who your parents really are. And who you really want to be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orion
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781398715257

Nicky Pellegrino

When Nicky Pellegrino's Italian father came to England he fell in love with and married a Liverpool girl. He brought to his new family his passion for food and instilled in them what all Italians know - that you live to eat instead of eating to live. This Italian mantra is the inspiration behind Nicky's delicious novels. When Nicky met and married a New Zealander she moved to Auckland where she works as a journalist and edits a woman's magazine.

Reviews for The Italian Wedding

[nicx27 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of Pieta Martinelli, a young bridal designer living with her parents and sister in London. As the story Aprogresses she comes to realise that she knows hardly anything about her parents, how they met and their life together. As Pieta sews the intricate beads onto her sister's wedding dress, her mother starts to tell her story of going to Italy, meeting her father and how they started their life together.

I thought this was a lovely story. I found it to be an easy read, and very pleasurable. It was just a nice story of family life and I particularly loved the bits in which Pieta's mother talks about Italy. The descriptions were very evocative and I could almost imagine I was there.

I'm already looking forward to reading another of this author's books.

[mrn945_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The novel takes place in London, with flashbacks to different parts of Italy, though mainly Rome. The main character is learning of her parents past. Her mother was a Londoner who had an adventure in Rome where she met her husband, and fell madly in love amongst the pizza and gelato. It was romantic and sweet, though not without its heartbreaking moments. The main character also explores her role in the family - as daughter and older sister - as well as the dynamics of her family with their neighbourhood.

I found the novel to be interesting, the characters were well-drawn, and the drama was just enough to keep you interested in the outcome. I really enjoyed her descriptions of Italy, and particularly Italian food. I also thought that it was a rather insightful description of the ways in which we allow our lives to change course, and how we hold onto the past.

So, all in all, highly enjoyable! I was drawn in with little effort and had a smile on my face at the end. The perfect light book for your holiday!

[kiwifortyniner · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable if you just want something light to read.

[pricelessreads · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It took me 5 or 6 chapters to really get into this book. Pieta’s father came from Italy to London many years ago to start an Italian restaurant. As the story progresses, we learn about the mother and father’s history, which to me was more interesting than the base story. One of the best parts of the book is that the author includes Italian recipes as they are used in the story. Even if the story was a bit lacking, I learned a few new recipes.

[pip1-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nice read but no depth