The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani
You may be dreaming in Italian and wishing you were a member of the Cabrelli Family before you finish reading The Good Left Undone (Dutton) by deservedly popular author, director and podcaster Adriana Trigiani. Whether you have been a fan since her first novel, The Big Stone Gap, was published or are discovering her work for the first time, this is a treat. She can always be counted on to spin an enchanting, though often bittersweet, tale. The 100-year saga of the Cabrelli family is like a hearty peasant-style Tuscan soup that blends sometimes unexpected ingredients, simmering them with love to achieve a complex, palate-pleasing mix to nourish and warm the heart.
A LEGACY OF ARTISTRY AND HARDSHIP
The primary setting for The Good Left Undone is as essential as the characters. Renowned for its art nouveau architecture, miles of white sandy beaches and a bustling promenade, the northern Tuscan town of Viareggio sits on the Italian Riviera near Pisa and Lucca. In 1920 when the story begins, it was a small impoverished village of artisans, craftsmen and shopkeepers. Everyone knew the gossip about each family, and the church had a dominant role. Present-day upscale Viareggio, however, is home to 62,000 citizens and a multitude of Italian and international tourists, who clog the streets during Carnevale to see the towering floats and swarm the beaches year round.
For over a century, the Cabrelli family have been respected artisans and tradesmen, having earned a reputation as gem cutters and craftsmen of fine jewelry and Sacred Vessels, such as chalices and patents commissioned for Roman Catholic churches and cathedrals. Despite their prominence in Viareggio, their work has not made them wealthy. At times, they have teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. The Good Left Undone is their story and legacy told in seamless movement from 1920 through World War II and on to the present day.
A FAMILY DIVIDED BY STRIFE
Although bound by blood and extended familial relationships, the Cabrellis are not immune from jealousies, rivalries and rifts, and the three remaining generations of Cabrellis no longer live close to each other:
Grandparents Olimpio and Metelda Cabrelli Roffo occupy the “attico” or penthouse of the former family villa, which like many other homes in this now expensive resort town, has been renovated and broken up into rental apartments. Self-possessed, extremely competent, unwilling to accept help from others and often sharply critical, Metelda is not anyone’s idea of a warm and huggable nonna. Her face generally icily reserved, she instills respect, obedience and a little fear in her children and grandchildren.
Olimpio and Metelda’s daughter Nicolina and son-in-law live near Lucca, tending to the family business, and their son lives a little farther up the coast. Granddaughter Anina is torn between increasing her role in the family trade and moving away with her fiancé, Paolo, a possessive mama’s boy and perennially unemployed job-seeker. Metelda’s estranged younger brother, Nino, and his family have resided in New Jersey for 50 years. He continues to harbor resentment about his perception of inequities in affection from their parents, as well as the division of their estate, but he has used his share to create a lucrative costume jewelry business in America, using family heritage designs.
LONG-HIDDEN SECRETS FINALLY REVEALED
Matelda’s 81st birthday brings a flood of memories and visitors. Prompted by her advancing age and ill health, she begins to share the closely held family history with Nicolina and Anina, who takes time off from the shop in Lucca and listens to her grandmother while learning to cook her most cherished recipes. As fascinating as the contemporary family is, the person of greatest interest is Metelda’s late mother, Domenica Cabrelli, who plays a pivotal role in unfolding of a century of history.
The headstrong daughter of a prominent jeweler, various villagers attempted to court Domenica as she grew into a lovely young woman, but she was more interested in the nursing profession than marriage. The consequences of providing an abused woman, whose life would be endangered by another pregnancy, a pamphlet about birth control jeopardize her cherished career when an outraged husband makes a formal complaint. If prosecuted, she could face losing her nursing license.
Under the assumption she can return home in a few months, Domenica’s employer arranges for her to transfer to a hospital in Marseilles, France, and stay at a nearby convent. Plans change, however, when the Germans begin the long war. The Sisters of St. Joseph arrange for her safe passage to Glasgow, Scotland, allowing her to continue to work as a nurse for the duration of the war. Alas, to say any more of Domenica and the Cabrellis would be to deny prospective readers the pleasure of discovering the intricacies of this family’s story for themselves.
LOVE’S ENDURING STRENGTH
Trigiani deftly interweaves factual history with this sweeping tale of a family dynasty. We learn of the immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries of many poor Italians to Scotland and England (as evidenced by the proliferation of gelato shops; by 1905, over 350 existed in Glasgow alone). The rise of Mussolini’s fascism and alliance with Germany during WWII increased suspicion of and prejudice towards Italian immigrants. Harsh laws soon followed, which resulted in the deportation of many Italians to internment camps on the Isle of Man, Orkney and Canada.
The Good Left Undone would make a fine movie and is certain to be at the top of reading group lists. The courage, tenacity, self-determination, love, loyalty and hope for the future of the Cabrelli family may serve as an inspiration to all. Trigiani leaves the reader asking what they could do to spread kindness and make amends to those wronged. She is one incredibly fine storyteller.
