Historical

The Good Left Undone

The Good Left Undone

  • Downloads：6293
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-05-12 06:53:07
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Adriana Trigiani
  • ISBN：0241565855
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Domenica Cabrelli had two great loves of her life。

The first， her childhood sweetheart: a boy from the same small， sun-drenched Italian town of Viareggio。 A romance born out of yearning and shared history; over before it really had a chance to begin。

Then， on an idyllic French coastline in the shadow of war， Domenica's second great love affair， which would go on to define her - a mysterious captain， with a future on the front line。

Many decades later， only her daughter， Matelda， knows the true story of these two men's lives， and the secret that connects them。 And， as the end of her life nears， Matelda realizes that some truths are too great to be lost。 But as she works against the clock with her own daughter to unpack their family's legacy， more questions arise than answers。

What was the real story of her mother's wartime years？

What kept her away from Italy for so long， after the fighting had ended？

And what， ultimately， brought her home again。。？

From Sunday Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani comes The Good Left Undone: an emotional， immersive new novel full of secrets which unfold in breathtaking turns。。。

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Reviews

Julie Hawkins ，

Oh man， this was very well written， to the point I think I cried the last 100 pages。 I absolutely loved everything about this book like the storyline， it’s based on a true story about an Italian nurse who ended up in Scotland during WWII。 In all three countries I felt I was right there with her。 ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Saundra ，

I enjoyed some characters more than others， some locations more than others， and my heart was broken by the WWII stories， which I'm familiar with。 This generational sage wasn't as engaging as others stories the author has written。 I remain a fan。 I enjoyed some characters more than others， some locations more than others， and my heart was broken by the WWII stories， which I'm familiar with。 This generational sage wasn't as engaging as others stories the author has written。 I remain a fan。 。。。more

Sara Forrester ，

I LOVED the main story line， but the side stories and characters were so confusing and made me want to stop reading this。 Would have been a four star if the unnecessary parts were edited out。

Jennifer Sakash ，

3+ stars？ Always saddened by the senseless loss of war-time stories。 Not particularly fast pace， other book by author same。A lot of characters over several generations that was sometimes confusingCharacter starts and ends book but most of story really about her mother's life so hard to relate。 Never get any back story at all， including anything out her relationship with her husband: not even how they met。Some of the dialogue wasn't particularly clever or stimulating: "I hope you like the sandwic 3+ stars？ Always saddened by the senseless loss of war-time stories。 Not particularly fast pace， other book by author same。A lot of characters over several generations that was sometimes confusingCharacter starts and ends book but most of story really about her mother's life so hard to relate。 Never get any back story at all， including anything out her relationship with her husband: not even how they met。Some of the dialogue wasn't particularly clever or stimulating: "I hope you like the sandwiches。。。 do you like them？" 。。。more

Bridget ，

I really enjoy a generational family saga， and The Good Left Undone is a fine example as the reader joins the Cabrelli family。 With its multiple narrators， the past through to the present is explored and Adriana Trigiani’s characters are expertly formulated。 From the 1920s to the present day， this is a novel about a family’s bond and its traumas。 It is also a love story with its setting moving between Scotland， Tuscany， and Marseilles。 The stories of Matelda and her mother， Domenica were especia I really enjoy a generational family saga， and The Good Left Undone is a fine example as the reader joins the Cabrelli family。 With its multiple narrators， the past through to the present is explored and Adriana Trigiani’s characters are expertly formulated。 From the 1920s to the present day， this is a novel about a family’s bond and its traumas。 It is also a love story with its setting moving between Scotland， Tuscany， and Marseilles。 The stories of Matelda and her mother， Domenica were especially well told with richness in the details of their lives as it explores their love， grief， and hope。 Very highly recommended and a pearl of a novel。I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Michael Joseph UK via NetGalley。 This review is my own unbiased opinion。 。。。more

joann hodosi ，

Adriana trigianiOnce again you had me think about growing up italian。 Loved this story， Parts were happy and parts were sad。 Every one and every Italian should read it。 So wonderful。 Can't wait for your next story。 Adriana trigianiOnce again you had me think about growing up italian。 Loved this story， Parts were happy and parts were sad。 Every one and every Italian should read it。 So wonderful。 Can't wait for your next story。 。。。more

Tammy Guinther ，

This is my kind of book。。。a multigenerational family history that tells a different perspective than the norm， Italians and Scots in the tragedies of War， familial relationships， ties to the sea， loves gained， separated and lost。 But at the heart of it， this one is about love and unbreakable bonds。 Reminded me of time spent with my Grammy。

Susan L。 Heavilon ，

This novel was another beautiful offering by one of my favorite authors。 The characters become real people who navigate family dynamics that represent most of us。 I love learning about Italian history and culture， so this book satisfied my need to know！

Lee ，

Trigiani knows how to take the reader on a beautiful journey。 I laughed。 I cried。 I enjoyed the scenery。 This historical fiction love story is a must read。

Connie ，

3。5/5。 This is a beautifully written book that is set in Italy and is a multi generational saga through WWII。 I love multi generational novels and this is a good one。 I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the genre。

Jenny ，

From the author， "This novel is about how we live and what we leave behind after we go。 Of course， you， beloved reader， will tell me that it's about a lot of other things too--and always， at the center of everything， or at least the stories I attempt to tell， is the family。" Really enjoyed this story about love of family and of extended family。 Enjoyed learning about lesser known （at least to me） WWII history in Scotland and in Italy。 Some romance too！ Really， a lovely story。 "It's so hard to ma From the author， "This novel is about how we live and what we leave behind after we go。 Of course， you， beloved reader， will tell me that it's about a lot of other things too--and always， at the center of everything， or at least the stories I attempt to tell， is the family。" Really enjoyed this story about love of family and of extended family。 Enjoyed learning about lesser known （at least to me） WWII history in Scotland and in Italy。 Some romance too！ Really， a lovely story。 "It's so hard to make your children happy。 The only way is through food。" "Love yourself。 That's the greatest adventure。 When you love yourself， you want to find your purpose， something only you can do in the way only you can do it。 Make things。 Create。 And if a man comes along--and believe me， he will--the relationship is already off to a good start because both of you love the same person。 You。 Lucky him。" 。。。more

Sandra ，

This author never fails to delight me with her books。 Each one is a tribute to life and all it's ups and downs。 This book was no exception。 This author never fails to delight me with her books。 Each one is a tribute to life and all it's ups and downs。 This book was no exception。 。。。more

Marie ，

I've enjoyed several of Trigiani's past books， but this one just wasn't for me。 Too much jumping around （the present day sections could have been compressed into a nice final chapter or two） kept me from ever really connecting to the main characters， making it a slog to get through。 3-stars with reservations。 I've enjoyed several of Trigiani's past books， but this one just wasn't for me。 Too much jumping around （the present day sections could have been compressed into a nice final chapter or two） kept me from ever really connecting to the main characters， making it a slog to get through。 3-stars with reservations。 。。。more

Melanie ，

Had a difficult time keeping track of the characters。 Lots of Italian names & sometimes they were referred to by their last name & other times by their first。 🤷🏼‍♀️ But enjoyed the book & multiple timelines。

Maria Maniscalco ，

I am such a fan of Author Adriana Trigiani works。This newest novel， continues to make my heart sing， eyes well and I hear myself say， yup， that's exactly how Italian women are with family， with health， with attitude。 The lead character Domenica， lives the bittersweet and the story is a joy to read。I bought a signed copy yet one day I hope to meet the author so I can actually thank her in person。 I am such a fan of Author Adriana Trigiani works。This newest novel， continues to make my heart sing， eyes well and I hear myself say， yup， that's exactly how Italian women are with family， with health， with attitude。 The lead character Domenica， lives the bittersweet and the story is a joy to read。I bought a signed copy yet one day I hope to meet the author so I can actually thank her in person。 。。。more

Lisa ，

I’m a huge fan of this author。 I loved this book and my only complaint was the large number of characters spanning different decades。 It was a bit hard to keep track of them all。 The culture and family traditions of Italy were beautifully presented。

Jeri ，

I always look forward to a new Adriana Trigiana book but this was not my favorite。 I love that her books are always set in Italy。

Carrie ，

My favorite Adriana Trigiani book to date and by far my favorite fiction book this year。 I really enjoyed it and didn’t want it to end。

Meredith Sepehri ，

Rounding up。 Lots of new history lessons for me in this one…I had no idea how poorly Italian immigrants were treated， especially the Italian-Scots。 After that， I feel like there were several side stories/characters that weren’t developed and unnecessary to an already long book。 Just so-so for me。

cythau ，

wow :'） wow :'） 。。。more

Deanna ，

I gave this book four stars only because others may not like it due to not having the same background knowledge。 For me it was a trip down memory lane of a recent vacation to Italy。 I love everything about Italy。 The people， food， culture， reverence to their religion， the romance and the ancient beauty！ I also loved the historical part of the book。 Being a history geek I was surprised to learn things I had no idea about。 So if I could choose a 4。5 I would。

Tabitha Mase ，

Such a wonderful story of historical significance （again， a part of WW2 that I wasn’t aware of—Britalians in Scotland/UK who were deported？）， but the beautiful life of generations of Cabrellis made me weep at the end。

Linda Cook ，

Great story of an Italian family before， during and after WW2 。 The emphasis was on the females of the family with the males proving love and support。 I love how multiple generations live together or within shouting distance of each other and how we lose so much family history when we don’t ask our grandparents about their lives。 The Catholic Church has much to answer for then and now。 My only quibble was there were a lot of people to keep track of， almost needed a scorecard and while Dominica’s Great story of an Italian family before， during and after WW2 。 The emphasis was on the females of the family with the males proving love and support。 I love how multiple generations live together or within shouting distance of each other and how we lose so much family history when we don’t ask our grandparents about their lives。 The Catholic Church has much to answer for then and now。 My only quibble was there were a lot of people to keep track of， almost needed a scorecard and while Dominica’s story was well done， the others seemed to be a bit lacking in detail， I would have liked to hear more about Matelda’s life during the 45 years she was married to Olimpio。 。。。more

Becky F。 ，

This was a beautiful story and wonderfully written。 I learned new things about WWII， this time about Italians and "Britalians。" I appreciated the faith interwoven into the lives of the characters， as well as the central focus on the importance of family。 I would read another book by this author。 This was a beautiful story and wonderfully written。 I learned new things about WWII， this time about Italians and "Britalians。" I appreciated the faith interwoven into the lives of the characters， as well as the central focus on the importance of family。 I would read another book by this author。 。。。more

Laura ，

Highly recommend！

Carol Wiilliams ，

I enjoyed this novel very much。 I have read all of Adriana Trigiani’s novels and cookbooks and they just make you feel good。Her descriptions of all the characters， from the main ones right down to just a passerby in the street made you feel like you knew had known them for years。This is a beautiful love story between so many people mixed in with history in several countries。 It made me want to hop on a plane to visit Italy and I could practically taste the delicious foods。 and smell the aromas a I enjoyed this novel very much。 I have read all of Adriana Trigiani’s novels and cookbooks and they just make you feel good。Her descriptions of all the characters， from the main ones right down to just a passerby in the street made you feel like you knew had known them for years。This is a beautiful love story between so many people mixed in with history in several countries。 It made me want to hop on a plane to visit Italy and I could practically taste the delicious foods。 and smell the aromas at the Carnival。I longed to walk out on a balcony and see that beautiful blue sea。 I wanted to visit Ireland to see the green meadows filled with the scent of lavender。The book on its own has so many layers and journeys to take that you could not get bored because just imagining yourself in any of these players brought such strong visions into my mind。Trigiani leaves no stone unturned in this book。 She leaves you with a warm glow and a wish to get out and enjoy each day and appreciate all you have all all your loved ones you tend to take for granted in our busy lives。Take the time to read this book and I bet you will be craving a bomboloni and a delicious cup of fresh ground coffee。 It’s hard not to， because that is just how gifted a writer Trigiani is。Brava！ Once again！！ 。。。more

Ireland ，

Classic Trigiani。 History， Italian food making your mouth water， strong women， and delectable men。 This one takes you on an unexpected journey including India and Scotland， seemingly unrelated places。 It also is a WW II book， which I have decided to take a break from。 However， I didn't realize that when I downloaded the book。 It was tragic， （ the reason I quit reading them） and yet so eye-opening that it was worth it。 Learning about yet another senseless， racist， dehumanizing event in man's hist Classic Trigiani。 History， Italian food making your mouth water， strong women， and delectable men。 This one takes you on an unexpected journey including India and Scotland， seemingly unrelated places。 It also is a WW II book， which I have decided to take a break from。 However， I didn't realize that when I downloaded the book。 It was tragic， （ the reason I quit reading them） and yet so eye-opening that it was worth it。 Learning about yet another senseless， racist， dehumanizing event in man's history makes me ashamed to be a human。 Hopefully， each reader will examine his own beliefs and change any of them that could lead to division and hate。 I took off one star because of the jerkiness of the time travel。 I was always trying to figure out where and who was being talked about。 Yes， the chapter headings let you know， but switching my brain back and forth with so many characters took some effort。 I also missed the beginning of the love story of Matelda and Olimpio。 We see them as a loving older couple， but how did they meet and fall in love？ 。。。more

Melanie Edens ，

You think you know all the stories， then you discover another。 Beautiful and heartbreaking。 So brilliant。

Paula White ，

This novel is a many faceted story。 As usual I love the setting in Italy。 I also loved the years spent in Scotland with Domenica。 I wish the author would have kept the story here and left out some of the other years。 The beauty of the story rested in these pages。 Once the novel turned into the historical aspect with many various characters it became somewhat difficult to follow。 With better editing this would have been five stars for me。

Lena ，

I enjoyed this book。 I never knew how Italians were affected by World War II。 I learned some interesting things。 This book is about love， endurance， and family。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Good Left Undone

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Good Left Undone&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Good Left Undone&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0