I'm marooned. Abandoned. Left to rot in boarding school . . . Viola doesn't want to go to boarding school, but somehow she ends up at an all-girls school in South Bend, Indiana, far, far away from her home in Brooklyn, New York. Now Viola is stuck for a whole year in the sherbet-colored sweater capital of the world. Ick. There's no way Viola's going to survive the year—especially since she has to replace her best friend Andrew with three new roommates who, disturbingly, actually seem to like it there. She resorts to viewing the world (and hiding) behind the lens of her video camera. Boarding school, though, and her roommates and even the Midwest are nothing like she thought they would be, and soon Viola realizes she may be in for the most incredible year of her life. But first she has to put the camera down and let the world in.
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"The main character seemed true and her characteristics suit her perfect..even she was repenting herself that only and only Brooklyn, NY is the best palce on the world, thats absolutely fine, and she was acting as her age girls do:) beside she is the only kid in the family and that influene her."
— Ilonita50 (4 out of 5 stars)
" I have enjoyed all the books I've read by Adriana Trigiani. This digs again into her Italian heritage. A great light-read "
— Lynne, 1/10/2014" I thought this book was very charming! "
— Sydney, 1/5/2014" I adore Adriana Trigiani's books and her writing. This was a young adult fiction book. I found it interesting, but not enough to really make me want to keep reading the series (although I probably will bc once I start, I feel bad stopping). "
— Catherine, 12/6/2013" Very lackluster characters with zero development. The story could have gone somewhere if they had focused more on Viola and her filmmaking rather than making it about how she wants a boyfriend. "
— Karina, 11/26/2013" I have to admit, I thought this was going to be a cheesy teen book, but I really liked it! It must have been the dad with MS that did it for me and the easy writing style. The author did spend a little too much time describing the scenery in some spots, but overall it was an enjoyable book. "
— Melinda, 11/14/2013" Loved it! Can't wait to read the next book in the series. "
— Amanda, 11/13/2013" Wonderful story! Tracks the life of Viola as she settles into her first year of boarding school in South Bend, Indiana. "
— MissGratton, 10/11/2013" A-M-A-Z-I-N-G boooookkkkkkkk!!!! "
— Charlotte, 8/21/2013" Entertaining book in typical Trigiani style. A little slow to start but good and kept my interest. "
— Shirley, 11/4/2012" Cute book and I enjoyed the story. "
— Kim, 10/9/2012" I love Adriana Trigiani. She has a way of writing that makes you fall in love with the characters, and this one was one of the better books she's written in the last few years! "
— Mikala, 9/28/2012" This was a really charming YA novel, with a touch of magical realism (note a theme here in the books I read?) It was a very quick read, as are most YAs, but it wasn't super pithy or lacking in substance. "
— Mary, 9/19/2012" I've never read any of Trigiani's work before, but I really enjoyed this cute coming-of-age story about a young filmmaker from Brooklyn adjusting to life at a boarding school in a small Indiana town. "
— Jen, 8/18/2012" I love her books. Easy to read and you don't want to put them down. I read this on a plane ride to NYC. "
— Melanie, 7/11/2012" I loved this book! I hope there is a sequel... "
— Jocelyn, 5/6/2012" Wating it out is always better because you maybe wrong . "
— Emily, 4/6/2012" A book that would go well in the "traveling pants" tradition of chick lit. A good story, but not wow. "
— Ellen, 1/24/2012" Liked this book - can't wait to read Viola in the Spotlight!!! "
— Jeani, 8/19/2011" Just ok. A teen book. Great description and insights. But, the story wasn't much to grab me. Prefer her other series. "
— JJ, 7/7/2011" I love, love this author, but this book fell flat. It seems rushed, underdeveloped and quite um, boring. I do love the Big Stone Gap books though, and will continue to read this author. "
— Leslie, 6/10/2011" Adriana wrote two books for young adults and they are both cute, easy reads. I liked them just as much as all the others I have read. "
— Adrienne, 6/5/2011" I read this book in less than a day and really liked it. Looking forward to the next book! "
— Tara, 5/29/2011" Not as much a focus on the ghost as I anticipated. "
— Meredith, 5/13/2011" so not wat i expected reely good "
— Sara-Sadiya, 5/12/2011" Defiantly a young adult book with a teenage girls take on boys and life. Just wasn't the book for me. "
— Whitney, 4/17/2011" Fast and enjoyable read. I liked the character Viola and look forward to reading the sequel. "
— Dana, 4/13/2011" Like Trigiani's style of writing, and her great descriptions. Quick read (4 hours) but enjoyed it and almost makes me want to go back to being 14 going on 15 again...almost. Love the coming of age story and excited to see where Viola goes from here. "
— Mary, 4/6/2011Adriana Trigiani is an award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker. The author of the bestselling Big Stone Gap series, she also wrote the bestselling memoir Don’t Sing at the Table and the young-adult novels Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight. Her books have been published in thirty-six countries around the world. She wrote and directed the film version of her novel Big Stone Gap.
Carlotta Brentan is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.