Customer Reviews

Antonio's Wife: A Novel

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ANTONIO'S WIFE by Jacqueline Dejohn

Here is the debut novel by Jacqueline DeJohn, ANTONIO'S WIFE. It takes us into the world of early 1900's New York and the world of Italian Opera, the poverty that was part of life for the newly settled immigrants, and the hatred that was too apparent between the Irish and the Italians. In this story, Opera diva Francesca Frascatti is in search of her long lost daughter Maria, now known to the world as Mina DiGianni, and when Mina finds herself in the employ of this opera diva, it is destiny.

Cesca and her "lover" Dante work together to find her daughter, and when Mina becomes Cesca's assistant, there are clues that make Cesca think this is indeed her daughter. Mina does not know that her mother is still alive, because she was told years ago that her mother had died from illness.

Meanwhile, Mina is married to an abusive Italian man named Antonio, but because of the laws she is afraid to leave him or do anything to upset him. She receives no love from him, as he treats her like his property and spends most of his time in the arms of another woman, Kathleen, the owner of an Irish pub where Antonio spends most of his time.

The plot line is thick with turns and surprises, as Cesca and Dante follow the clues to the missing daughter. They are trying to beat the clock, since Mina's grandfather Emilio, a rich and powerful man from Italy, is also on the trail, hoping to find Mina first. It is a race to the finish, with each chapter more and more exciting. What happens at the very end may or may not surprise the reader, but nevertheless, will keep the readers guessing.

DeJohn's theme for ANTONIO'S WIFE is "destino"... and it is the destiny for this young girl to travel to America to seek her fate. Or is it? Do we have a choice in what our destiny will be? Or are we all doomed to be held to our destiny and what life has to offer. Mina truly did believe in her destiny, and she accepted it no matter how life treated her. Dejohn hopes it is her destiny to find out what really happened to her own grandmother and great grandmother, whose lives inspired this novel. This reader highly recommends this first novel by Jacqueline Dejohn, and is looking forward to new novels yet to come.

ANTONIO'S WIFE: A Novel by first-time Author Jacqueline DeJohn... pre-published edition 2004

A reader becomes hooked within the first pages of ANTONIO'S WIFE by the author's writing style, relishing the mixture of dialect & style of "performance" assigned to each character. The reader is transported to another era in time, revealing human frailties of heartache, sacrifice, evil, deceit, betrayal, greed, weakness, revenge, abuse... transformed to love, joy, strength, happiness, devotion, forgiveness, freedom, a realization of dreams and a successful "destino".

Some say "don't judge a book by its cover"... I say, "don't judge a book by its first pages"!

The setting for ANTONIO'S WIFE is the early 1900's, the opera world, a Diva - Francesca ('Cesca') Frascatti travels to America in search of daughter Maria Grazia, regretfully abandoned in Italy, & longing to find her daughter to make amends. Francesca is portrayed as talented, very strong, resilient, "huffy" and rude at times... also revealed is the Diva's kind & warm-hearted nature - an opposer of prejudice & discrimination, Cesca shows support of her friend, a black ring-fighter Jack Johnson and his white fiancée.

Mina DiGianni, ANTONIO'S WIFE, lace maker by profession, accepts employment as the Diva's dresser, revealing a loving Diva Francesca through the warmth & kindness shown Mina & becoming her protectress.

Detective Dante Romano, under a veil of secrecy, poses as Cesca's lover to assist in the search for the Diva's daughter. Dante portrays a trusting, carefree caretaker with a determined nature, and supposed role as an adventurous Romeo & pursuer of women.

With tribulations in her home life, Mina faces an abusive husband Antonio DiGianni, and carries secrets of her life in Italy. Mina is somewhat shy, apprehensive, assuming, but astute and discerning. Upon accepting the offer of employment with the Diva, & meeting Dante for the first time, Mina is instantly attracted to him. 'But choices are made, one pays a price' is Mina's belief. Seeking assistance in making her decision to leave her marriage bears no answers; priests only offer platitudes... "be meek, Mina", they say. Mina still holds in her heart -- 'hope in facing the past & embracing the future'.

Kathleen, bar-owner and Antonio's mistress, is feisty, competitive, resilient, & resourceful, albeit tough, wanton & ruthless. Cast-player Mario is cheated out of his would-be marriage to Mina by maneuverings of Antonio, but Mario remains a faithful friend to Antonio, with inner longings and friendship in his love for Mina.

Don Emilio is a man of mystery; his appearance in America is a threat to the status quo; he is known by Francesca Frascatti via her former life in Italy. Emilio is wealthy, ruthless and demanding, inclusive of a mixture of wanting to do the right thing according to his beliefs, while protecting what he is seeking.

AUTHOR Jacqueline DeJohn is a talented writer! Bene, Ms. DeJohn! Written with energy, ANTONIO'S WIFE is poetic, philosophical, heartwarming, endearing, with exceptional use and placement of words, a strong premise, plot & character representations are combined in a descriptive time period. The author shows keenness in her selection of story style -- with vivid flashbacks to Italy and forward again to America.

Some readers' expectations of a story is a "catch" of his/her attention immediately, with a few words or actions promising suspense. There are writers who intentionally grab your attention beginning immediately with an event/action - then there are those who gently coax the reader with just enough beginning interest to entice the reader to continue with the book, as well as discovering a treasured read. The latter is author Jacqueline DeJohn! DeJohn's technique of pacing the introduction of central male & female characters connected with life in Italy, attributes this read with a great deal of promise.

My compliments to the author, Jacqueline DeJohn,for an extraordinary writing - ANTONIO'S WIFE: A Novel. This reader finds the following words especially beautifully expressed in the Acknowledgments section, Ms. DeJohn states: "Finally, if you, the reader are moved to write or create. . . trust that you have all the ingredients you need to start your own minestrone. I promise spice will be provided along the way and destino will do the rest." This statement gives readers and would-be writers encouragement! Gracie, Ms. DeJohn for I am such a reader.

In the content of the book it is written & worthy of note: "The most important element for a happy life is not money or fame, but love. Love shared, no matter what the relationship, is the catalyst that transforms a barren existence and fills an empty heart."

ANTONIO'S WIFE is to be savored like a fine-aged wine. This reader looks forward to future writings by author Jacqueline DeJohn. Writing is your "destino!" Buona Fortuna, Andiomio, Ms. DeJohn! Best wishes for continued success - I look forward to your next writing.

Jacqueline DeJohn's first novel, Antonio's Wife, is a fascinating tale of an opera diva's search for her long-lost daughter, filled with vivid characters, romance, action, plot twists galore, and a surprise ending. DeJohn is a talented writer who keeps the reader entertained throughout and guessing until the last page. I loved it! Highly recommended.

I thought this book was a great mystery book, but there was sooo much drama. Honestly, at a couple points in this story I literally threw the book down because I couldn't handle the stupidity that an otherwise "smart" character would show. It had good intrigue, but was overly drawn out.

Set in 1908 in New York City, Antonio's Wife is the story of Mina, an Italian immigrant. She works an seamstress, but like all immigrants, dreams of something better for herself. Unfortunately, Mina's husband Antonio beats her and openly cheats on her with his Irish mistress, Kathleen. One day, however, Mina finds herself noticed by the temperamental opera star Francesca Frascatti, and is promoted to be the singer's dresser. Mina then falls in love with Dante, a detective playing the role of Cesca's fiancé. It turns out that both women have secrets in their pasts, secrets that make for an exciting, page-turning read.

Antonio's Wife is extremely dramatic at times, and although the emotions that the characters experience seem a bit too over-the-top, I found myself rooting for the heroine, Mina, as she struggles to overcome the obstacles that are thrown into her path--including dodging her extraordinarily boorish and not-too-bright husband Antonio. However, I thought that the author could have started the book out with more background information on Cesca, as opposed to the middle--up until that point, I was a little bit confused about the details of Cesca's story. I was also confused by the "flashbacks" Mina has. While they were illustrative of her background, the author didn't really make it clear that they were flashbacks as such.

On the other hand, this was a page-turner. At first, it seems as though all its going to be is just a story about the author's ancestors, with a nice mother-daughter reunion, but the story promises to be so much more than that. I'm not sure how much of the book is fiction and how much is fact or based upon it, but it sure does make for an excellent story. Jacqueline DeJohn's style reminds me a lot of the novels of Jennifer Donnelly.

Ms. DeJohn has written a wonderful story full of interesting turns, with a sense of reality that can only come from extensive research. Her compassion for her characters is heartfelt, and her use of Italian phrases and words compliments the text well. It was very hard to put the book down at 3:00 in the morning, even though I had work at 7:30 the next day. (Needless to say, it was a very unproductive day!) The last 50 pages are fast and imaginative. Brava!

Hopefully, Ms. DeJohn has another book in her that will carry the story forward....

I've always been the kind of person who enjoyed reading a book more than once. Some people can't stand it. It suits me well though, because sometimes I don't appreciate good reading the way I should have the first time around.

"Antonio's Wife" is a story about a mother seeking a daughter, a man seeking to hurt the woman he thinks he destroyed his family and a young woman trying to escape a terrible marriage. It's a story filled with stories, lies and deceit along with a hefty dose of Opera, murder and love. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's actually a modernized tale of some opera, but I don't know enough to be sure.

I enjoyed this immensely the second time around and recommend it to anyone looking for a nice easy historical read with a lot of action and romance and no deep thinking. It's a shame that the author has never published another novel.

Four stars.

ANTONIO'S WIFE by Jacqueline Dejohn

Here is the debut novel by Jacqueline DeJohn, ANTONIO'S WIFE. It takes us into the world of early 1900's New York, Italian Opera, the poverty that was part of every day life for these newly settled immigrants, and the hatred that was too apparent between the Irish and the Italians. In this story, Opera diva Francesca Frascatti is in search of her long lost daughter Maria, now known to the world as Mina DiGianni, and when Mina finds herself in the employ of this opera diva, it is destiny.

Cesca and her "lover" Dante work together to find her daughter, and when Mina becomes Cesca's assistant, there are clues that make Cesca think this is indeed her daughter. Mina does not know that her mother is still alive, because she was told years ago that her mother had died from illness.

Meanwhile, Mina is married to an abusive Italian man named Antonio, but because of the laws she is afraid to leave him or do anything to upset him. She receives no love from him, as he treats her like his property and spends most of his time in the arms of another woman, Kathleen, the owner of an Irish pub where Antonio spends most of his time.

The plot line is thick with turns and surprises, as Cesca and Dante follow the clues to the missing daughter. They are trying to beat the clock, since Mina's grandfather Emilio, a rich and powerful man from Italy, is also on the trail, hoping to find Mina first. It is a race to the finish, with each chapter more and more exciting. What happens at the very end may or may not surprise the reader, but nevertheless, will keep the readers guessing.

DeJohn's theme for ANTONIO'S WIFE is "destino"... and it is the destiny for this young girl to travel to America to seek her fate. Or is it? Do we have a choice in what our destiny will be? Or are we all doomed to be held to our destiny and what life has to offer. Mina truly did believe in her destiny, and she accepted it no matter how life treated her. Dejohn hopes it is her destiny to find out what really happened to her own grandmother and great grandmother, whose lives inspired this novel. This reader highly recommends this first novel by Jacqueline Dejohn, and is looking forward to new novels yet to come.

Jacqueline DeJohn has a created a work of good old-fashioned story-telling that is all too rare these days. I loved it. Full-blooded men and full-bodied women. This story is as heady and intoxicating as rich wine on a summer's day.

The theme "destiny" winds itself through ANTONIO'S WIFE, Jacqueline DeJohn's debut novel. A wonderfully rich tale, it encompasses the world of late 19th century Italy and early 20th century America, taking the reader on a journey from the vineyards of Italy to the world of the Italian immigrant of New York. Opera diva Francesca Frascatti searches for her long-lost daughter, knowing that Maria must be somewhere in America. Francesca's sole purpose in life is to find that daughter and to make amends because of the mistakes she had made long ago.

Francesca is the biggest star in the opera world. While she wows her audiences at night with her voice, by day she is busy plotting with her "lover" Dante, who is really a detective she has hired to find her Maria. They pose as lovers to the rest of the world, but behind closed doors, Dante is working night and day to help Cesca find Maria before her cruel father-in-law beats her to it. Emilio disowned his son when he chose to marry Francesca all those years ago. Cesca's lover and husband died before Emilio could reconcile with his only son, but to make up for it he pledged to find Maria and take her back to Italy. A very powerful and wealthy man, Emilio would do anything to prevent Cesca from finding Maria first.

Maria, meanwhile, has made her way to America and changed her name to Mina. She is now married to an Italian immigrant who treats her like dirt. He's abusive and cruel, and spends most of his nights with Kathleen, an Irish woman who also runs a saloon down the street. Mina and Antonio DiGianni met through what Mina thought was destiny back in Italy, but now she wishes fate had handed her a different set of cards. She thinks that maybe if she gave Antonio a son, he would love her as he did when they first met. Unfortunately, he is not home long enough each day to even make love to her. There is no baby in their future.

As fate deals another deck of cards, Mina finds herself hired by the famous opera singer to be her personal assistant. Destiny brings the two together, and it doesn't take long before Cesca suspects that Mina is not who she says she is. Mina, however, has no idea her mother is alive. She was told years ago that she had died from an illness.

The plot and the characters are bigger than life. Crooked cops, opera stars and figures persons straight from history --- Enrico Caruso and Oscar Hammerstein --- lead the reader to an exciting finish. The ending is not what the reader may have expected, as there are several plot twists that will lead the reader on a wild goose chase. However, one will not be disappointed. DeJohn created the perfect ending.

What this reviewer found touching was the fact that ANTONIO'S WIFE was inspired by the life story of DeJohn's grandmother and great grandmother. DeJohn's exploration of the meaning of destiny makes one examine whether we are tied to our fates, or if we do indeed have the power to change the course of our future. ANTONIO'S WIFE leads this reviewer to believe that destiny is just that: we are tied to our futures, and no matter what we do, our final destination in life is already pre-determined by our maker. ANTONIO'S WIFE is great entertainment infused with smart ideas, and I look forward to more novels by Jacqueline DeJohn.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton