A coming-of-age novel told from the perspective of the irrepressible Christina, whose encounters with Catholic school nuns, Italian mothers, and small-town Massachusetts will have readers laughing out loud, even when Christina isn’t.
“Christina the Astonishing is a wonderful book, the funniest I’ve read in a long time, though there’s a lot of melancholy in it as well. All the Catholic lore is hilarious, and the portrait of Italian immigrant life is too. . . . Leone writes so well about the awkwardness of adolescent sex and romance.”
—Tom Perrotta, author of Tracy Flick Can’t Win
“As hilarious as David Sedaris and mental in the best possible way, Christina has just become my higher power.”
—Jennifer Belle, author of Swanna in Love
Discussion led by Siân Gibby, John D. Calandra Italian American Institute.