Adriana Trigiani: Storytelling Is Essential to the Survival of Our Human Race
In this interview, author Adriana Trigiani discusses wanting to retell her great-grandmother’s life story with her new novel, The View from Lake Como.
Adriana Trigiani is the New York Times-bestselling author of 21 books of fiction and nonfiction. Her work has been published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer, and filmmaker, Trigiani wrote and directed the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, adapted her novel, Very Valentine, for television, and directed the documentary, Queens of the Big Time, among others. In 2023, President Sergio Matterella of Italy awarded Trigiani the Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia. The Library of Virginia bestowed their highest honor, the Patron of Letters degree, to Trigiani in 2024. She received the 2025 Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her significant contributions to literature, culture, and communicty. Trigiani grew up in Appalachia, in the mountains of Virginia, where she co-founded The Origin Project, a year-round, in-school writing program that has served over 25,000 students since its inception in 2014. Trigiani is proud to serve on the New York State Council on the Arts. She lives in Greenwich Village with her family. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
In this interview, Adriana discusses wanting to retell her great-grandmother’s life story with her new novel, The View from Lake Como, her hope for readers, and more.
Name: Adriana Trigiani
Literary agent: Suzanne Gluck, WME
Book title: The View from Lake Como
Publisher: Dutton/PRH
Release date: July 8, 2025
Genre/category: Contemporary fiction
Elevator pitch: A woman is forced to rebuild her life and the house that goes with it.
What prompted you to write this book?
I wanted to do a modern retelling of my great grandmother Giuseppina’s life story.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
It always seems that it takes forever—sometimes it’s 20 years, sometimes more, and sometimes less. The central idea didn’t change. I wanted to write about a unique friendship between co-workers—an Italian American uncle and his beloved niece.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
So many! There always are, but in this instance, I had to learn about online therapy and how we communicate in this moment—which is a moving target. It’s always changing. Also, social media plays a much larger and integral part in getting the word out to readers, which is a job unto itself!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
I almost wrote a suspense book here, but soon I realized that it wasn’t the way to tell Jess’ life story.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
Joy. Sheer joy … and the pleasure of reading a book with humor.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Read and write. Write and read. And enjoy the process. Throw yourself into it; it’s a wonderful way to create worlds and characters and action. Storytelling is essential to the survival of our human race—how we see ourselves is what we will become.
