I have trouble with large casts of characters, and in this book new characters keep arriving, so this write-up is partly to help me recall who's who.
Adele (32 years old, degree in literature, never had a job) wakes to find that her husband Franco has left a message saying that they're penniless (he's sold the house she's in) and he's gone off with a woman. He's left her with Zarina, the woman's dog. Ruggero, Franco's brother isn't much help. She stays for a while with her mother, then in a flat offered by a friend Eva (28 years old, 50kg), who has a toddler, Jezebel, whose father was in a rock band - Rovaniemi Cowboys. She's a drummer.
While Adele's out with Eva, Clotilde Castelli (a talk-show host, and also an expert on Serbian poetry) notices that the pendant around Eva's neck is the one she lost years ago. Clotilde's son Cristiano (36, father died when Cristiano was 26), has an agricultural company) endeavours to retrieve it, phoning Eva's brother.
Adele's brother has found her an ironing job with Marta Biancone - a divorce lawyer married to Umberto (useless, but attractive to women and he's a count). Marta's a friend of Clotilde. She asks Adele if she knows a driver because Umberto's license has been taken away again. Eva becomes Umberto's driver. Marta notices the pendant she's wearing. Eva invites him to Montezuma, where groups play - he's interested in meeting new types of women, and is excited by punk female singers. He gets fleeced.
Meanwhile, Manuel De Sisti (pianist and womaniser) is ending his stint in an Egyptian hotel. He heads for Torino, to surprise Clotilde who he's not seen for years. Adele decides that Cristiano would be a good 2nd husband for her, mainly because he's well off, she's broke, and she enjoys a life of leisure. They also both had a childhood love of Lego. Then she sees Tommaso (Cristiano's younger brother, though she doesn't know that), the most beautiful man in the world. Men see through Tommaso's charms quite quickly. Not so women. He's used up his share of the family's wealth, and has been imprisoned for theft. At his mother's behest he's changed his name to "Manuel De Sisti". His mother pays Tommaso to steal the pendant when Cristiano's attempts seem to be floundering.
Guenda Molteni joins the cast. She's Ruggero's wife. They have a company - "Say Sexy" - selling tacky goods.
Marta's colleague, Maria Consolata Greco, tells her that the Dany Delizia novels might no longer be written. Clotilde's secret passion are those trashy novels. Marta suggests to Clotilde that she was well qualified to be the next author of the Dany Delizia series - anonymously of course.
Marta has 2 sons who live in Australia.
Adele sleeps with the poor but cute "Manuel".
At Umberto's 60th, Tommaso plays the piano while Adele and Eva help with catering. Tommaso's identity becomes clear to all. Adele sees Umberto with Clotilde and realises they've been having an affair for years - information that's a useful bargaining tool.
Eventually, Adele decides she'll live with Tommaso (who she loves, but he's poor) rather than Cristiano. However, Tommaso likes Eva. Eva doesn't like him. Tommaso gets a copy of the pendant made so that both women should be happy. However, a number is stamped on it which isn't exactly copied. The number matters. Clotilde from her hospital bed tells Marta that the number open a safe with 200,000 euro that belongs to her sons, though they know nothing about it. Partly through revenge, and perhaps because it's fair, Marta helps the boys open the safe. Cristiano says he doesn't need the money. Tommaso takes it. Instead of driving away with Adele as planned to start a new life, he leaves alone. But Eva catches up with him, Adele becomes a servant in Marta and Umberto's house, and gets back with Cristiano.
It's part comedy, part fast-moving farce, though there are many allusions. For example, chapter headings usually include names, amongst which are some surprises - Diana Dors, Bob Wilson, Ellen Terry, Gramsci, etc., and little jokes along the way - e.g.
- "approfondire il rapporto fra poesia e make-up, due strade per eludere la banalità dell'essere" (p.21)
- "Quando Umberto parla di un «piccolo» problema, si tratta sempre di roba fastidiosa, prolungata, che s'insinuerà nelle sue giornate come un virus nei computer che non sono Mac" (p.40)
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