Marianne Leone with Elizabeth Serle

We’re traveling back to 1960s Boston with author, actress, and essayist Marianne Leone to talk about her laugh-out-loud coming of age novel, Christina the Astonishing. Christina the Astonishing is a novel of a irrepressible teenage girl’s life of opinionated Italian relatives, Catholic school nuns, and small-town Massachusetts. Marianne will discuss her novel with author Elizabeth Searle, answer audience questions, and sign copies of her book.

Ticket options for this event include:

• General Admission + Book: $18.01, admits one guest. This ticket option comes with the paperback edition of Christina the Astonishing which Marianne will sign at the event.
• General Admission + Coupon: $5, admits one guest. The cost of this ticket may be redeemed for $5 off any of Marianne's books on the night of the event.

Tickets are required for this event. We hope to see you there!

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals to engage fully. To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please reach out to ZXZlbnRzIHwgYW51bmxpa2VseXN0b3J5ICEgY29t.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

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 FALCONE IS A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD EIGHTH GRADER at Precious Blood Junior High. She is growing up pazza according to her Italian immigrant mother, Rita, who curses a country that poisons children with chocolate milk and singing mice on television. The nuns at Precious Blood are giving Christina nightmares and facial tics with their daily descriptions of torture and martyrdom. All she wanted as a fourth grader was to become a saint so she could be God’s best friend and go straight to heaven and avoid burning in hell for all eternity.

At thirteen, though, Christina’s nightmares about eyeless martyrs have become dreams of escaping this place where she can see the entire trajectory of her life looming before her in a never-ending hamster loop that goes from Precious Blood Elementary School to La Sposa Bridal Shoppe and eventually across the street to Carmello’s Funeral Home without ever leaving her neighborhood only seven miles from Boston. But Harvard Square beckons and Christina’s window to the world cracks open, along with the entire American culture of the 1960s, as she grows from girl to woman. Christina the Astonishing is an endearing look at an irrepressible character that will ring true to all readers regardless of the time or place they happened to take the roller-coaster ride to adulthood.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Marianne Leone is an actress, essayist, and screenwriter. Her essays have appeared in the Boston Globe, Lit Hub, Ploughshares, Post Road, Bark Magazine, Coastal Living, Solstice, and other places. She is the author of three memoirs: Jesse, Ma Speaks Up, and, most recently, Five-Dog Epiphany. She had a recurring role on HBO’s The Sopranos as Joanne Moltisanti, Christopher’s mother. She has also appeared in films by David O. Russell, Larry David, John Sayles, Nancy Savoca, and Martin Scorsese. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, actor Chris Cooper, and their two dogs.

Elizabeth Searle is the author of five books of fiction, with a new short story collection coming in the Fall of 2025. She’s playwright of Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera, and co-writer of the feature film I’LL SHOW YOU MINE (2023; Duplass Brothers Productions). Her film and her rock opera have drawn national media attention. www.elizabethsearle.net

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