Olive Branches Don't Grow on Trees

After getting fired from her most recent dead-end job, 23 year old Silvia Greco is broke and forced to move home to her father’s house in southern New Jersey. But she can’t sit around and mope too long, as she is immediately drafted into helping her mother plan a party for her younger brother’s high school reunion.

Getting her feuding Italian-American family together will not be easy as they haven’t been altogether in over 6 years; some members are not speaking to other members; and the parents of this family are newly separated. Getting the gathering to be a peaceful one will also be challenging as most of their past gatherings have been strife-filled.

Frank, the patriarch, is a judge, a drunk, and a bad cook. The mother, Donna, is a neurotic intellectual. The eldest, Angie, married rich and devastated her father by moving away to north Jersey. Silvia’s older brother, Cosmo, is a brilliant and talented underachiever. Her younger brother, Vince, is a super ambitious do-gooder.

Then there is Silvia: Energetic, idealistic, and restless, striving to bring her family together in hopes of saving them from becoming families that her parents come from in which members despise each other. She is sure that if they can all be in the same room where they can look into each other’s eyes that they will remember that they do love each other.

But are her well-crafted plans and tireless efforts enough to get them to go to the party? Can she bring them together and save them all?

Review"The author weaves a tale that is a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing a witty sense of humor and subtle messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive."  Jersey Girl Book Reviews

"A truly enjoyable read. Perfect for a cozy evening snuggling under a blanket, blocking out the world. The sequences of Silvia's recollections into the past with her strong willed, born ahead of her time grandmother, the jobs she has held, and lost as it were, are nothing short of brilliant."  Chapters and Chats Book Reviews

"Grace's intimate knowledge of her subject shows in her frank and open style of writing, which invites the reader into the lives of the Greco family, as though they were long lost friends and therefore there is no need to stand on ceremony, or pretend that things are not just as they are. An amazingly perceptive, cleanly written and well told story, marks Grace Mattioli's debut novel." Fiction-books.biz Book Reviews

"Grace Mattioli brilliantly weaves an account of the Greco family's coping with Frank, their alcoholic father, who is still a functioning courtroom judge, and their mother, Donna, who has finally left him.  Anyone interested in a fast moving, fascinating, entertaining, yet serious read, will really enjoy Grace Mattioli's well crafted book."  Ruth Amernick, former reviewer for Library Journal and San Francisco Chronicle           

"The author did a great job of showing what Silvia was experiencing as she tried to reunite the members of her hot-headed Italian family."  Bella Online: The Voice of Women

From the AuthorThe Discovery of an Eagle is the sequel to Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees, and it will be out very soon!  

Product DetailsFile Size: 361 KBPrint Length: 198 pagesSimultaneous Device Usage: UnlimitedSold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Language: EnglishASIN: B008JNU97YText-to-Speech: Enabled

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Customer Reviews3.7 out of 5 stars

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“I felt a bit disappointed and not as happy as Silvia, with the end.  ”

Paula Vince| 15 reviewers made a similar statement * “

The family dynamics - and so many agendas!  ”

AusWriter| 8 reviewers made a similar statement * “

This is a very good story that keeps you interested throughout.  ”

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees September 4, 2012

By Jersey Girl Book Reviews / Jersey Girl Sizzling Book Reviews

Format:Kindle Edition

Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees is a poignant portrait of an extremely dysfunctional southern New Jersey Italian-American family, and the attempt by the middle daughter to bring the family together for a celebration in the hope that they could extend the olive branch and make peace with each other and become a family. Thoughtfully written in the third person narrative, the author weaves a tale that deals with the dynamics of a family with a history of dysfunction that has completely shattered and torn them apart. The focus of the story is on twenty-three year old middle daughter, Silvia Greco, who vacillates between wanting to unite the family and wanting to escape from the dysfunction once and for all. With her life in limbo and unsure of what to do with herself, Silvia accepts the challenge to bring her family together for one night, which is no easy feat, it becomes her main purpose, and along the way it will provide healing life lessons.

The author has created a strong cast of characters who are realistic and complex people with personalities and issues that the reader can relate to, because the Greco family could be anyone's family members. Frank is the alcoholic father who is a distinguished local judge, but who also has a tendency to go off on rages. Then there is Donna the mother, she is a part-time college professor who finally has left her marriage after suffering years under Frank's abusive behavior. Oldest daughter Angie is her father's favorite of the children, but she broke his heart when she married a Wall Street financial investor and moved to North Jersey. She has a distant relationship with her mother and has a strained relationship with younger brother Cosmo. Cosmo is the second born child, he is brilliant but rebellious, an underachiever who is seen as a failure in his father's eyes. Then we have our protagonist, Silvia, the classic middle child who is the peace keeper of the family, yet she was the hyper child that just couldn't settle down. Finally there is the baby of the family, eighteen year old Vince, the soon to be high school graduate who will be attending UC Berkeley. Vince was the easiest and most pleasant of the children, the perfect child in his mother's eyes. When you put all these different personalities together plus add in the ethnicity of being Italian-American, it is no wonder that there is so much dysfunction and combustible tension in the family. I found these characters to be quite intriguing, their individual complexities along with their dialogue and interactions made the storyline a powerful and compelling read.

Olive Branches Don't Grow On Trees is a story that will take the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. The author weaves a tale that is a moving and realistic portrayal of a dysfunctional family with enough drama and humorous family situations that will keep the reader engaged and entertained, while providing a witty sense of humor and subtle messages of life lessons to extend the olive branch and learn to live, love and forgive.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review, and for hosting a virtual book event on my book review blog site. Read more ›

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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars It was worth reading. December 21, 2012

By Bryce Anderson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book has many annoying flaws, and one great strength.

Weaknesses first. The writing is a bit weak; there are occasional typos and misused words, but for me the bigger problem was the slightly flat and repetitive prose. Often my inner critic found itself chopping out entire sentences, because the author had already conveyed the very same thing two sentences ago.

There is redundancy on a larger scale as well. The narration relies heavily on flashbacks and other memory explorations, and several times it covers the same memory from different perspectives in different parts of the book, but in a way that doesn't really add to the memory. It made me impatient, like in that scene from Monty Python when one of the scenes is running long, and the rest of the movie pops in to shout, "Get on with it!"

The strength of the book is in the truly awesome characterization. The people are as vivid, fractious, and uncooperative as any real family. They are astonishingly believable, leaving me with a well-rounded view of each person and their relationships to all the other characters. This book is very much like the painting of her family that Sylvia creates toward the end of the book: rich, detailed, eye-catching, and frozen in time. The narrator spends a great deal of time reminiscing, and very little time moving the plot forward. I don't begrudge the lack of plot. It seemed like a deliberate decision to give the reminiscences as much flesh as -- and frequently even more than -- the main thread of the story.

It left me thinking about my own family and its many relationships. That's no small feat for a book.

My advice, as a fellow aspiring author: First, go through and cut about a quarter of the scenes, starting with the ones that are most redundant. Then go through each scene and tighten, tighten, tighten. Go through each sentence, and edit it like you're trying to fit it into a tweet. Find a brief, high-impact way to turn three sentences into one. Then, if you decide the result is too short, find more things for your characters to do. The main, here-and-now plot could use more meat on it. Good luck, and keep writing. Read more ›

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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down! July 25, 2012

By Linda Watson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I loved this book! The characters are funny, endearing and vividly portrayed. I was sad to come to the end of the story and I hope the author writes a sequel. I'm sure that anyone will be able to identify one or two family members from the plot. I highly recommend this book. I actually laughed out loud at some of the crazy family situations in this story. A fabulous first novel! Disclaimer: This is an honest review. I was in no way compensated for my review.

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27 of 36 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Olive Branches Don't Grow on Trees May 8, 2013

By Sissy

Format:Kindle Edition

Don't care for filthy language so stopped after few pages tco bad she can't write with acceptable words. Wn't get another book from this author

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Time December 6, 2012

By Chip Capelli

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was amazing. I feel like I have known Silvia and her family my whole life.

Admittedly, I am from New Jersey and do have a large, Italian family, but even so, I think that Silvia, the best part of the book, speaks to everyone.

To me, a book is good when it makes me laugh and cry.

A great book makes me laugh and cry - and keeps me thinking about it months later. Olive Branches definitely falls into the great book category.

Grace Mattioli has done a tremendous job of bringing these characters to life and I thank her for introducing me into their universe.

This is definitely a job well done.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Forced myself to finish it to see if it would get better - it didn't. December 14, 2013

By J. Lara

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I wanted to like this book because the storyline sounded interesting, but the lead character goes over the same problems in her head over and over and over. She tries too hard to get her family together, but it sounds like most of them can't even stand each other, so why bother? I forced myself to finish this book, but in hindsight, I wish I had listened to the other reviewers and moved on to another book.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Olive branches

It was a well written story and I enjoyed it very much. The story was interesting as many families have dysfunctions that are never brought to light.

Published 8 days ago by Brenda Stelle

5.0 out of 5 stars this book is a must read.

I really enjoyed this story. The main character really came alive. I could see her and feel her happyness. Great book. I Look forward to the sequil, discovery of an eagle. Read more

Published 1 month ago by sam valentine

3.0 out of 5 stars Achieving peace within a volatile family

The story outlines an intriguing method of achieving peace within a volatile family. Interesting dynamics between siblings and parents. Good story line.

Published 2 months ago by Judy Stephenson

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick read

Predictable story, but a good one. Fair character development. This author has promise though. Will give her a try again.

Published 2 months ago by shannon paluskas

1.0 out of 5 stars Sounds like a good book

This sounded like a great book. Then I started reading it, as soon as I got to the part about the "Occupy Movement" I quickly realised that this book was going to be... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Smartshopper101

5.0 out of 5 stars Good story!

I enjoyed feeling my way into this troubled family. It gives an interesting picture to the amount of damage alcohol can do in one's life. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Susan Carson

4.0 out of 5 stars olive branches don't grow on trees.

This was quite a story. It had a lovely end...hope the peace continues. I have never known such a disfunctional family....alcohol must make such happen. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Patricia Wellman

5.0 out of 5 stars I Love This Book

I love this book. And I love Grace Mattioli for writing it. It's a courageous exploration of a broken family. And like many families, this family is a mess. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Mary Jessup, Writer

2.0 out of 5 stars Unless I missed something....

The title was intriguing and yes I will admit I am a sucker for well done covers but when I started to read.... Read more

Published 6 months ago by June Frances

5.0 out of 5 stars IndieReader Review

Grace Mattioli's novel is a front row seat to the drama within the Greco clan, a collection of dysfunctional but brilliant underachievers who haven't all been together since the... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Amy Edelman

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