Kindle Edition Amazon Vincent LoCoco Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Cefalutana Press ISBN-10:  0972882413 Type: Fiction Pages: 284 Copyright: 2013 ISBN-13: 9780972882415 Price: $2.99 (eBook) It is the story of an aspiring opera singer coming of age in Milan; a tender and moving love story filled with romance; a testament to the bonds of friendship; and, at its core, a tribute to the beauty, majesty and miracle of opera.  Giovanni Tempesta always dreamed of becoming an opera tenor and one day singing from the stage of the La Scala Opera House in his hometown of Milan, Italy. But with no real training, his dream has little chance for fulfillment . . . One day, he meets and immediately falls in love with Isabella Monterone, a dark-haired beauty, whose father, a very rich and powerful Milanese Judge, refuses to allow his daughter to date a penniless musician . . . At the lowest part of his life, Giovanni comes upon the Casa di Riposo, a rest home for musicians established by the great opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi . . . It is at the Casa Verdi that Giovanni meets Alfredo del Monte, a blind, retired opera singer with a secretive past who gradually becomes his mentor . . . Could Alfredo be the one person to assist Giovanni in finding the break he needs? Or is Giovanni destined to be on the cusp of reaching his life long dream, only to find failure? . . . Tempesta’s Dream is an Italian opera love story. The author tells the story simply and swiftly with an ending that is both an emotional and poignant moment of both “amicizia e amore”. (friendship and love)       Excerpt Everyone doubted that he would ever return to her. After all, he was an American sailor and it was a well-known fact that those sailors always had a different girl in every port. It was thought by others that she was just another young girl abandoned by her American sailor. Yet, she thought differently. She had given up her own family and even her own religion to marry him. She always believed that he would come back to her. But time passed and he had not returned. As she sat on the floor of the living room of her sparsely furnished hilltop home, her blue eyed, curly blonde haired, three-year-old son played with his toy model of an American ship. This was their child, but her sailor had no idea, as she discovered the pregnancy after he had left her side, not long after their wedding night. While sitting with her son, her thoughts floated back to the night she married Lieutenant B. F. Pinkerton of the United States Navy. They were wed, under the stars, on the hilltop overlooking Nagasaki harbor. She was so nervous that night, yet his tender, passionate words melted away all of her fears. She always remembered with affection the words he told her that night as he pulled her close and kissed her. All of the doubters never heard what he told her as he held her tight. That was why they never believed he would come back to her. But she knew better. He loved her. He would return. He promised her. She dreamed often of that “un bel di” (one fine day), when she would gaze down upon the harbor from her hilltop home and see her sailor’s white warship, the Abraham Lincoln, enter Nagasaki harbor, flying the flag of the United States. Then her sailor, her husband, would walk up the winding uphill path to her little house, grab her in his arms and take her and their son back to America, together. He promised her he would return. But that was three years ago. And he had not returned. She was now poor, abandoned by her family and trying to raise her son. Her faithful maid, Suzuki, had stayed with her all these years. However, even Suzuki grew concerned for her mistress. Suzuki tried to convince the young girl to return to her days as a Geisha. But the young girl defiantly stated that she would rather die than go back to the life she led prior to marrying her sailor. Those close to her were still trying to make her see that he would never return and that she should find someone else. Yet, she still waited; waited for his return. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the thundering sound of a canon shot from the harbor. Suzuki rushed into the living room where mother and son were and said breathlessly: Il cannone del porto! The cannon of the port! The young girl sat motionless on the floor, as Suzuki ran toward the terrace and looked down toward the harbor. Suzuki quickly turned and came back inside the living room, saying with excitement: Una nave da guerra. It is a warship. The young girl quickly got up from the floor, swept her son up into her arms, and scrambled toward the terrace. Suzuki followed closely behind. For three years this is how it played out whenever a ship entered the harbor, as the young mother, holding tightly to her son, scanned the horizon to see the color and flag of the ship entering the harbor, only to have her dreams shattered once it was discovered that it was not her sailor’s ship. Standing on the terrace, the young girl looked down toward the harbor. As she saw the ship for the first time, she spoke out loud to her son, almost in disbelief: Bianca. Bianca. It is White. White. Il vessillo Americano The American Flag delle stelle. with the stars. With her anticipation building, she put her son down and ran over to a telescope that was permanently set up on the terrace and which always pointed down toward the harbor. With Suzuki steadying her hand on the telescope, the young girl squinted tightly to get a better view of the ship. The ship began to drop its anchor. The young girl strained to see the name of the ship. Unable to contain herself, she blurted out, as if she were commanding the telescope itself to speak: Il nome! Il nome! The name! The name! Il nome! The name! Looking through the telescope, she scanned back and forth until she was finally able to locate the name written on the side of the ship. As it came into view, she said: Eccolo. Here it is. And then, with utter jubilation, she said the name of the ship: Abramo Lincoln! Abraham Lincoln! Tears began streaming down her face. She fell to the ground and buried her face into her hands, overcome with emotion. Her young son got up and came over to her, grabbing her tightly from behind. She picked her head up, turned to her son, and then, as if in defiance of the last three years that she had waited, and with a feeling of vindication, she repeated, choked with tears: È giunto! He has come. È giunto! He has come. È giunto! He has come. She then outstretched her arms, and exclaimed: Ei torna He has returned e m’ama! and he loves me! As the church bell from the nearby Duomo, the Cathedral in Milan, tolled midnight, Franco Tempesta stopped reading. Tears were running down his cheeks as he placed the libretto of Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly, on the nightstand next to his eight-year-old son’s bed. Wiping the tears away, he said, “This is a good stopping point tonight, Giovanni.” Giovanni Tempesta loved how every night his father would take an opera libretto and make it into a bedtime story. Unlike other kids, Giovanni’s father did not read nursery rhymes to his son at bedtime, but instead read opera librettos to him, relating to his young son the great stories and legends of operas written centuries ago. Young Giovanni quickly became fascinated with the stories his father told him. When his father reached a part in the libretto where an aria would be sung, Franco gently hummed the aria to his son. Franco did not have a talent for music, but what he did have was a love of music and a passion for opera that he passed to his son. “Oh, Papa, finish telling me the story. I love the part when Madama Butterfly waits all night for Lieutenant Pinkerton to walk up the hill to her little Japanese house, only to become sad when he does return but with his American wife.” Franco replied, “Butterfly had given her entire life to Pinkerton. She had put all of her trust and love in him, but he threw it all away, without even a care of what it would do to her. When you fall in love, Giovanni, always respect that trust the girl places in you. You would only expect the same from her. For it is from that trust, that true love finds its roots. And love is what gives our life poetry. But Giovanni, it is late. Your mama is waiting for me. Domani. We will finish the story tomorrow. Perhaps we will even listen to the Di Stefano/De Los Angeles recording. The heartbreak in Di Stefano’s voice is remarkable as Pinkerton finally realizes the pain he has caused.” Franco then began to sing the opening lines of the aria, Addio, fiorito asil, where Pinkerton admits that he is a coward and cannot face Butterfly and runs from the home. When he finished, Franco said, “Puccini’s music is so emotional and wonderful. A singer who sings this music with passion can really touch your heart. So much so, that when a gifted soprano sings the line, ‘Ei torna e m’ama!’(He has returned and he loves me!), the crowd always breaks into a rousing round of applause. Giovanni, why do you think that is?” “Because she hit the note,” replied Giovanni, quizzically. Franco answered, “No. It’s much more than that. Puccini has magically weaved his music during the course of the opera into the very soul of every audience member. They feel for the character; they are living and dying with Butterfly. That is why they erupt in applause when her sailor returns. Their very own soul leaps with joy for her and, most importantly, with her. “And that is what the power of opera can do, unlike any other art form. The composer has provided the canvas, yet the singer is the artist. He or she brings that creation to life. All of their training and their own life experiences are laid bare before the public. And we in the audience stand in awe before a human voice, a God given voice, which brings this music to life, and which has the ability to reach down to your very core and grab hold of your soul. How a singer can do that is an amazing thing. Without a doubt, God blessed those singers with a gift. You see, we all have a voice, but God has touched a singer’s voice. Giovanni, you have a beautiful voice. Pray that God blesses you with the gift to become a professional singer.” “I will, Papa. You know since I was a little boy I have always dreamed of becoming an opera singer. I want to bring the stories of opera to life on a stage.” Franco bent down and kissed Giovanni, saying, “And you will, with God’s help. Buona notte, Giovanni.” “Ti amo, Papa.” Franco shook his head in agreement and replied, “Ti voglio bene, mio figlio bellissimo.” He then began to gently hum the famous humming chorus, the beautiful, wordless melancholy melody that ends the second act of Madama Butterfly. As Giovanni Tempesta did every night, he fell asleep to the soothing sound of his father’s voice, all the while knowing that his head would be filled with the passion of opera and the dream of one day becoming an opera singer.

Penn Book Review
An Intelligent and Entertaining Lyrical Journey

A treat for opera aficionados and newcomers alike.

Aspiring opera tenor, Giovanni, brings vivid life to his art with a rare operatic talent. Although he is little more than a café singer, he vows to make his dreams come true; to one day sing at La Scala, a world-renowned opera house in Milan. His talent is never doubted, but like any 25 year old, he’s looking for a window of chance.

Giovanni is such a tenderhearted, vivid character—it’s as if the reader is literally listening to his voice that is described as “rich and dark in quality.” Not only does Giovanni need to realize his dream for himself, but also for his late father; who narrated operas for bedtime stories and brought his son up with the sounds of the great, operatic tenor, Enrico Caruso, constantly playing in the background.

The author’s harmonic prose leads progressively into an operatic aria where Giovanni feels as if “lighting had struck him between the eyes.” He encounters the most beautiful young woman with striking eyes and dark hair; he believes it to be fate. Although Isabella’s father, a prominent Judge, looks down on Giovanni, their relationship becomes all-consuming.

While Giovanni begins to study with Signor Alfredo del Monte, a retired tenor who lives at the Casa Verdi, it seems as if he’s received his big break; the one that will take his career to the level that he and his father have always dreamed about.

Giovanni, in a rather beautiful scene, states: “God gave me a gift, my father gave me the passion, and my love gives me the desire. I need to sing. Creado al destino.”

Will Giovanni get everything he’s ever wanted—a career as a famous performer and Isabella? Or will he become an old restaurant singer with an unrealized dream as many others in Milan? This is a story of love, friendship, and passion.

Tempesta’s Dream is a rare, beautiful story with passion and opera pulsing through each page. LoCoco has woven a unique novel with exceptionally developed characters and realistic dialogue and a well-balanced narrative.
- Penn Book Review


MidWest Book Review
Giovanni Tempesta has long dreamed of becoming an opera singer in his home town of Milan, Italy; but despite his talents he lacks the money for proper training and his dreams seem futile until he meets and falls in love with the wealthy Isabella Monterone, whose father, a powerful Judge, is less than thrilled about her infatuation with a poor musician with no future.

Banned from their household and forbidden to date his love, Giovanni feels all his dreams and goals are lost…and then he stumbles upon a rest home for musicians established by the great opera composer Verdi, meets up with a retired opera singer with a secretive past, and discovers in him a mentor who can help Giovanni realize his ambitions.

Tempesta’s Dream: A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera is not a singular story of ambition nor even of romance, but a blend of patterns, circumstances, and relationships that lead to vast changes. Its setting is partially driven by its powerful protagonists and partially because many elements of the novel are based in reality (the convent described is based on an actual convent while stories about historical operas and their conductors and participants are all based on actual opera lore.) The author grew up in a household steeped in an appreciation for opera, so he is in the perfect position to provide a novel filled with authentic opera references and atmosphere.

Because he was raised in a home filled with music appreciation and Italian passion, it's hard not to suspect that these two driving forces are the real foundation of Vincent B. "Chip" LoCoco's ability to create story filled with atmosphere and musical insights far beyond the usual observations of an outsider.

Phrases in Italian and English pepper his story: these are presented with translations side-by-side for quick enlightenment. There's also a series of quick references to how the protagonist attained his deep love of opera (from a father also passionate about music, who never realized his own dreams of making a name for himself in opera.)

How did this love pass between generations? Tempesta’s Dream leaves nothing to wonder about the process of evolving passions: "Giovanni Tempesta loved how every night his father would take an opera libretto and make it into a bedtime story. Unlike other kids, Giovanni’s father did not read nursery rhymes to his son at bedtime, but instead read opera librettos to him, relating to his young son the great stories and legends of operas written centuries ago."

What a son does with his father's dream and how he integrates it with his own evolution: now, that's the stuff of legend - and the foundation of Tempesta’s Dream's compelling plot.

As Giovanni comes to realize and express his real passion, he discovers more than a mentor in his newfound teacher, using his lessons to rise above the frustrations of his life: "Alfredo said, “Always sing with passion. When you sing Aida, let Verdi live through you. At the heart of the opera is passion. I know you know the role. But feel it."

What happens when Giovanni lives his passion and how he changes his life to take his rightful place in the world of opera greats (and in his love's life) makes for a powerful novel of dreams, debts, and an effort that gives an old man and his young student a new lease on life.

Tempesta’s Dream is all about the music, it's all about passion, and it's all about pursuing one's dream. Anyone who wants inspirational reading (and who want to be immersed in the world of music as well as Italian opera) will find this a moving, engrossing story.
- D. Donovan, Ebook Reviewer, MidWest Book Review



Italian American Digest
Food. Women. Opera. Italy. There is an inherent passion in each, and Vincent B. “Chip” LoCoco’s fascination with these obsessions darts off the page in Tempesta’s Dream: A Story of Love, Friendship, and Opera (Cefalutana Press: New Orleans, 2013), an easy-to-read, optimistic tale. One cannot help but acquire insight into these four gems and learn a few new opera names, Italian places or Italian words previously unknown to the reader.

Giovanni Tempesta is a simple man with a single aspiration to become an opera tenor on one of the most prestigious stages in the world; that is, La Scala, in his hometown of Milan. His life goal, already a long shot, is made more difficult when he falls in love with Isabella Monterone, whose prestigious family cares little for a poor, untrained musician like Giovanni.
Giovanni backs his way into becoming a student of the once great Alfredo del Monte, a teacher with a sketchy past who, of all people, could be the single one person in the world to help Giovanni find the break he needs to fulfill his dream. However, Alfredo might also be the catalyst to bring about Giovanni’s failure, and the reader spends a significant amount of time wondering which it will be, which makes the tale all the more delicious.

More than just a typical page-turner, Tempesta’s Dream is many things at once, with something relentless and compelling between the book covers for everyone. Readers are drawn to the positive enthusiasm the author yarns together. LoCoco, a New Orleanean and former Jesuit High School state champion baseball player LoCoco takes the reader on an adventurous ride that combs the breadth and depth of all human experience, while touching upon Italian: geography, history, opera, food, and women.

But what makes the narrative all the more endearing is the one single thing for which every human creature yearns—something to live for, with the courage and the passion and drive to follow one’s dream.