Adriana Trigiani thinks her new novel, a thick, 500-page epic that bounces around different continents and through a sprawling extended family, is her best work. That's saying something, since the author has already penned 16 bestselling novels, including "The Shoemaker's Wife" and the "Big Stone Gap" series.

Fans of Trigiani’s can decide for themselves whether “Kiss Carlo,” her 17th, which she calls a “big, juicy comedy with poignant overtones,” is their favorite, too, at a book talk and brunch at the Clinton Inn in Tenafly on Saturday.