When Chi Chi Donatelli spots a boy drowning in the ocean, the young woman doesn’t hesitate to rush into the water to rescue him. The only person unimpressed with her heroics is Chi Chi herself. It’s something anyone would do, she explains, shrugging off praise from her Jersey Shore pals.

Chi Chi’s lifeguarding skills are put to use only once in Adriana Trigiani’s historical novel “Tony’s Wife” (Harper, 462 pp., ★★★ out of four), but the incident gives us a glimpse into the character of the twenty-something daughter of Italian immigrants. Her ability to save drowning men will serve Chi Chi well throughout her life with popular crooner and serial philanderer, Tony Arma, stage name for Saverio Armandonada.