The Queen of the Big Time by Adriana Trigiani

This starts in the late 20's.  Nella is excited because she is going to get to go to school in town.  It all starts well, but then her father is in an accident and she has to go to work.  She caught on well and made her way up through the ranks.  She had a love that left her and she did her best to move on from that.  She made the best of her life and felt it was very full.  When her husband died she looked at things a little differently and embraced life a bit more.  Very well crafted with the angst of growing up, family duty and love.