Review : Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
Pages : 371
Genre : Contemporary fiction
Series : Valentine, book 1
My Rating : 4/5
About the Book :
While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected.
My Thoughts :
I first encountered Valentine some years ago, when the book first came out and was the star of my favorite blogs. Rave reviews and extreme gushing followed, and I soon got myself a copy, as well of its sequel Brava Valentine. Some time later I picked Very Valentine from me shelf and read it almost to the end, then got distracted by university and abandoned it at around page 300 – even though I loved it.
So when I was offered the opportunity to review its next book, The Supreme Macaroni Company, it felt like the perfect occasion to rekindle my reading relationship with Valentine. So I nervously (what if I didn’t enjoy it as much?) jumped back into Very Valentine, from the start. And I loved it as much as I had in the past.
There is so much to be said about Valentine, her family, and her work! One of the things that amazes me with the novel is how complete it feels, without feeling overwhelming or too superficial. We get to see Valentine with her family, at work, in romantic settings, with her friends : her life feels complete rather than focusing on a single of these aspects, and in a realistic way too. Adriana Trigiani has a great talent of writing family dynamics, the good and the bad, and I found myself caring for most of the main characters.
Another thing I appreciated about the author’s writing is her sense of detailing. While I am sure some would find it slows the story down (and in a way, it does so), I absolutely loved all her descriptions of italian food, New York streets, italian landscapes and shoemaking. It took me right there where the action was, and after closing the book, I did feel as if I had traveled to New York and Italy.
The ending was to my satisfaction, though not everything gets an answer or a conclusion. Part of it is because the book is part of a trilogy, of course; but I also got a sense that, in parts, it was also because Very Valentine mirrors life. Not everything gets an answer when you would like it too, but that’s okay. By the last page I was feeling happy with how it ended, and had the book been a stand alone, I wouldn’t have felt anything was missing.
All in all, I adored Valentine, her family, her friends and her business, and I am very excited to read what comes next!
Series Reading Order :
- Very Valentine
- Brava Valentine
- The Supreme Macaroni Company
So glad you enjoyed this one! I really liked this series and found Valentine endearing, though I’ll admit to not enjoying The Supreme Macaroni Company as much as I would have liked. I just read that one last fall, so it’s freshest in my mind. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts!
Ha! I am wondering what I’ll think of the last book then! I didn’t read your review because I didn’t want to spoil myself, but I enjoyed the second book (though, less than this one). She does have a talent for the lush descriptions that I love though!