Very Valentine

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Book 6 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge
Book 14 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge

rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm a big fan of Adriana Trigiani.  I've liked everything she's written apart from Rococo.  So, I was excited when I noticed this on the new book shelf at my library this weekend.  I was especially excited when I realized it isn't even due to be released until Feb. 3rd, so I was getting a sneak peek!  

Valentine Roncalli lives with her grandmother in the West Village of Manhattan where she designs and makes custom wedding shoes.  She has a wonderfully crazy Italian family and a handsome chef vying for her heart.  Valentine is stunned when she realizes that the shoe business isn't doing well, and her brother is pressuring her grandmother to sell the building and close down the legacy shoe shop that has been in her family since 1903.

This is the start of a new trilogy, but it read more like a second book in a series rather than a first to me.  While there was a lot of character development and detail, not enough actually happened.  I loved Trigiani's superb details of food, Italy, and life as a cobbler, but sometimes the writing was a little formulaic for my taste.  As a side note, I thought the blatant self-promotion of her book Lucia, Lucia as a movie within this novel was tacky.  

I do think Trigiani has created a fun group of characters though, so I will certainly be looking forward to the next book.  In the meantime, I was excited to find out the author will be releasing her first YA novel, Viola in Reel Life, in fall 2009.

You can read the first chapter of Very Valentine here.

Also reviewed by:

• Bookfan-Mary
• Pudgy Penguin Perusals