Review and Blog Tour: The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

Thanks once again to Trish from TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour.  This is the final installment in the trilogy and I loved the opportunity to read it as part of the tour.

Here is a summary of the book from the Goodreads website:
For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret.

A piece of surprising news is revealed at The Feast of the Seven Fishes when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family on a fateful Christmas Eve. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: "A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything." The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves -- the bitter and the sweetness of life itself.

Romantic and poignant, told with humor and warmth, and bursting with a cast of endearing characters, The Supreme Macaroni Company is a sumptuous feast of delights: a portrait of a woman and the man she loves, her passion for craftsmanship, and the sacrifices it takes to build and sustain a family business while keeping love and laughter at the center of everything.

My Review:
I will tread carefully as I attempt to write a review for the final book of this series without giving too much away.  We are swept across the globe once again, from New York to Italy, as we follow Valentine's hopes and dreams.  We've been cheering Valentine throughout the series to have the opportunity for love, and now it is at her doorstep.

Valentine loves Gianluca with all her heart, but struggles to commit to him as a partner should.  She seems to think that compromise is one-sided, not requiring any changes or sacrifices on her part.  She is driven to make her shoe business grow and all other events come in second place compared to the Angelini Shoe Company.

I found myself bothered by Valentine's selfishness in this novel, but I suppose a woman in her mid-thirties, who has had years of independence, may find it difficult to adjust.  With more of her family helping with the business, she learns to delegate, not having to take control of every transaction of the company.

This book was a whirlwind for me.  Once Valentine allows love into her life it all just blew by so quickly.  I tried to savor her experiences the best I could, from the romance to her newfound appreciation of Italy, but being the final segment, I guess it had to end.  With themes of love, forgiveness, family, and secrets, you may enjoy this book as much as I did.  I recommend this novel for personal leisure or as a book club discussion.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by the publisher to participate in this blog tour and provide an honest review.
 

Blog Tour, Review, and a Giveaway: Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

I'm very excited to be able to participate in this blog tour for the second installment of Adriana Trigiani's Valentine series.  So first of all I want to give a special Thank You to Trish from TLC Book Tours for inviting to be a part of this!  After reading Very Valentine there was no way I wanted to miss out on this opportunity.  You can still read my review here for the first installment if you missed it.

Here is a summary of Brava, Valentine from the Harper Collins website:
Very Valentine, an instant New York Times bestseller, introduced the contemporary family saga of the Roncalli and Angelini families, artisans of handcrafted wedding shoes in Greenwich Village since 1903.

As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine's dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, "the prince," Valentine's only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca's heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible.

As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine's first love and former fiancée who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world.

A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her.

Brava, Valentine, Trigiani's best novel yet, delivers a hilarious and poignant mix of colorful worlds and unforgettable characters as only she can create them.

My Review:
Although this is the second installment in the series, I really feel that one could read this book without reading the first because of the good job that Trigiani does of bringing the reader up to speed.  She also provides stimulating descriptions of two destinations that I long to visit, both New York and Italy.  And after closing this book my desire to go to Italy has only blossomed.

The novel opens in Italy as Valentine and her entire family travelled to Tuscany for her grandmother's wedding.  And as you can imagine, with the joining of two Italian families there was not a dull moment during the entire event.  Valentine finds herself looking forward to laying her eyes on Gianluca once again, but will the reunion go as she would like?

Gram has a surprise for Valentine after her wedding when she explains to her that she has decided to take Alfred, Valentine's brother, as a partner.  With his financial background Gram figures that Alfred is just what is needed for the Angelini Shoe Company.  There has always seemed to be a friction between Alfred and Valentine so one would think that this partnership would never work, but not only did they make it work and help the business flourish at a new level, but they also found a deeper respect and understanding for each other.

Secrets are uncovered in this novel, both from the present and the past.  When Valentine takes a business trip to Buenos Aires she uncovers a long kept family secret that will not only strengthen Angelini Shoes but also the relationships with her extended family.  While in Buenos Aires she finds some time for pleasure as she is surprised by the handsome Gianluca.  She feels the pull of her heart towards Gianluca and enjoys the time that they spend together, but can Valentine make the commitment that is needed for this relationship to blossom?

I loved so much about this book, from the cobblestone streets in Italy to the family squabbles back in New York City.  I love how Trigiani brings out the real feelings in her characters-they do not live perfect lives and they do make mistakes.  With themes of family dynamics, love, friendship, and sacrifices, this book was an excellent follow up to the Very Valentine.  I recommend this series but even moreso if you feel like being whisked away to fabulous destinations.

And remember how I said this book makes me want to go to Italy?  Well someone out there is going to be lucky (hopefully me!) as Adriana Trigiani is giving away a trip to Italy!  Yes, she actually has her own tour company and you can sign up to win this fabulous vacation here.  You can also find out more about the author and view all of her works here.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by Harper Collins to participate in this blog tour and provide and honest review.

Thanks to the publisher I have a copy of this book up for grabs!
To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada. No PO Boxes please.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

You will have until December 11th to enter and I will draw for winners on or after December 12th.  Just enough time to use this as a Christmas gift if you want!

**This giveaway is closed.**

Review: Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Here is a summary of Very Valentine from the Harper Collins website:

Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani's millions of fans around the world. 

In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin. 

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. Very Valentine is a sumptuous treat, a journey of dreams fulfilled, a celebration of love and loss filled with Trigiani's trademark heart and humor. 

My Review:
Trigiani brings us into the heart of an Italian family living in New York City.  Valentine lives in an apartment with her Grandmother above the family owned custom-made shoe store that they own and operate.  It is a small business as they only create wedding shoes, but it has obviously proven to be a lucrative business as it has been operating for a hundred years.

Valentine seems to come from a normal size Italian family with two sisters and one brother, but boy do they have big attitudes!  She also seems to be the one unlucky in love as all of her siblings are married except for her.  To all of her relatives she is known as the sweet girl that put her life on hold to help out her Grandmother, only to get left behind in the romance department.  But there is plenty of romance in this novel to keep Valentine busy!

I really enjoyed the family relationships within this novel.  Although Valentine has a close knit relationship with both of her sisters you can feel the tension between her and her brother Alfred.  She sees Alfred as only being around when things go wrong, so he can be the hero that picks up all of the pieces.  Valentine cannot understand why Alfred feels like he always has to fix everything.  I really got a kick out of both of her parents.  Her mother set the tone in the family that aging is unnecessary by having the plastic surgery that no-one ever talks about.  Even though her mother made a fashion statement every time she stepped out of her front door, you could feel the love that she put into that family every day of her life.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when Valentine and her Grandma take a business trip to Italy.  Valentine sees a side of her Grandma that she didn't know existed as they embrace the easy lifestyle of the Italian countryside.  Even though they are on a business trip Valentine learns more about herself, including why her relationships keep failing.  Here is an excerpt from page 306 that explains a typicaly working American:
We're typical overextended, overworked Americans with the worst kind of tunnel vision.  We waste the present for some perfect future we believe will be waiting for us when we get there.  But how will we get there if we don't build the connection now?

The elements in this book just worked so well together.  I just loved hearing about the different types of food, fashion references, romance lost and romance found, and especially the dynamics of the family relationships.  This is the first book in the trilogy and if you are a fan of Trigiani you will definitely want to pick this one up.  I can't wait to read Brava, Valentine next!

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me from HarperCollins through TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

You can check out more great book reviews at Cym Lowell's Book Review Party Wednesday!