Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors. This is not one of her better works. Valentine is not the complex character found in some of her other books, such as Lucia, or Domenica. The book explores the difficulties of having a career and a relationship, but it doesn't seem to get into the complexities of the relationship between Valentine and Roman. Also, as the book is told from the pov of Valentine, a shoe designer, every detail of fashion is excruciatingly described. It took away from the narrative. I found myself thinking Valentine is pretty shallow. I was planning to read the other books in the series but now decided against doing so!
I'm sure it would be appealing to readers who enjoy a light read. Her description of Capri has a strong sense of place...the reader feels the bright Italian sun on her face, and the cool water of the Blue Grotto. As usual, the description of food made my mouth water. If you've never read any other books by this author, this may not be the one to start with because you don't get her best characters and plot lines.
But....still funny as hell and so well written.
I recommended it to my book club, and for some it's their first time reading this author. I am proud to recommend more of her works with them! ( )

1st book in valentine trilogy ( )

Valentine must create a plan to save the Angilini Shoe Co. She works with her grandmother in making custom wedding shoes. A very good read.

There's another series I'd like to try by this new-to-me author, but I'm saving that one. As for this humorous women's fiction novel, the cover of the 2014 UK edition featuring Valentine in an elegant purple dress most resonates with the sentiments behind my personal reasons for reading the book. Explaining all that would be a lot, so I won't try.

Still, as I read, I so connected with the artistry of Valentine's shoemaking craft and the deep intention behind it, her passion and blossoming vision for it, and all of the family legacy that factors into it for her. Those aspects of the novel sang to my soul.

On the other hand, I must confess that, to keep from getting bogged down, I skimmed more than a few paragraphs in the book. That's because more than a few times, the author goes all in with descriptions of the characters' meals and how they prepare them, descriptions of the women's makeup and the clothing everybody's wearing, descriptions of the rooms and the pieces of furniture around, etc. etc. The author could have effectively conveyed the sense of culture and Valentine's artisan's eye even without pausing the action again and again to go into those numerous details about all the things.

As for Valentine's romantic relationship, I found the development wanting. I felt no compelling chemistry between the couple, and I never became a fan of Valentine's boyfriend as a romantic character.

Also, because I checked some reader feedback beforehand and saw a pointer saying this novel has "no sex," I wasn't expecting the two-ish bedroom scenes included in the book. Granted, even with various characters' mentions of sex at times, one comedic "whoopsie—Bathsheba on the rooftop" scene, and a man who makes passes at Valentine early on, this isn't an R-rated read. (Even the mild swears in the book are minimal, with no F-bombs.) The bedroom scenes are fairly short, and my unprepared eyes didn't run into graphic details. It's just that I figured there'd only be closed-door or "fade to black" intimacy at the most, but it turns out that this is more of a "fade to gray" kind of book.

In any case, Valentine's career, her soul-searching in regard to her purpose, and her family-related concerns—I really got into those elements of the story. I plan on checking out the next phase of Valentine's journey in the novel that follows this one. ( )

Didn't actually "read" this one. I just thought about it and changed my mind after a couple of pages. ( )

Adult fiction. Likeable characters with funny, memorable moments, but this isn't the rollicking storyline you'd expect in a typical chick lit novel, because this isn't a typical chick lit novel. Yes, the title character is obsessed with shoes (it's how she makes her living) and is involved with a new romance with the chef living next door, but she spends a lot of time sniffing that flower, admiring that bit of antique furniture, contemplating her navel. I would probably like this book more if I had time to finish it, but I am trying to make my way through a mountain of books, and if I'm not hooked after 50 pages of reading, I've decided to just move on. ( )

I was looking for a Valentine's Day romance, which this very definitely is not. It's the story of a woman trying to save her family business with some romantic elements. The ridiculously contrived roof scene in chapter 2 was almost enough for me to quit. And the fact that she didn't pack a swimsuit for an Italian beach vacation and was forced to wear the way-too-revealing one her mother snuck into her luggage just left me rolling my eyes. Overall it was okay but I don't think I'll continue the series. ( )

A young woman navigates life with her large Italian-American family while apprenticing at the family business of artisan shoe-making and looking for romantic love.

This book was better than I was expecting. While it may be part of that often dismissed genre of "chick lit," it was certainly better than other titles I've read within that genre. (And, please, can we think of a better name than "chick lit"??)

Trigiani's writing style is good, and she especially excels at writing believable characters with the quirks of real-life people. The audiobook narrator also helped to bring these characters to life with distinct voices, accents, etc. Her general tone for narrating was rather conversational, making it really seem like Valentine was chatting with the reader as a friend, and thus making the novel very engaging.

I appreciated that much of the story was concerned with Valentine's family relations, her work at the shoe shop as well as career interests, and her friendships. There's a romantic plotline that I felt was a bit lame (mostly because there was zero chemistry between her and the man slotted for her, who wasn't much of a catch anyway in my opinion) but it's also not the major thrust of the story.

Trigiani also writes lovingly of places, Greenwich Village and Capri in particular. She spends time describing the details of Valentine's work at the shoe shop and her interests in fashion; these are not my interests per se but it was evocative and well done.

That all being said, when I finished the book, I felt it was wrapped up in a good enough place that I didn't feel particularly compelled to continue with the series. When curiosity got the better of me and I looked at the description of the next book in the series, I decided to leave well enough alone. ( )

Although I might have put this in the “chick lit” category, I was pleasantly surprised that it became a good book for book club discussion.
Multi-generational women and how they dealt with life, work and family made for great topics because our group could relate to these issues.
Valentine’s dilemma is how to continue tradition while trying to thrive in the contemporary business world, while trying to have a personal life.
This was a perfect fit in terms of the stress-free reading.
( )

I picked this book up and was quite hopeful because I tend to like chick lit. After the first 40 pages, this book didn't captivate my interest and I couldn't find anything in the characters that I was attracted to. Might pick it up again at another time. ( )

This is a good book to listen to because you get the New York-Italian-American accent, as well as Italian-Italian. I noticed that some reviewers said the book had too much detail, but hearing those details read made the descriptions vivid.

I'm looking forward to the second book in the series, Brava, Valentine. I hope to get that as an audio book, too. ( )

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but what I got wasn't totally unexpected (if that makes sense!). I had read some reviews of it, and so was prepared for the very descriptive elements of the story. I will say, I have to agree with some of the reviewers too, as in some cases the description did seem to intrude on the flow of the overall narrative. I tried to put it down to the character's artistic bent, but it still was a little too much for me. That said, it did even out by the end of the story.

It took the entire first chapter for me to get into the story, unusual for me! It was a bit laborious until the story bedded in properly. I did not expect the central character to reject her lover at the end - many 'chick lit' stories have the lovers overcome their issues but I was happy to read that they were adults and agreed to concentrate on what was important to them at that time - their careers. Obviously saving the company was totally expected, as was the winning of the competition!!

Not sure whether I would read another Trigiani novel, but this was entertaining for a holiday read. ( )

The Angelini Shoe Company run by Valentine and her grandmother is the focus of this easy read novel about the art of shoe making and additionally about Italian families. Valentine is determined to take the long time family shoe business into the future. In the process, she learns much about herself. It is refreshing to read about a family business that is able to withstand time and look to the future. ( )

3.5 I enjoyed this book and I love how it was written. I know a lot of people don't like the thorough descriptions, but I felt it helped to sense the environment and Valentine's personality. I have one bone to pick. There is no way a native New Yorker would call sneakers "tennis shoes". They are sneakers in NYC. Stupid I know. ( )

Didn't actually "read" this one. I just thought about it and changed my mind after a couple of pages. ( )

Italian-American Valentine is 33-years old and lives and works with her grandmother in New York City. Gram runs a shoe making company; they hand-make wedding shoes and the company has been in business since 1903. Unfortunately, the company is in financial trouble, and Valentine is not sure what will happen if her brother gets his way and Gram decides to sell. In the meantime, Valentine has met a very busy chef and they are trying to maintain a relationship.

I really liked this. This is the second book I've read by Trigiani and I really enjoy her writing. I often don't like long descriptions, but even though some of Trigiani's descriptions are long and very detailed, there is something about the way she writes that keeps me interested, and enjoying the detail as it brings whatever she is describing to life. ( )

Trigiani is a good writer, but I always feel like her books lack enough tension to pull me through the book. Lots of great details and interesting lead characters, but the supporting cast seems a bit underdeveloped. I liked the book, but I doubt it will stay with me for very long. ( )

Matthew picked this out at the library. Overall it seems a reasonably good example of the genre, but I found the first third quite irritating in style. I kind of got into it in the middle then put it down and have been out of the habit of reading again for a few weeks so I skim - read the rest to find out what happens in order to take it back to the library. I won't be checking out the sequels. ( )

Another satisfying tale about the loud, competitive, fierce Roncalli tribe. I suspect if Adriana Trigiani were to tell a story verbally, it would sound much like one of her books and be endlessly amusing. ( )

I am a fan of the Big Stone Gap series as well as some of her stand-alones and so I high hopes for this one. What a disappointment. The excessive attention to superfluous detail made me want to scream. I had heard that the book was very descriptive but I had no idea of the extent.

Do I really need to know what every character in every scene is wearing? I was subjected in mind-numbing detail about everything I never wanted to know about the outfits these characters wore throughout the book. Do I care that Dad’s feet, “in black suede Merrils, rests on the lower bar of the stool” while her mother’s, “in dark brown calfskin ankle boots with a high wedge heel, dangle above the foot bar”? Does it add anything to the story? No. This ridiculous attention to detail continues with clothing. At a birthday party early in the book, a character can’t simply cry out “Happy Birthday!” No, she “…cries (Happy Birthday!) in her black sequin tank with matching silk georgette palazzo pants and a wide hammered-gold chain-link belt that drips down her thigh with a fringe of rhinestones. She wears strappy gold sandals…” The clothing description continues with each character at the party, even the men. And on it goes throughout the entire book.

Unless you care about shoemaking (which I most certainly do not) be prepared to read in excruciating detail every single aspect of the business. Character development took a back seat to the descriptive prose so much so that by the end of the book I no longer cared what happened to any of them, I just wanted it to be over.

( )

Delightful and enjoyable read! Family,friends and the family business and a trip to lovely Capri. Highly recommended! ( )

Adriana Trigiani creates such lovely descriptions using vivid colors, sounds, smells....details. She makes you feel as though you live in Greenwich Village and travel to Capri, Italy. The book is a lovely life story that is so real you feel as though you know these people. ( )

If you liked the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding than you are going to love this book; the humor in it is hilarious. And the story is warm. ( )

If you liked the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding than you are going to love this book; the humor in it is hilarious. And the story is warm. ( )

I freely admit that I probably picked this book for the wrong reasons. (1) it was Valentine's Day, and this book has the word Valentine in the title! (2) the author offered a walking tour in Manhattan on one of the sites I visit, which I thought was pretty cool. (3) The main character makes custom wedding shoes, and if you follow my reviews, you've probably noticed that in the months leading up to my wedding I'm a bit of a sucker for books related to weddings, however tangentially.

All of that said, I didn't *not* enjoy this book. It was fine. Some of it was even lovely, and I now have a previously undiscovered longing to visit the isle of Capri. I now know what the vamp of a shoe is.

None of this could wring a third star out of me, because the incredible overuse of simile and metaphor was impossible to get past. Sometimes there would be two in the same sentence! At one point, we're told that rugs are "splashed" across a marble floor, and two sentences later women (who "drip" with jewelry, naturally) are described as having "splashes of glitz against their tawny skin." Using "splash" creatively is fine in either of those instances, but twice in three sentences is ridiculous.

A small sampling of annoying similes from a single wedding scene:

-My mother bursts into the lounge like a frapped tangerine (?)
-a corsage of purple roses, which hangs off her lilac crepe dress like a ruby red tire
-I yank up the front of my dress like I'm pulling a full Hefty bag out of a trash can
-her lips pulled tight, like the zipper on a change purse
-her eyes rolling around in their sockets like frantic golf balls

And if I even started to count the number of times that rivers or lakes or oceans were described as unfurled bolts of fabric, I'd lose my mind.

So, yes, you can ruin a perfectly decent storyline with an excess of descriptive detail, just like you can ruin a perfectly good wedding dress with a bow bigger than the bride's head, which steals attention like a girl in a too-small bikini top at a country fair.

If your eyes are rolling around in your sockets like frantic golf balls, I've done my job. ( )