Review: VERY VALENTINE by Adriana Trigiani

Thirty-three year old, Valentine Roncalli, is a third generation Italian-American and cobbler in her family’s shoe making business located in Greenwich Village.  After a failed relationship, she moved in to the apartment above the shop with her grandmother.  Being the only signal sister in a close-knit family, Valentine is constantly reminded that she is drifting, destined to become a spinster.

When her grandmother opens the business books, she discovers the business which she thought of as her future is on the brink of bankruptcy.  Her older brother Alfred wants to sell the business and the building and send their grandmother to live in a retirement community in Jersey, something that her grandmother would hate.  Valentine takes it upon herself to drag the business into the future.

Roman is an Italian-American chef who owns his own restaurant in Little Italy.  From the moment he first laid eyes on Valentine, he was smitten.  When Roman & Valentine are together, the chemistry is magic, but can two busy business owners make a relationship enough of a priority to make it work?  When Valentine travels to Italy on business, she is faced with temptations and harsh realities. 

The thing I liked best about this book was the sense of humor.  The opening scene at Valentine’s sister’s wedding is hilarious!  I also enjoyed learning about the shoe making business.  In many ways, it’s a lost art form. 

My main criticism, and it’s a small one, is that I got really bored with the overly detailed descriptions of people’s clothes.  Okay, I get that Valentine is a designer and she would be looking at people’s feet a lot, but do we really need to know every article of clothing being worn by everyone in the room?  Less is more is all I’m saying. 

Overall, I give VERY VALENTINE…

Plot – 3 bookmarks

Character Development – 3 ½ bookmarks

Love Story – 3 bookmark

Humor – 4 bookmarks

Dream Cast (otherwise known as who I pictured while reading) – Lana Parrilla (Valentine), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Roman), Vincent Spano (Gianluca), Carla Gallo (Jaclyn), Edie Falco (Mike/Mom), Paul Sorvino (Dad), Henry Silva (Dominic)