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. ( )