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Dec 18, 2010

Mary rated it:

Brava, Valentine begins on a day filled with happiness in Tuscany. The sparkling snow that falls reflects the spirit of the Roncalli/Angelini family. Their beloved matriarch Teodora is marrying Dominic Vechiarelli. The octogenarians kept their relationship a secret for many years but finally decided to marry. Adriana Trigiani had me laughing at the family antics as they prepare for the wedding. Dominic's son is at the wedding. Gianluca Vechiarelli made quite an impression on Valentine on her las More...

6 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 09, 2012

Christi rated it:

My Review:
A- mild
This is the second book in a trilogy. I listened to the first, Very Valentine, on my roadtrip to Readers 'n Ritas last November. I have been planning to listen to this one ever since and when I finally got my audible account set up, I grabbed it. *sigh* Now what to say about this book...I really, really enjoy this series. I like the family. I like the art of making shoes. I like Valentine, even when I am cursing her doubts and emo moments. I just really like the way More...

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Feb 15, 2011

Joanne rated it:

A contemporary love story with old-fashioned values too. I was hooked from
the first pages of this gem.

The story starts with the wedding of Valentine's grandmother on Valentine's
Day in Italy. It ends with Christmas Eve in NY’s Greenwich Village. The
family’s Thanksgiving scene is memorable.

Valentine comes for an Italian family of bridal shoe designers. This story
details her business expansion into a moderate priced line of ballet flats.
Her More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 25, 2010

Marleen rated it:

This is the second Valentine book by Trigiani, and because it has been a while since I read the first one, it took me a little while to get back to knowing and recognizing all the characters.
The book starts with Valentine's gram's getting married in Italie, where she will stay with her new husband.
Italy is also where Valentine reconnects with Gianluca, the man who obviously loves her. The man she can't get out of her head or heart, but can't quite commit too.
Back in New York, Val More...

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Oct 03, 2010

Sarah rated it:

Brava, Valentine is the sequel to Very, Valentine. Valenentine's grandmother, Teodora, is getting married to Dominic, and moving to Italy. This means that Gram will no longer be the head of the Angelini Shoe Company, and Valentine is quite sure that the control of the company will be given to her. After all, she's been Gram's apprentice for the past few years.

However, Gram announces that Valentine and her brother, Alfred, will be co-heading the company together. Valentine is devastat More...

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Jun 27, 2010

Colleen rated it:

Valentine Roncalli works at her family's custom show company in New York's West Village (love that neighborhood!) and this novel follows her pursuit of a career in the family business and her efforts to take the helm of the business and grow it in new directions as her grandmother exits. Her ascent to head of the company is complicated by her brother, Alfred, and his lack of faith in her business skills and inability to understand her need to keep the "family" in family business. Bey More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Alyssa rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 17, 2010

Sarah rated it:

I scored a free copy of this book courtesty of a< href="http://www.bookclubgirl.com/book_club_girl/">Book Club Girl</a>, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved it! It's typically not a book I would have grabbed off the shelf on my own, but now I find myself wanting to get my hands on all things Adriana Trigiani. The book is a second in a series (I didn't read the first; I don't think it's necessary) following the sleek, sophisticated Valentine Roncalli.

More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 13, 2010

Kendra rated it:

I love reading because sometimes a story can captivate your mind and take you to a different place entirely. Brava Valentine by Adriana Trigiani did just that for me this past week. I know nothing about high end fashion, shoemaking, Italy, Buenos Aires, or cannoli, but with the wonderful descriptions in this book I was able to visualize a little bit about each of these exotic topics without any problem whatsoever, and I had so much fun doing it!

This is a soft romance novel. The tale More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 04, 2010

Gaby rated it:

Brava, Valentine is the fun, satisfying sequel to Very Valentine. Adriana Trigiani develops the characters and their relationships with sympathy and complexity.

With Teodora's wedding, Valentine is now the head of Angelini Shoe Company and working with her brother, Alfred. The sibling rivalry and resentment still exist, but their close proximity gives Valentine and Alfred a chance to see each other's strengths.

While Teodora and Dominic have married and have effectively re More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 15, 2010

Diane rated it:

The author does terrific job creating characters whom the reader cares about. I like that Valentine doesn’t have it all figured it, that she struggles with family, career, love and friends. Even the minor characters are real and well-drawn, from June, the fabric cutter to Roberta, the new-found cousin to Pamela, the sister-in-law who doesn’t fit in.

Trigiani comes from a close-knit Italian family herself, and she excels at the family relationships and scenes. Everyone can relate to th More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 20, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

Upon finishing the book, I had a strong and sudden urge to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Hmm.

There are just some jewels of sentences in this novel! Like this one: "Computer screens are lodged amid the old-world equipment, sticking out obstrusively like pay phones in the jungle." Love it. (= And the family scenes? Totally found myself tearing up, my heart breaking over the dynamic tension that leaped off the pages.

Also, I Wikipedia-ed a lot of things, such More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 06, 2010

Wendy rated it:

This was the second book about the Angelini/Roncalli family and it starts out in Italy with Gram's wedding which the whole family has a part in. Valentine is having a tough time realizing that she will be in charge of the shoe business when they get home only to have Gram drop the bombshell that the business is being given to her and her brother Alfred. Also, she is floored when Gianluca, who was in love with her, brings a female friend to the wedding. While that is quickly cleared up and Valen More...

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Apr 14, 2010

Dawn rated it:

None of Trigiani’s newer books has quite lived up to her original ‘Big Stone Gap’ trilogy for me. This latest offering, however, disappointed me the most. As this was the second book in a series, I’m familiar with and like the Roncalli / Angelini family, and their various friends and associates, but I felt like there was just too much ‘stuff’ going on in this book. I found many of the conflicts to be overly contrived, unnecessary to the larger story, and, often, much too easily resolved. I g More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 15, 2010

Marcia rated it:

Brava, Valentine, the follow-up to Adriana Trigiani's Very Valentine, continues the story of the Angelini family and shoemaker Valentine Roncalli. The story opened crisply and reminded me of how much I enjoyed Very Valentine. Unfortunately, a couple of the plot lines bogged down; however, the need to know how things turn out kept this reader slogging along. I believe I read somewhere that Valentine's story would be a trilogy, but I'm not sure how much more there is to tell about her and the A More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 05, 2011

Karen added it

I'm a huge Trigiani fan, and I wanted to love this book. While it is an enjoyable read, filled with her trademark lively descriptions and characters, it lacked the believability of her other books. Valentine's relationship with Giancarlo, central to the novel, was almost absent of dialogue. I never really saw the connection between the two of them - just a few love letters and too few conversations. The brother's escapade felt like a cliche - we never get to know him well enough to understan More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 10, 2011

Fluffychick rated it:

After her grandma's marriage and move to Italy,Valentine Roncalli becomes joint owner of Angelini's Shoes with her brother, Alfred. Although not a partnership made in heaven, the determination to expand the business takes her to Buenos Aires to meet a long lost division of the family. Gianluca, her Italian leather tanner and part time love interest is on and off the scene, but her friends and families marriages are under strain too and will this affect the choices she makes?
I've read mos More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 04, 2010

Lydia rated it:

Last year I was introduced to Adriana Trigiani by a friend. I liked the look of Very Valentine and picked it as my first book to read (Lucia, Lucia is on my list, don't worry). I wasn't disappointed by it.

Was it great literature? No, of course not. However, it was entertaining, witty and smart. Brava, Valentine continued held up to the standards set forth by its predecessor.

Valentine has moved on from the steamy Roman in Brava, Valentine and is now looking at having More...

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Dec 04, 2010

Molly rated it:

As much as I love Amish, Historicals, and suspense, I love a GREAT chick lit just as much! Now a days, with so much R rated content added in, it's truly hard to find a really good chick lit novel that I can get into. But, after hearing good things about Adriana Trigiani and her work, I was excited for the chance to review Brava, Valentine. Though, sadly, this is a follow up to her book Very Valentine, which I wish I would have read already, but it gives me something to look forward to reading in More...

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Apr 02, 2011

Alicia rated it:

Fabulous story with complexity and detail. Very visual. Trigiani has come a long way since Big Stone Gap. She's obviously research every detail there is to making shoes - both handmade and machine made (she could probably apprentice herself out if she wanted a career change...:).

She has also researched not only Italy where her book family is from, but Rio de Janeiro very thoroughly. As a Librarian, I appreciate good, thorough research because it lends more of a feeling of authentic More...

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Jan 31, 2010

JoAnn/QuAppelle rated it:

I was so glad to be able to spend more time with Valentine Roncalli as she took over the family's Angelini shoe business alongside her brother Alfred. Sparks fly as these two, who are like oil and water, attempt to merge their very different styles.

Encouraged by her former fiance, Bret, now a financier, Valentine decides to embark on a new venture.

The book starts off with a wedding in Italy where Valentine re-encounters the dashing Gianluca, but a long-distance romance se More...

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Jun 08, 2010

Dyana rated it:

What a pleasure to get lost in such a well written book. This story is a funny, heartfelt look at a close-knit Italian-American family living in Greenwich Village. The main character is Valentine Roncalli, whose grandmother has just remarried, moved to Italy, and left her the family owned business, the Angelini Shoe Company. They make high end custom-made wedding shoes; and because of the economy, are branching out to make an economical line of mass produced flats called Bella Rosa ("an More...

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Mar 15, 2010

Francesca rated it:

I have always enjoyed Trigiani's books, mostly because I can relate to the Italian-American story lines, family sagas, ect. Up until now, my favorite book of hers has been Lucia, Lucia; however, Brava, Valentine has changed the stakes...I think it is because I relate so much to the main character, Valentina, that I now rate this is my number 1 favorite read from Trigiani.

Trigiani has written a plethora of novels and is an expert in writing about her own experiences growing up in an More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 23, 2010

Katie rated it:

This is the sequel to Very Valentine and I liked it even more than the first. I was so glad Trigiani continued Valentine's story because I fell in love with her and her family.
This book continues the story of the Angelini family but has some darker moments than the first. In this story Valentine is running the shoe company with her brother and attempting to make everyday shoes to sell to the mass market. (I know, might sound lame but this is just a smidgen of the story.) I finished t More...

2 comments like

Nov 20, 2010

Lola4 rated it:

I was so disappointed in the first book, that I was almost tempted to pass on this one--glad I didn't. The changes I hoped to see did indeed occur. The author was less preoccupied with describing stuff and back to developing character and dialogue. There were enough descriptions to set atmosphere without going overboard into boooring. The main character, with some exceptions, was more tolerable and willing to acknowledge her faults and her part in her relationship problems with her brother a More...

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Aug 17, 2010

Becky rated it:

I loved the book prior to this one, same main character, Valentine. But this book was almost even better! I hope Trigiani continues the series with another book - if she keeps it up the next one will be 5 stars, for sure.

This book is continuing the previous book where Valentine had broken up with her boyfriend, traveled to Italy with her grandmother to pick up shoe supplies and along the way realized her grandmother was in love with Dominic (the old guy they buy leather from). At the More...

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Mar 23, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

I picked up Brava, Valentine at the library and then realized it was the second book. With great restraint, I placed a hold on Very Valentine, waited a week and then read both over the last two days.

Disclaimer: I like Adriana Trigiani. She's kind of like comfort food. Her books are enjoyable, not a lot of work to read, and generally I feel good after reading them.
I like Valentine. She's a living, breathing character. I like how hard she works, I like her nurturing qualities. I lov More...

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Feb 22, 2010

Angelc rated it:

I was lucky enough to win this book in a Goodreads First Reads contest. I had heard great things about the first book in this series, and jumped at the chance to read the sequel. The book is a funny but heartfelt story of a young Italian American woman trying to find herself against the backdrop of her large overbearing family and the family custom shoe business.

Valentine and her grandmother had been partners in running the Angellini Shoe Company as well as roommates in the apartment More...

13 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 13, 2011

Lori rated it:

I have loved Adriana Trigiani since on a whim I picked up Lucia, Lucia several years ago, and fell in love with it. Since then I have sought out and read everything she has written. When I see that another book of hers has come out, I get butterflies in anticipation; that is how much I enjoy her books.

Her main characters are strong, independent women of Italian descent who are usually talented artists. Most of her books take us to some beautiful location in Italy where we get to vica More...

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Aug 27, 2010

Debbie rated it:

This is the sequel to Very Valentine...and like the rest of Trigani's books, well worth the read. It follows the story of Valentine Roncalli and her struggles with the family business, the Angelini Shoe Company. She is doing very well with the company but her grandma who ran the business with her is getting remarried and moving to Italy. This is a big adjustment for Valentine...but she is up to the challenge. The thing she's not ready for is having her brother join her at the Shoe Company, per More...

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