Very Valentine

Valentine #1

by Adriana Trigiani

The adventures of an extraordinary and unforgettable woman as she attempts to rescue her family’s struggling shoe business and find love at the same time, Very Valentine sweeps the reader from the streets of Manhattan to the picturesque hills of la bella Italia.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Book Club, Italy, Audiobook, Contemporary

371 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2009

About the author

Join Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts: https://linktr.ee/adrianatrigiani

Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.

Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very Valentine is my personal definition of a Boring Book.
The entire story could have been told in 75 pages. Maybe 50. NO, I'm not kidding.
I'm sure some people enjoy endless descriptions of clothes, shoes, flowers, smells, more clothes, belts, hairstyles, hair colors, hairpins, food, more food, how to cook said food, what kind of shoes the person who was cooking the food wore, what the inside (and outside) of every @$*!ing building looked like, the history of every building Valentine went into....and let's not forget the makeup! Who the @#*! cares what kind of makeup her mother and sisters were wearing?! Not me!

The only thing this book didn't describe was a good reason to like the main (or any) character in the book. It SUCKED!

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone I liked. Blech.

[LadyCalico · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've got two real big bad bones to pick with this book. Bone 1: In Rococo, Ms. Trigiana seems to have made an extremely unfortunate change in writing style, moving away from great heart-and-soul character portrayals and relationships into very detailed descriptions of stuff. In Very Valentine this disease of Descriptomania gets way worse and not only fails to advance the story, but bogs it down utterly. Now a description here and there of a view or outfit might add something to the atmosphere of a novel, but the author seemed unable to say "Valentine sat down," without wasting a paragraph (or two) of verbiage describing the chair. I would love to do the Reader's Digest condensed version of this book, since I am sure I could cut the length of the novel to less than half just by trimming away whatever exess fat detracts from the meat of the story. This book is for skimming, not reading--if I actually read all those detailed description of every piece of stuff in the book, I'd still be reading it and would have totally lost the essence of the story in the superfluous details. The bookcover description lies--Ms. Trigiani's trademark heart and humor are exactly what Very Valentine is lacking. This is by far Trigiani's worst book. Ms. Trigiani needs to get back to doing what she does best--writing about people, not stuff--and clean out all the useless clutter.
Bone 2: The character portrayal of the protagonist, Valentine is extremely lacking--which is surprising since it is the very thing Ms. Trigiani usually does best. She states Valentine is the "Funnyone" but then writes a novel without giving her any dialogue that demonstrates how she earned that moniker. The sister Tess, mother, father, and employee June are all much wittier. In general the main character is very lacking in both humor and warmth. Although the writer makes a big deal about her being too submissive to her boyfriend, he is the only one. With everyone else she is as self-centered, rude, bossy and as uncharming as her spoiled-rotten nieces. Ms. Trigiani writes excellent novels about flawed characters, but in the other books they have some insight into their flaws and are trying to work through them in order to have satisfying relationships--not so Valentine who just plows ahead like she is Miss Perfect. Valentine names her brother Alfred "the pill" but in truth is a way worse pill than he is. The tension that spoils several family get-togethers is more Valentine-driven than Alfred-driven. It doesn't ring true that so many people come to Valentine's aid in this book, even though she is so all about "me" and often treats them like less than dirt. She is so rude and inconsiderate to people in Italy, especially Gianluca Vechiarelli, when the Vechiarelli's were nothing but good to her, it is downright cringeworthy. In reality people would have just walked away from her in hopes that life would teach her some important lessons.
Will I read Brava Valentine? Yes, in hopes that Ms. Trigiana will give Valentine the wit, warmth, insight, and growth that both she and the story desperately need and which made Ms. Trigiani's previous books so great. Ms. Trigiani needs to remember what she once knew instinctively--people are way more interesting than their stuff.

[Krystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

You will enjoy this book if you are interested in:

-Shoe making
-Food and cooking
-Clothing and fashion
-Tepid romance and realistic relationships
-Big Italian family vibes
-All things Italian really
-The general monotony of every day life

You will not enjoy this book if you are interested in:
-Action
-Interesting plot
-Dynamic characters
-Heartwarming romance/relationships
-Escaping the general monotony of every day life

I am in the latter category and skimmed almost this entire thing. What a yawn fest.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I checked this out when I was sick a week or so ago--just wanted a light, easy read. But I found Very Valentine to drag. It was so bogged down in details that I found to be totally superfluous. (Not the shoemaking details--those were interesting, but in all the other little things Trigiana takes pains to describe.) The chemistry between the main character and her beau was also nonexistant for me. It seemed like a superficial, flighty relationship that I couldn't buy into. I ended up skimming this book a lot because it just failed at holding my interest. I don't think I'll be reading any other Trigiani books.

[Mainon · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sign over the shop used to say Angelini Shoes, Greenwich Village since 1903, but after years of weathering , it now says Angel Shoes. This is the setting for much of this heart-warming story and the inspiration for a new endeavor. Valentine and her 80 year old grandmother, Teodora Angelini, in the family tradition are custom makers of wedding shoes. When Teodora tells her granddaughter, Valentine, that things are not too good financially, she is shocked. Valentine had thought things would go on as usual for many years to come, but her brother Alfred now wants their grandmother to retire and take advantage of the escalating real estate prices to sell the building. Nothing like a little family friction to add to the dimension of the story. Valentine tries to find a way to save the business, their home and way of life.

When Valentine and her grandmother take a buying trip to Italy for leather and trimmings, they both find more than they had hoped. Grandmother finds the courage to own up to a ten year old secret and Valentine discovers her inner strength and artistry. The telling of this multi generational family saga is just magical. All the details are so exquisitely written, I wish I could go to Italy and see it all through their eyes. There are so many side plots with the family I feel like I really know these people. Ms. Trigiani does a fabulous job with her characters. The family is like most families; they have their ups and downs, their joys and sorrows, weak and strong moments and the reader gets to share in all of them.


This will be on my list of best books read in 2008. I could not put this wonderful story down. I loved every character, every detail and description. As a most interesting preface, Ms. Trigiani tells how she came to create these characters, a lot inspired by her own family and the artisans she met in Italy. If you like strong women characters, family stories, and romance along with lush destination descriptions, then I think you will really like this one.

[Cory · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the surface, it seems like I would like this book about an Italian-American woman learning the family shoemaking business and looking for love. However, it just wasn't my kind of book. There was too much detail about clothing and room decor--I don't really care that the eldest daughter was wearing a cream wool pencil skirt, a cream cashmere cardigan, pearls, silver bangles on her wrist, and a cream embossed leather shoe with black piping on the vamp. Don't care! The similies and metaphors also seemed like the author was stretching a lot of times. Little Italy looked like ruby and diamond chips in a diamond drop earring? Huh?

My other main beef was that I never felt invested in the main character. She was kind of a twit, and she kept talking about how old she was at 33. I didn't care what happened to her, and I found myself snorting in disbelief when, at the end of the book, she said something about how she kept love at a distance. Why hadn't we heard anything about this trait before? Why did I care so little?

I guess, if I'm going to have some chick lit, I want the protagonist--and the story--to have some humor and sass and chutzpah. Otherwise, what's the point?

[JanB · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Amina Hujdur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Očekivala sam laganu, lepršavu ljubavnu priču da "pustim mozak na pašu", a dobila mnogo više- obiteljsku priču o spašavanju tradicionalnog obucarskog zanata u jelu komercijalizacije.
Posebno su me oduševili opisi Italije o otoka Kapri.

[Sarah Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adriana Trigiani is a favorite writer of mine. But I really felt Very valentine fell short. I normally enjoy the painting of a scene by an author. It brings me into the scene and makes feel part of the book. But her minute detail description of every little thing just made me think, "get to the point already." Maybe I was just an impatient reader this time but the entire story of the book could have been told in under 50 pages sans the flowery descriptions ... I wanted more depth. I never really felt like I knew the character all that well.

[Camille Maio · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by Adriana Trigiani and it won't be my last. In fact, I can see her quickly skyrocketing to a favorite status. This book immersed me right away with the familiar world of New York and the Italian-American family, but with a depth that I'm not even exposed to. I was excited to find out that this is the first in a trilogy - because I didn't want it to end.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just attended an author event where someone asked a question about creating a sense of place in writing. Adriana Trigiani is a master of that.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 out of 5 stars - Made me crave Italian food and want some new, custom-made shoes!

This first novel in a trilogy introduces us to Valentine Roncalli and her large Italian-American clan. Valentine, single and 33 years old, is an apprentice to her master shoemaker grandmother in a family business that was established in Greenwich Village in 1903 by her now deceased grandfather. Their passion and livlihood, the Angelini Shoe Company, is known for creating custon made exquisite wedding shoes.

This novel is a romance yes, but so much more. I loved every single detail though I can see it might be too much for other readers. I could see the sights, taste the food, smell the scents of every single item described, and feel the seasons and the weather and the ocean breezes. Nothing escapes description here, so if you're not into that, you might pass on this one. You will, however, miss a great story about the nature of love through the years and about time and loss.

I recommend it and I can't wait to read the next one in the series, Brava, Valentine.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light and fluffy read. I picked it up because it is almost Valentine's Day, but it had nothing to do about the holiday. It was all about an unmarried Italian girl, named Valentine.

There were two main things I liked. I liked the story line. Valentine is a the granddaughter of a shoemaker and follows along into the family business, which it turns out she is good at it. I loved the family relationships. Cassandra Campbell did the audio narration and she did a great job. I loved her different voices for the characters.

I also liked some of her descriptive strokes. They were well placed and created a vivid setting, especially of the shoe shop and the family relationships.

There were a couple of things too, that didn't seem to be complete. The main romance didn't seem plausible. I could never feel it, let alone see it. It was hard to accept it as a viable part of the plot. Roman seemed like some vague character. Also, there were times where the dialogue felt clunky. I paused more than a few times, wondering if people really say that. Those are minor things. I did like this overall. So 3 stars.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trigiani is one of my favorite authors! Her writing is so beautiful. "Sensual" is the perfect word to describe how she writes about everything from what's cooking on the stove to the view of the ocean on Capri to how leather is cut for a shoe. The continuing saga of an Italian American family who own the Angelini Shoe company in New York. Romance (clean), family relationships across generations, characters you fall in love with - I didn't want it to end and I'm moving directly on to the sequel!

[Christina Santorello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good Italian American novel! Family, food, travel + a little romance tale to keep me curious.

[Susie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pro: The seniors in my book group enjoyed reading this book and are interested in continuing the trilogy, along with reading other titles by Trigiani.

Con: Having not come from a large Italian family and having less than zero interest in high fashion designers and culture, I found very little to hold my interest in this novel. Along with that, the majority of the men in the book end up cheating on their spouses/significant others and the women have a "boys will be boys" attitude toward the indiscretions. Give me a female character with some backbone and a gleam of murderous intent in her eyes, and I might have been more impressed.

Pro: Fans of Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love will probably enjoy Very Valentine as there are themes of soul searching, finding balance in one's life and plenty of mouth-watering descriptions of Italian food.

Con: The characters were about as flat as the pages they were written on and I felt no connection whatsoever to their dramas. And because I don't have access to an endless supply of truffles, all the food descriptions just made me jealous.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let me state that I loved Lucia, Lucia when it came out. I think that Ms. Trigiani writes the best stories about Italian American families in the U.S. They are quite charming, honest, and often a one-sit read.

Very Valentine, is about a thirty-something year old woman who has been apprenticing the shoe business from her grandmother. She has learned much but gets the ultimate education when she learns that the business is not very solid and her grandmother has used the building where they work and live to keep the company afloat.

Enter Valentine's brother who calls upon a friend to come make an offer for the real estate that makes everyone think that Gram is going to sell the building.

Gram and Valentine take the annual trip to Italy to purchase supplies. It is here that Valentine discovers secrets and new talents to turn the business around.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valentine Roncalli is part of a large, close-knit Italian American family. She quits her teaching job to become her grandmother’s apprentice and partner in the family’s Angelini Shoe Company. Makers of custom made wedding shoes, the company was founded in 1903 by her grandfather. However, Valentine soon learns that the company is experiencing serious financial problems. It’s up to Valentine to attempt to guide the company into the 21st century while also juggling family issues and the romantic attention of two very handsome and successful men. Author Adriana Trigiani delivers another heartwarming story with endearing characters.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable characters and interesting information on how hand made shoes are crafted.
I want to go to Capri now !

[Lιƈíɳια · Rating 2 out of 5]

O dito "Romance de cordel" com pretensões a ser um pouco mais, e de alguma forma conseguido, visto que sai um pouco dos parâmetros do romance cor de rosa. Na minha opinião a autora faz muitas descrições detalhadas e vastas sem necessidade para a história.

[Meteori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trebalo mi je nešto da "pustim mozak na pašu", a dobila sam nešto pomalo iritantno.

Kao prvo, beskrajni nepotrebni opis ne tako bitnih stvari kao što su police i ormari u radionici za izradu cipela. Ali da je samo to. Gotovo u cijeloj knjizi ide tako u detalje sa svim.

Znam da su Italijani malo luđi, ali ova porodica je malo previše za moj ukus.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this story!!!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! Valentine is a dynamic protagonist - she is pushed to taking her family business into the current century by financial pressures but then learns she has a real head for business and a true passion for the artistry of the craft of custom shoe design. I found myself rooting for her from the start whether in her struggles with the business or her relationship with the complicated and ambitious Roman Falconi. When she traveled to Italy (a dream of mine!) and observed how much Italians value work/life balance, I found I really related to her desire for a slower pace. This quote, spoken by Valentine, certainly gives me pause,

"You [her Italian friend:] live a balanced life. You work, you eat, you rest. We don't. We can't. We live as though we have something to prove. There's never enough time, we eat on the run, and we sleep as little as possible. We believe the one who works the hardest wins."



What I really love about this book, however, is the boisterous Roncalli clan and the vivid descriptions of both New York City and Italy (especially the scenes in Isle of Capri). In addition to their matriarch, Gram, the Roncalli clan includes Valentine's two sisters, Tess and Jaclyn, her brother Alfred, her funny, larger than life mother and her drily humorous Dad. Despite their bickering and the fact that are all involved in each other's lives, their love for each other and the value they place on family is clear. Although not nearly as boisterous (or boisterous at all for that matter!), my family also places a lot of importance on pulling together and being there for each other above all so I could relate to Valentine's involvement with and true affection for her family.

The Roncalli's are from Queens, which is where I grew up, and I enjoyed all the references to local spots in the neighborhood including Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church in Forest Hills and Leonard's of Great Neck (I attended a prom there!) If I didn't know that author grew up in SW Virginia, I would think she hailed from Queens - her references were spot on! The level of detail she provides about locales - Queens, Italy, The West Village - really add to the novel and serve to draw the reader even further into her story.

[Jeane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy energy. The feeling you get that makes you realize you feel happy and knowing the reason that makes you feel happy. That's what I had while reading this book. This i my second or third Trigiani book. the first being Lucia, Lucia.
Adriana Trigiani's books are always about Italian Americans, the mix of being American and having the Italian traditions in the family.
In Very Valentine this is told really nicely and energetic, bringing out all the beauty which I think something linked to Italy can give. Valentina is more American, with a boyfriend and a teacher career which both fit well together besides with who she really is. Who she is she isn't really sure about but what she knows is that she feels real when she creates unic shoes.
Since five years she is apprentice in her grandmother's shoe shop and loves her life in the shop and living with her grandmother. When she meets Roman, she is finally not the only single woman in her Italian family anymore. But her grandmother has secrets. Secrets which will change Valentina's life, but which will above all will change Valentina herself. After a work trip to Capri everything will be changed, for her and her grandmother.
This is a very emotion-full, romantic story. But what makes it nice and different (for me better) is that it's all based on having this Italian legacy in different little and big things, which make daily things different than for other people.
Don't know if any of the above makes sense but what I feel after having read this book is joy and sadness of knowing what makes you feel happy but not having it (yet).

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I learned that there is actually a custom-made wedding shoe industry. I had to look it up on the internet to be sure. I could not picture all the glitz, glamour, and bling that this book describes. I even took my computer to library book club to show them some of the pictures. The story line is about Valentine, a 30+ single woman who is "married to" the family shoe making business run by her grandmother. There are love interests in the lives of both women. The clothes people wear are described at every opportunity and if I skip over a paragraph I always feel like I missed something. If you have a week at the beach with nothing to do but read, you might try a Trigiani book, but I never plan to read another one.

[Susan Dodd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read! I'm almost done. Adriana Trigiani is an amazing writer. Always based around Italy/Italians/Italian/Family food and cooking. I can't wait to visit Italy one day and can't stop thinking about it since I've been reading this book. Not to mention all the Italian food I'm craving!
Oh, and did I mention the shoes! Valentine, the main character, is a 34 year old shoe maker - custom wedding shoes in a family business. Adriana uses some amazing descriptions of the shoes, materials that are purchased for them, fashions in Italy and so on - you can actually picture each and every item she describes in your head as this beautiful works of art. This really hit home for me having an art background - I'd love to make my own pair of shoes now! LOL!

[Thart2002 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was listening to this story on CD. After awhile I couldn't continue. The story was incredibly boring, the characters just too sickeningly sweet. The book is read by Cassandra Campbell who did not help me like the story at all. Her voice for Valentine and grandmother in a too sweet voice but what put me over the top was when she spoke in the voice of Roman, Valentine's new boyfriend. After listening to 7 CD's I decided to give it up when I found myself angry that such a boring book was written and that I was wasting my time listening to it. The book has lots and lots and lots of detail on shoe making and lots of descriptions on the outfits people were wearing. YAWN. Rubbish

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025
След като прочетох новата книга на авторката, ми се прииска да си припомня и тази, която бях забравила напълно. Наистина ми е много приятно да чета нейните творби, възхищавам се на фантазията и , на огромния и талант и на чувството и за хумор. Да, не се чете на един дъх, защото е прекалено описателна, но е интересна.
2015
Много сладкодумна авторка. Съпреживях с нейната книга местата на които беше,гозбите които яде, любовите които изживя.Не и липсва и чувство за хумор. Малко по-описателна е за моя вкус,но е много приятна.