Review: Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Brava, Valentine is the second in Adriana Trigiani's latest series after Very Valentine (my review). It got my copy when I went to listen to Adriana talk (yes, I'm still babbling about that fun night!) She even signed my book.

At the beginning of the book, Valentine is at her grandmother's wedding in Italy. What can be more romantic than a wedding in Italy? Think of your family. Then imagine how Valentine's crazy family help make the wedding and the potential romance so special for her! I was laughing from the very first pages of this story.

Summary: As Brava, Valentine begins, snow falls like glitter over Tuscany at the wedding of her grandmother, Teodora, and longtime love, Dominic. Valentine's dreams are dashed when Gram announces that Alfred, "the prince," Valentine's only brother and nemesis, has been named her partner at Angelini Shoes. Devastated, Valentine falls into the arms of Gianluca, a sexy Tuscan tanner who made his romantic intentions known on the Isle of Capri. Despite their passion for one another and Gianluca's heartfelt letters, a long-distance relationship seems impossible.

As Valentine turns away from romance and devotes herself to her work, mentor and pattern cutter June Lawton guides her through her power struggle with Alfred, while best friend and confidante Gabriel Biondi moves into 166 Perry Street, transforming her home and point of view. Savvy financier Bret Fitzpatrick, Valentine's first love and former fiancÉe who still carries a torch for her, encourages Valentine to exploit her full potential as a designer and a business woman with a plan that will bring her singular creations to the world.

A once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis and Valentine is determined to hold her family together. More so, she longs to create one of her own, but is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her.

What else is there to say? Valentine's family and friends are so rich and colorful. Her mother's name is Mike. Really. And her best friend is Gabriel - I need a Gabriel in my life. He's fun, loving, colorful, smart, has romance problems himself yet tells Valentine what she needs to hear. He makes me laugh. And cry.

You must start with Very Valentine. But then you must read Brava, Valentine. And then wait with me as we wonder what happens to Valentine next. I just hope we don't have to wait too long.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

P.S. When I find a book club here, we are going to chat with Adriana. I recommend if you have a book club, contact her and set up a chat via Skype. You won't be disappointed! My LOLAs chatted with her "before skype" a few years ago and it was so fun. I can't wait to try talking with her via Skype.

Tuesday Teaser: Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

My two 'teaser' sentences are from Brava, Valentina by Adriana Trigiani. I got her latest book last week when I met her. I've read all her others and am so excited to read this one. These sentences are from page 43.

Your grandfather would be so happy, and so proud that his grandchildren joined forces to run his company." Grams voice breaks. Grandpop has loomed over this day like a heavy storm cloud threatening rain.

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
- Grab your current read.
- Let the book fall open to a random page.
- Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
- You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
- Please avoid spoilers!

Check out other teasers around the blogs.

Visiting with Adriana Trigiani!

On Wednesday night, I went to 'An Evening with an Author' at Thurber House here in Columbus, Ohio. Adriana Trigiani was our author and she was so much fun!

Having never been to anything like this before I had no idea what would happen. My sister went with me. Since we were clueless, we got there about an hour ahead in case there was an issue with seating - we wanted to be close to the front. When we got there, about 10 folks were already there. We sat in the third row right in the middle.

Side note: these seats had to be the smallest auditorium/theater seats I have ever sat in. Everyone who came in after us commented on them. Combine that with the fact that neither my sister nor I are the smallest women, a potential full house, and it wasn't all that comfy to sit there, especially the early parts. But enough of that.

Adriana popped out at exactly 7:30 and was funny from the get go. When she was being introduced, she called out comments. She has a deep voice that is quite unique and travels well. She had us laughing before even getting on the stage. When she did get up there, she had stories about her childhood and hometown. Did you know that she grew up in Big Stone Gap? And that since it was her first book, she tended to use names of folks or characters that really existed in the town? Even swapping them up a bit, she and her parents got quite a few phone calls after the book was released about what she did. Most were good but ... if you have read Big Stone Gap, you can imagine.

She commented once that it felt like we could have all been in a living room and just sitting around chatting. And I agree, that's exactly what it felt like. She would start telling a story, digress one or two or three times (just like a normal conversation among friends) and then come back around to finishing her story.

She took questions too and that led to more stories. One of my favorite comments of the evening had nothing to do with her books. A lady was asking a question and said she was there with her entire book club. Adriana asked if they had a name and the lady said no. Adriana then said that if they or anyone else decided to give their book club a name, be sure not to use The Book Bags.

Think on it.... I giggled for quite a while and I still am laughing.

After she was done talking (because she was told to be done, not that she was actually done), we all stood in line to get her to sign our books. The line moved slowly because she talked to every single person. We had a bit of excitement with the long line - one woman got dizzy and the squad was called. But after about 2 hours, we finally got up to meet her, get our books signed and get a photo. I even gave her my blog address!

The photo disappoints me. I made a rookie photographer mistake and that just burns me. I didn't bring 'my' camera because I thought it would be too bulky so just brought the 'little' camera. I had changed the ISO setting during her talk to try to get a picture of her behind the podium (was not happy with those pictures) and forgot to turn it back in line (hello..in 2 hours I could not remember this?). So when I turned the flash back on to take the picture of the three of us, we had way too much light. I tried to fix it, but this is the best I could do.

My sister, Adriana, me

Guess I'll just have to go to another event with her to get a better picture! Oh, darn. LOL

As soon as I finish the book I am reading now, I am going to read Brava, Valentine. The folks there that had already read it loved it and I can't wait!

Going to see Adriana Trigiani!

I have been in love with Adriana Trigiani and her books ever since our book club read Big Stone Gap YEARS ago. (I had to go check the book club files...it was in spring 2002!) We even chatted with her way back then and got Milk Glass Moon baseball caps from her. Was very fun!

So, needless to say, I've read all of her books. I am on the wait list for Brava, Valentine at the library. It is the second in the series after Very Valentine. However, I think I might have to go buy it. Because I am going with my sister to see her at the Thurber House here in Columbus on Thursday.

It's called An Evening with an Author. The blurb says: All Evenings with Authors events begin at 7:30 p.m. The featured guest reads from his or her most recent work, chats about writing, and then there is a question-and-answer session with the audience. Each event closes with a coffee and cookies reception and an opportunity to buy the author's book(s) and get them signed.

I realize this type of event is not new for most of my blogging friends. But it's new to me! I've chatted with a number of authors on the phone but have never been to a reading/signing. So I am quite excited!

Review: Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

After waiting longer than I planned, I finally was able to get my hands on a copy of Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. I have read all of her books and was excited to read this new one.

Summary: Meet the Roncalli and Angelini families, a vibrant cast of colorful characters who navigate tricky family dynamics with hilarity and brio, from magical Manhattan to the picturesque hills of bella Italia. Very Valentine is the first novel in a trilogy and is sure to be the new favorite of Trigiani's millions of fans around the world.

In this luscious, contemporary family saga, the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of exquisite wedding shoes since 1903, is one of the last family-owned businesses in Greenwich Village. The company is on the verge of financial collapse. It falls to thirty-three-year-old Valentine Roncalli, the talented and determined apprentice to her grandmother, the master artisan Teodora Angelini, to bring the family's old-world craftsmanship into the twenty-first century and save the company from ruin.

While juggling a budding romance with dashing chef Roman Falconi, her duty to her family, and a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store, Valentine returns to Italy with her grandmother to learn new techniques and seek one-of-a-kind materials for building a pair of glorious shoes to beat their rivals. There, in Tuscany, Naples, and on the Isle of Capri, a family secret is revealed as Valentine discovers her artistic voice and much more, turning her life and the family business upside down in ways she never expected.

Ms. Trigiani has a unique way of creating real characters that I can just feel when I read them. They are so identifiable and faulted and fun. I love LOVE the grandma and was tickled to get to know her and her choices. I wanted to hug and/or smack around Valentine throughout the book, depending on what was going on. Even the smaller character profiles are so fun - I laughed multiple times at Valentine's mom and her comments.

The book walks us through the process of hand-making shoes and all that entails. It also includes detailed descriptions of the places the story takes place. As you all know, I am not a fan of detailed descriptions. LOL So I did skip paragraphs here and there. But those of you who feel compelled to learn while you read - you will love these descriptions. What I did read was quite interesting and if I was a different person, would have enjoyed learning about how to make shoes. :-)

Overall, Big Stone Gap is still my favorite Adriana Trigiani book. But Very Valentine was quite enjoyable. It's the first of a new trilogy and I am looking forward to reading the next one!

Rating: 4/5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday: Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Waiting on Wednesday is a way to showcase books that are not yet released but I am excited to see they are coming out. It's hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Adriana Trigiani's Big Stone Gap series is one of my favorites. LOLAs chatted with Ms. Trigiani early in our book club years. I've read all of her books and have enjoyed them all.

So I was excited to see that she has another book scheduled for release on February 3rd. It's called Very Valentine.

Here's the summary: This first-in-a-trilogy is a frilly valentine to Manhattan's picturesque West Village, starring a boisterous and charmingly contentious Italian-American family. Valentine Roncalli, adrift after a failed relationship and an aborted teaching career, becomes an apprentice to her 80-year-old grandmother, Teodora Angelini, at the tiny family shoe business. While Valentine struggles to come up with a financial plan—and shoe design—to bring the Old World operation into the 21st century, her brother, Alfred, is pushing Gram to retire and sell her building for $6 million. It's not all business for Valentine, of course: handsome and sophisticated Roman Falconi, owner and chef at a posh restaurant, is vying for her heart. Bestselling Trigiani channels ambition and girl-power, but is surprisingly reserved—and retro—when it comes to romance: “[O]ur relationship has to build slowly and beautifully in order to hold all the joy and misery that lies ahead,” thinks Valentine. Still, this genteel and lush tale of soles and souls has loads of charm and will leave readers eager for the sequel. —Publisher's Weekly

See other books that folks are waiting on at Breaking the Spine.