IN REVIEW: Brava, Valentine

In Adriana Trigiani’s follow up to Very Valentine, Valentine Roncalli is back in Italy and attending her grandmother Teodora’s wedding. Teodora is planning on staying in Italy after the wedding and settling down with her new Italian husband. This means the family business that they share, the Angelini Shoe Company, is without its long-time manager. Valentine, as Teodora’s apprentice, was always expected to take over. When Teodora and Valentine meet to discuss the business’s future, Teodora shocks her granddaughter by including her grandson and Valentine’s almost-estranged brother Alfred as the company’s new Chief Financial Officer. Just last year, Alfred had tried to convince everyone that the best option for the shoe company was to sell it’s long term location in Greenwich Village and perhaps even shut down the not-so-profitable operation altogether. Valentine wonders as she and the rest of her family depart Italy how she could ever successfully work with her brother on a day-to-day basis.

Valentine has two things that are really bothering her. The first is Gianluca, her new step-grandfather’s son who tried to romance her the first time she came to Italy. It seems he hasn’t forgotten his intense attraction to her when they meet again. After a near-miss post-wedding, their mutual attraction still isn’t fulfilled and he takes center stage in Valentine’s thoughts. The other thing plaguing Valentine is the launch of her new economic shoe line, the Bella Rosa. As she prepares to look for manufacturers abroad, she uncovers a family secret. This secret takes her to the shores of Buenos Aires and to meet some extended family members she never knew existed. When Gianluca surprises her during her trip, things definitely heat up. But Valentine’s commitment to work starts to get in the way of her love affair very quickly. Will Valentine be able to resolve work and romance?

I enjoyed this book slightly more than Very Valentine. Many of the smaller elements really worked for me; Valentine's gay friend Gabriel moving into their Perry Street home, her sibling's affair, and the subplot with her renewed friendship with ex-boyfriend Bret. All this goes in the background while Valentine takes center stage, trying to move forward in both her professional and romantic life. While Valentine doesn't know what she wants in the latter, she definitely is a lot more focused with the Angelini Shoe Company in this tale; her focus made me like her more as a character. The loss of one of my favorite characters at the end is sad; it also helps propel the story to a new level. I really liked this story. I hope Valentine Roncalli comes back with her fabulous shoes again soon.

Brava! Brava!

Just one week left for the tea contest, so I am hard at work on reading Brava, Valentine. While I was initially worried I wouldn't be able to finish the book and review it in time, I'm finding Brava, Valentine to be a much more enjoyable read. Like the first book, it opens with a marriage; this time, Val's grandmother Teodora in Italy. Teodora throws Val a curve ball by giving her the family shoemaking business... but making her villainous brother Alfred the Chief Financial Officer of the company. The book continues many of the plot threads from the first book. While it's referential, you can probably enjoy the sequel without having to read the original. I think it's a true strength of the story. I'm off to Staten Island again tomorrow, so hopefully I'll finish the book and review this week. Be sure to follow my progress (and become my friend) on Goodreads.

I've been donating some of my graphic novels to the library, mainly to shorten my collection. It was getting kind of out of control. I might be doing a few retro-graphic novel reviews. The one I'm most excited about is re-reading Chuck Dixon's Robin Year One and telling you guys how awesome it is. If this would be helpful or something you'd like to read about, be sure to comment or send me an e-mail. School Library Journal has been sending me many graphic novels to review, so I'm sort of getting a feel for reviewing both the story and art within the texts. I mean, I always kind of did it in my head. So now it's nice to have a professional excuse.

With the Summer Reading season gearing up (and Book Expo America just around the corner! You KNOW I'm going!), I've been thinking about what I'd like to tackle for reading-wise. I'm probably most excited to read a book titled Countdown by Deborah Wiles. Scholastic provided me with an ARC. Other than that, I'm kind of open to reading the possibilities. Titles can be adult or young adult... heck, I'll even take children's literature suggestions. I haven't been keeping up with the publication news like I should be. A fellow librarian gave me Split by Swati Avasthi, so that may also be a contender after "Brava." What are y'all reading?

A Very Good Read, Indeed!

So, after a much delayed start, I have started to read Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. Just as I thought I might, I'm loving every minute of reading it.

The story here is much more dense than Viola in Reel Life. It's interesting to read two different styles (young adult, then adult) from the same author. Valentine tends to include a lot more elaborate descriptions of things, especially the Greenwich Village home that the titular Valentine lives in with her grandmother. It's a place I'd like to live, too ... even if I'm stuck in what used to be the guest room (as she is).

I still have a lot to go in the story, but right now? Valentine is an apprentice for her grandmother who makes custom shoes, mostly for weddings. I don't know a lot about shoemaking, so I'm learning something new from this book. The business is in trouble since grandmum, in order to keep the business afloat, took out a lot of loans over the years which have finally ballooned into the badness that all loans become. Valentine is trying to find a way to keep the business afloat while her evil brother (okay, he's not evil... but he is the most villainous character so far) is seeing it as his opportunity to put grandma in a nursing home and get his way. Directly after all this happened, a chance encounter with a young PA from a movie filming near their shop (who happens to have THE SAME EXACT NAME AS MY REAL LIFE SISTER!!) gets their shoes in a movie production. Will this help save the shop? I'd like to think so, but I guess I'll have to read on to find out.

They'll be a little big of a delay since real life is getting in the way of my literary one; this weekend I'm moving a few blocks away into a studio apartment. After I'm settled, I'm planning on delving into the novel completely so I can move on to the sequel, Brava, Valentine.

A Very Valentine Contest!

Are you a secret reader of my blog? It's time to reveal yourself... because you could win a prize!

To celebrate the paperback release of Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani (I'm sure you noticed the <----- addition to my blog over there- click on the link for more info), HarperCollins will be mailing 3 special winners a copy of the book! How do you enter this fabulous contest? Just comment on this entry! You will need to include your e-mail address. This contest is only running for one week. The last day to enter will be Friday, January 22, 2010. Winners will be notified by e-mail, then will need to e-mail me their physical address in order to receive their prize. Pretty simple, right? You may remember Ms Trigiani's first YA novel, Viola in Reel Life was featured on my Top YA books of 2009 list.

As the month of love approaches, look for a lot more Very Valentine madness. The sequel, Brava, Valentine is being released on February 9, 2010. You can look forward to reviews of both titles right here.