Goodreads Summary: For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret.
A piece of surprising news is revealed at The Feast of the Seven Fishes when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family on a fateful Christmas Eve. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: “A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything.” The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves-the bitter and the sweetness of life itself.
Romantic and poignant, told with humor and warmth, and bursting with a cast of endearing characters, The Supreme Macaroni Company is a sumptuous feast of delights: a portrait of a woman and the man she loves, her passion for craftsmanship, and the sacrifices it takes to build and sustain a family business while keeping love and laughter at the center of everything.
My thoughts: I have a major writer-crush on Adriana Trigiani. I love the way she writes and weaves sentences together. I feel as if I am right there, in that scene, in that shoe store, with this family. She writes scenes and conversations and characters that are completely believable and I just find her writing so incredible.
I’ve been following Valentine’s journey from the first book, and this was the culmination of her series, where she finally gets her happily ever after. Valentine is a very frustrating character because I just want her to be happy but she seems to thwart that from every angle. But I’ve been with her and fighting for her and cheering her on, because I know she deserves happiness and WILL YOU JUST LET IT HAPPEN, VALENTINE, PLEASE?
Sigh.
I have to say, this was my least favorite in the series and Valentine drove me crazy in this book. She was petty and childish and didn’t seem to understand compromise. She’s very focused on her business, and I really couldn’t relate to that because, though I value a good career and enjoying my work, I don’t value it above relationships, love, and family. She seemed to be missing the key elements of what makes life wonderful, and I’m not sure she ever got it.
All in all, I’m glad I read the series, but I can’t say Valentine is a literary character I liked.
My rating: 3 stars
I received this book for free from TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. All words and opinions, unless otherwise stated, are my own.
I feel the same way about this book. I liked Trigiani’s writing, but I did not care for Valentine’s character, especially in this final book. I am still glad I stuck with the series and read all 3 but this last one was definitely my least favorite as well.
I wanted to shake Adriana at times, 100% agreed. Through it all I felt she was true to her character and her family, perhaps too true. Maybe I should tell her what I had to tell the girls about compromise (they thought that compromise meant getting the other person to do what you wanted to do, not coming up with a new/modified plan that makes everyone happy.) =) I spent the last 10-20 pages of the book in tears. Oh, Valentine.
I haven’t read anything by Trigiani yet but I’ve heard great things about her writing!
Thanks for being on the tour.