Book Review: Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Title: Brava, Valentine
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition
Publication Date: November 9, 2010
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-0061257087
Genre: Fiction, Romance

From the Publisher:

When Valentine’s grandmother begins a new life in Italy, she places Valentine and her nemesis, her brother Alfred, “the Prince,” as partners at the Angelini Shoe Company, makers of handcrafted wedding shoes since 1903. 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 unearths a long-buried family secret and finds herself torn between a past love that nurtured her and a new one that promises to sustain her, in this “dazzling” (USA Today) follow-up to Very Valentine.

My Review:

I want to be very clear before beginning this review, I have not read the first book in the Valentine Ronacalli Series, Very Valentine and I think that has made my opinion of Brava, Valentine by Angela Trigiani, the sequel to Very Valentine, less favourable than it would have been if I had the full background. Unfortunately I did not read Very Valentine and entered mid-story. I believe if I had the knowledge from the first book I might have better understand all of the family drama, and there is quite a bit of drama, and made me more enamored with Brava, Valentine. I have been reading Trigiani’s books off and on for many years and have enjoyed them immensely especially Big Stone Gap and Lucia, Lucia, unfortunately I cannot add Brava, Valentine to that list. Trigiani is a very gifted storyteller and Brava, Valentine reads like a soap opera or a movie, I believe there actually will be a television movie made of her first book Very Valentine, which makes sense as on the back cover there is a quote from People Magazine, “Sex and the City meets Moonstruck…” and had I read that line prior to reading the book, I would have immediately known this was probably not a book I would enjoy. Trigiani does an excellent job of describing the scenery as well as her dizzying array of characters and keeping straight the various different dramas and demi dramas, and to her credit she has written a superb dramatic novel, unfortunately it was not for me. As a reader, if you are looking for a drama packed story and a world where love conquers all, then it is quite conceivable Brava, Valentine is just the book for you. One word of caution, read Very Valentine first. I believe there will be a third book in the series titled, Ciao, Valentine, a heads up to those of you who are enjoying this series or are about to begin the series.

About the Author:

Adriana Trigiani is the bestselling author of the Big Stone Gap series; Very Valentine; Lucia, Lucia; Rococo; The Queen of the Big Time. and Viola in Reel Life, the first book in a new young adult series. She is also the author of Don’t Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from My Grandmothers. She lives in New York City with her family.

Visit Adriana at her Website, Facebook, and/or Twitter.

There happens to be a sweepstakes contest for a chance to win a trip to Italy! All the information can be found here, good luck!

For more reviews of the book, please follow the Book Tour.

I received a complimentary copy of Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

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