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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I really, really liked this book. I thought Very Valentine was good. Well, this one was better -- and I almost never like the middle book of a trilogy. There is one section in the last third of the book that is laugh out loud funny (Pam's speech). My only disappointment is that the third book (Ciao, Valentine) is not yet available!
https://clavie.co/2019/12/16/book-review-encore-valentine/
This is the second instalment in the Valentine series. Valentine Roncalli is a 35-year old single woman living in New York City. She recently inherited her family’s custom shoe business with the caveat that her brother will take over the business management side of things. Her best friends are Gabe, a gay man who has a flair for decorating, and Bret, her ex-fiancee. She has a love interest in Italy who writes amazing letters to her, but she isn’t sure how committed she can get to someone who lives so far away. The business is struggling to expand and Valentine takes a trip to Argentina where she meets a long lost cousin and learns more about her family.
Valentine is just not likeable enough character. I find Valentine to be immature and tiresome. I could not for the life of me figure out why an older, and presumably wiser man like Gianluca would want anything to do with her.
Trigiani had a tendency to throw in little life lessons along the way that really annoyed me. I literally rolled my eyes during some of the more trite parts. Trigiani also tries to wax lyrical in a forced and unnatural way. She had an obsession with using unique color words to evoke a mood–chocolate, eggshell, ruby, saffron, pumpkin, emerald, etc. But it didn’t flow well and it just got overbearing for me.
This is the second instalment in the Valentine series. Valentine Roncalli is a 35-year old single woman living in New York City. She recently inherited her family’s custom shoe business with the caveat that her brother will take over the business management side of things. Her best friends are Gabe, a gay man who has a flair for decorating, and Bret, her ex-fiancee. She has a love interest in Italy who writes amazing letters to her, but she isn’t sure how committed she can get to someone who lives so far away. The business is struggling to expand and Valentine takes a trip to Argentina where she meets a long lost cousin and learns more about her family.
Valentine is just not likeable enough character. I find Valentine to be immature and tiresome. I could not for the life of me figure out why an older, and presumably wiser man like Gianluca would want anything to do with her.
Trigiani had a tendency to throw in little life lessons along the way that really annoyed me. I literally rolled my eyes during some of the more trite parts. Trigiani also tries to wax lyrical in a forced and unnatural way. She had an obsession with using unique color words to evoke a mood–chocolate, eggshell, ruby, saffron, pumpkin, emerald, etc. But it didn’t flow well and it just got overbearing for me.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My comfort read!
This is the second book in the Valentine series. I enjoyed it much more than the first book, Very Valentine. That one got off to a very slow start for me. Valentine Roncalli is part of a large Italian American extended family, and it took awhile to get to know all of the characters in the first book. In this one, I already knew them and it was like coming back to catch up with old friends! This story picks up right where book one left off, with a wedding in Tuscany! I love reading stories set in Italy, and the descriptive language in this one is beautiful! The story is good, too, as we learn about Valentine’s developing relationship with her grandmother’s new stepson. I also enjoyed watching Val cope with learning to work with her brother, who she has never really gotten along with. And I was intrigued when Val learned that her grandfather had had a falling out with HIS brother, and she learns she has cousins in Argentina….cousins who add diversity to the family tree! This book left me wanting more, and luckily, the third book is available now! My review for this one will appear here on the blog this tomorrow!
The thing I appreciate the most about this book is the honesty that the characters find. Life is messy, and the author doesn't shy away from the shades of gray that happen while we're making other plans. I feel like we're really on a journey of life with Valentine. (While wearing somewhat romantic rosy glasses.) :)
Loved it!! The family relationships made you want to keep turning the page to see what happens and lots of laugh out loud moments!
Fluffy, frothy, but not particularly filling. Hard a hard time truly believing in the romantic connection between the two primary characters, but I didn't need to. It was simple "escape" reading.
Since its inception in 1903, the Angelini Shoe Company has been a premier manufacturer of wedding shoes. Nevertheless, the 21st century has not been so kind to the company's fortune. Hoping to save the family business, the Angelini matriarch bequeaths the company to 33-year-old Valentine Roncalli. However, a budding romance and a plethora of family secrets promise to offer Valentine the challenge of her life.
The number one description that comes to my head having finished this book: lightweight. There is the hope, early on, that Trigiani will have something substantial to say, but as the story wears on and we encounter one cliche after another (from the "quirky" and "artistic" gay best friend to the handsome, older Italian man who teaches our heroine to love), the cringe-factor took over. I don't know that Trigiani is intending for this book to be a great work of literature, but there has to be more depth--at least for me--to justify spending your time with a chick lit book. The author can either present winning humor, such as in Confessions of a Shopaholic, or gripping plot, such as Something Borrowed. Then you have a less-than-brilliant book that is worth reading because you can't wait to get back to it. When you're dealing with a storyline that has little humor, little dramatic tension and next to no truly memorable characters, it just leaves you cold. Not a torturous read, but not a particularly enjoyable one, either.
The number one description that comes to my head having finished this book: lightweight. There is the hope, early on, that Trigiani will have something substantial to say, but as the story wears on and we encounter one cliche after another (from the "quirky" and "artistic" gay best friend to the handsome, older Italian man who teaches our heroine to love), the cringe-factor took over. I don't know that Trigiani is intending for this book to be a great work of literature, but there has to be more depth--at least for me--to justify spending your time with a chick lit book. The author can either present winning humor, such as in Confessions of a Shopaholic, or gripping plot, such as Something Borrowed. Then you have a less-than-brilliant book that is worth reading because you can't wait to get back to it. When you're dealing with a storyline that has little humor, little dramatic tension and next to no truly memorable characters, it just leaves you cold. Not a torturous read, but not a particularly enjoyable one, either.
Was on the library recommended shelf...okay, easy read. Nothing special.
I always enjoy Trigiani's books, especially when the subject matter is shoes! While this wasn't as good as the Big Stone Gap series (but let's be honest, nothing ever will be) it still was entertaining. The only thing I didn't love is I felt like there was a lot of minor story lines that never had a resolution. The one that sticks out most in my mind is the massive fight at the Thanksgiving dinner. We don't see any sort of resolution from it, good or bad. However, I will always read any book by Trigiani, resolved situations or not!