Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani was a great, light read that was hard to put down. It would be the perfect book to take on vacation. Valentine, the main character, is a single thirty-something with a close family who lives in New York City. She works in the shoe store that her grandma owns, making custom shoes.
I love books (or TV shows or movies) that take me to another place or culture. Very Valentine let me experience what it’s like to live in NYC – everything from the skyscrapers, to the hole in the wall restaurants, to the subway. I loved it. I’ve always wanted to visit NYC, and after reading this book I want to go even more.
I don’t want to give too much away about Valentine’s relationship (I won’t even say who it’s with), but I thought it was great. Relationships can be tough, especially if both people have careers that keep them busy. I thought Valentine’s relationship was very realistic in that regard.
Valentine’s family was a lot of fun to read about. They’re Italian so they got together for big dinners, and reading about the food made me hungry – I could almost smell it. Just because they’re a close family though doesn’t mean that there weren’t disagreements, which I thought added a lot to Valentine’s character.
Getting an inside peak into the handmade shoe industry was interesting. While I’d love to one day own a pair (I can’t even imagine how comfortable they would be), I doubt there’s any way I’d be able to afford them right now. I had no idea how much goes into the design of the shoes – everything from dying the fabric by hand to attaching tiny rhinestones.