Book Review | Book Chatter

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pub. Date: February 2009
ISBN-13: 9780061257056
384pp

My thoughts:

I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of a book snob. I have a tendency to reach for chunksters that deal with seriously heavy subject matter. It’s like exercise for my brain. However, when Jennifer over at Book Club Girl announced a Blog Talk show with Adriana Trigiani, I had to participate. First off, I love the shows that Book Club Girl hosts. Secondly, I figured I would step outside of my box a bit and try a book that I would never have picked up on my own.

I’m so glad I did.

Reading this book was like taking a vacation without leaving the comfort of my home. The story takes us to Greenwich Village where Valentine works as a cobbler, for a shoe company that she runs with her Gram. The workplace also happens to be her home as the building is situated with living space on top and even includes a beautiful rooftop garden. Trigiani takes much care to describe the environment to the reader. The smell of the leather, the oils used to keep them supple, etc. As I was reading about the shoe designs, I could SEE them in my mind as they were painted so vividly upon the page. I really enjoyed the descriptive detail.

Valentine, who is the only single sister left in a large Italian family, meets Roman Falconi. He’s a chef for an up and coming restaurant in a very trendy neighborhood. Much of their time together is spent in his restaurant. He shares his passion for cooking by preparing exquisite meals for them to enjoy together. Reading these sections was like indulging in a decadent meal but without the guilt! As good as it is though, Valentine begins to question if their relationship can make it.

At the same time, Gram reveals to Valentine that the business is not doing so well, and its fate suddenly falls on Valentine to save it. In an attempt to do so, Valentine and Gram decide to design a custom shoe to submit to a big department store in the hopes of revitalizing the brand. They head to Arezzo, located in the south-east end of Tuscany to search for the materials needed, and while there, Valentine learns of a secret that her Gram has been hiding for nearly a decade.

I don’t want to share too much more of the plot but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the “big family” aspect and that all the women were so strong yet vulnerable at the same time. As I was reading this book it reminded me of two movies: My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and Only You (1994). If you’ve seen these movies and enjoyed them, you will definitely enjoy Very Valentine.

Guess what? Very Valentine is the first book in a trilogy! I’m so looking forward to reading the other two novels as I really adored the characters and can’t wait to find out what Trigiani has planned for them. If you shy away from traditional chick lit, give this book a try. It’s much more than a boy-meets-girl type of story. I think you will enjoy it.

If you’d like to learn more about Adriana Trigiani, click here.
To listen to Book Club Girl’s Blog Talk show with Adriana Trigiani click here.

Nineteen Minutes
By Jodi Picoult
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group Pub.
Date: February 2008
480pp

Here’s a bit from the book:

“In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five…. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.”

Were you ever picked on as a child? In the 2nd grade, there was a 6th grade boy that made my life a living hell. I’m not sure why he felt the need to do it, but I remember walking to school, not knowing if I was ever going to make it to school in one piece. The school day was no better. I’d be out on the playground only to be punched in the stomach or pushed to the ground. The aides didn’t seem to care what happened to me. Everyone has their limits though and when I hit mine, the end result was a 6th grade boy, bawling his head off with two broken teeth in his mouth. Yep, I decked him! Now, I am not a fan of violence but it sure felt good.

This story is like that but on a much bigger scale. Peter and Josie are childhood friends. Peter is teased mercilessly throughout his formative years. Josie eventually gives in to peer pressure and begins to hang out with the same kids that have it in for Peter. Since Josie is really the only close friend that Peter has, this hurts him deeply. After a particularly cruel prank leaves him completely raw and exposed, he takes exactly nineteen minutes to end the hurt for good.

My Thoughts:

This is my first experience with a Picoult novel. At first, I was a bit distracted with the flashbacks and flash forwards. They were necessary to tell the story, but I am just not a big fan of a lot of flashbacks. However, I do feel that in the end, they worked well.

I had a hard time liking the characters, but I’m not sure Picoult wanted me to like them per se. They were flawed, the parents included, but very realistically drawn. I didn’t have any issues with believability. I did feel sorry for Peter, even with what he did in the end. I identified with his pain but my frustration mounted as adult after adult chose to look the other way.

This is an incredibly sad story of a child who fell through the cracks. It’s a story that stays with you and although my kids have not hit the tweens quite yet, it has made me think about the upcoming teen years and what I can do as a parent to be there for my kids. Not just in the room, but present and involved in their lives without forcing myself upon them.

After reading this one, I am looking forward to reading some of Picoult’s other novels. My book group is meeting on Thursday to discuss this one but I may not be able to make it due to Open House at the school. I know there will be a lot to discuss so I am crossing my fingers that I can do both.

Chatting with friends about books and life…