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    Brava, Valentine
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    Brava, Valentine
    Unavailable
    Brava, Valentine
    Audiobook11 hours

    Brava, Valentine

    Written by Adriana Trigiani

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "Delightful, energetic. . . . Trigiani is a seemingly effortless storyteller." - Boston Globe

    Award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker Adriana Trigiani returns with Brava, Valentine, continuing the heartwarming and hilarious story of Valentine Roncalli, her family, her love life, and the Angelini Shoe Company. Following on the heels of the New York Times bestseller Very Valentine (hailed by People magazine as "Sex and the City meets Moonstruck"), Brava, Valentine is another tour-de-force from the beloved author of bestselling novels Lucia, Lucia, The Queen of the Big Time, and the Big Stone Gap series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateFeb 9, 2010
    ISBN9780061969287
    Unavailable
    Brava, Valentine
    Author

    Adriana Trigiani

    Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her ""dazzling"" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is “a master of palpable and visual detail” (Washington Post) and “a comedy writer with a heart of gold” (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People’s Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana’s screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 1,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.  Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.  Join Adriana’s Facebook LIVE show, Adriana Ink, in conversation with the world’s greatest authors- Tuesdays at 3 PM EST! For more from Adriana’s interviews, you can subscribe to her Meta “Bulletin” column, Adriana Spills the Ink: adrianatrigiani.bulletin.com/subscribe.

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    Reviews for Brava, Valentine

    4/5

    254 ratings43 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I liked this second book in the trilogy. 3.5 I really recommend listening to these books--love the Italian and Joisey accents.
    • 4/5
      I loved the narration of this! It was a wonderful story
    • 4/5
      Even if you only read the first chapter of this little gem it would be worth it. It just grabs you and is so amusing in that first little bite. A very good reasonably up to date girly read
    • 3/5
      My mother was responsible for leading the discussion about Kiss Carlo in her RL book group. In addition, her group went to hear Adriana Trigiani speak at an annual author's luncheon. She loved Trigiani and I used that as an excuse to buy Trigiani books last year when I found them with the idea that I would read them and then pass them along. I have read a few of her books and enjoyed them. Lively characters, somewhat unpredictable plots, and generally happy endings. Brava, Valentine was no exception. The main character is 35-year-old Valentine who, as the book opens, is taking over a custom bridal shoe shop run by her family for 100 years. Her grandmother is marrying for a second time and moving to Italy to join her new husband. Valentine is a gifted shoe designer with a small production shop. She has dreams of expanding and we follow her efforts as she moves forward. She is confident of her own creativity and strong in her desire to succeed. But, she has sacrificed marriage for her work, leaving behind two long term relationships before the novel opens. Now, she finds herself being wooed by an older handsome Italian who writes love letters in fountain pen on onion skin sheets and makes her feel wonderfully loved. I found her reaction to him overly dramatic as she continually accuses herself of being childish because she doesn't immediately dump her whole life and jump into his arms, which is what he seems to not only want but to expect. Maybe I am reading through the eyes of the #metoo movement and a renewed sense of feminism, but I was just put off by the way she put herself down and simply assumed that, because she hadn't been successful in a relationship yet, she must always be wrong. Otherwise, it was a good read and I learned a bit about shoemaking along the way. I'm intrigued and headed to Instructables to see what kinds of interesting shoes people were making. There is a wonderful range of ideas with step by step directions for making each one. Some describe making shoes from scratch while others hack already existing shoes.
    • 4/5
      Nice light read, interesting to learn a little about the shoe business! Was disappointed with the heroine for feeling guilty about putting her dream business venture before her needy new lover's expectations. In the end it all worked out.
    • 5/5
      Here is the second in Trigiani's Valentine series, which will presumably go for one more so that it can be a trilogy as was her Big Stone Gap series. A lot of similarities exist between the two--single, older career woman who has never married but who has a close gay friend upon who she depends for emotional support. Both leading ladies have Italian origins, and part of the books take place in Italy. Valentine lives in New York City rather than in rural Virginia, and she also ventures off to Brazil. Otherwise, there are lots of parallels between the two books, and I see that as both a strength and a weakness. It makes for a pleasing story line, but it also gives this latest book sort of an also-read feel. Before book three, I think Trigiani needs to think of something original for Valentine to do that hasn't already been done in the Big Stone Gap books. For those who have not read the original trilogy, this will be a definite winner.
    • 4/5
      Okay, these books are definitely guilty pleasures. They are so dramatic and overdone. All the characters are larger than life and the plot points are a little contrived. Many of the major "twists" were hugely obvious for several pages in advance. That said, it was still entertaining if rather predictable. I can honestly say I enjoyed it. A great book to read on vacation.
    • 4/5
      Trigiani is one of my favorite authors because of her ability to immerse the reader into the life of her characters. This book delivers on that! Valentine and family/friends are vibrantly portrayed and the story is a straightforward telling of character development and evolution. Each character could easily stand on their own in a separate story because of Trigiani's ability to bring each to life.
    • 4/5
      This is the charming follow up to Very Valentine which I read last month. We pick up right where we left off and continue following Valentine Roncalli as she carries on her grandfather's shoemaking business and deals with her romantic ups and downs. I love the characters in this book and how the story is developing and I am really looking forward to reading the third in the series. I love Adriana Trigiani's style of writing which is warm and funny.
    • 4/5
      I'm so glad I was finally able to listen to this book. I really love Valentine as a character and the Roncalli family makes me feel like my family is maybe less crazy. I love the detail that the author puts into the descriptions of the shoe making process, the changes to Gram's apt and the food served.
    • 3/5
      This is the second book in the trilogy. Grandma has married and moved to Italy and left the shoe company in the ownership of Valentine and her brother Alfred, who she doesn't get along with. Valentine also falls in love and has to make a lot of decisions as she moves ahead with her life. She has to make decisions both about her personal life and the future of the company. i enjoyed this book even more than the first one. Can't wait to read book three to see how the series ends.
    • 3/5
      Meh. Not bad. I preferred the first book in the series, Very Valentine, because I felt this book was rushing to its inevitable happily-ever-after ending. The last chapter was particularly guilty in this regard. But it was fun to continue the story with these characters. Not stellar, but worth my time.
    • 3/5
      It is what it is! Another enjoyable, light read in this the second book in the series. We again romp through the custom shoe business with Valentine Roncalli, now in business partnership with her less free spirited brother Alfred. This installment takes us to Buenos Aires to meet a long lost part of the Roncalli family and rekindles the romance with Gianluca. What brings me back to these books is the exchanges between family members. Ms. Trigiana nails it every time and always makes me chuckle. Excellent summer read for those who enjoy the genre.
    • 4/5
      I love the character of Valentine. She is funny and quirky, and human as well. I read this one in one afternoon; I had to know how it ended!
    • 4/5
      I will borrow from the cover:
      "tiramisu for the soul" and "moonstruck meets sex and the city".
      Another enjoyable read from this author!
    • 2/5
      Too predictable. I felt like the author was lecturing me on how people should behave in relationships.
    • 5/5
      Here is the second in Trigiani's Valentine series, which will presumably go for one more so that it can be a trilogy as was her Big Stone Gap series. A lot of similarities exist between the two--single, older career woman who has never married but who has a close gay friend upon who she depends for emotional support. Both leading ladies have Italian origins, and part of the books take place in Italy. Valentine lives in New York City rather than in rural Virginia, and she also ventures off to Brazil. Otherwise, there are lots of parallels between the two books, and I see that as both a strength and a weakness. It makes for a pleasing story line, but it also gives this latest book sort of an also-read feel. Before book three, I think Trigiani needs to think of something original for Valentine to do that hasn't already been done in the Big Stone Gap books. For those who have not read the original trilogy, this will be a definite winner.
    • 3/5
      Audio book performed by Cassandra Campbell

      Trigiani returns to tell the continuing story of Valentine Roncalli and Angelini Shoes. Her beloved grandmother has married and moved to Italy, and has left the business – jointly – to Valentine and her brother, Alfred, with whom she has never gotten along. But he does have a background in finance, and she does want to expand the business with her Angel Shoe line. A stray piece of paper gives her a clue to another branch of the family and the possibility of joining forces propels Valentine and Angel Shoes forward.

      I like Trigiani’s chick-lit books. They’re fast reads, full of the every-day drama of life. The Roncalli family members are loud, boisterous, cantankerous, gossipy, emotional and frequently in each other’s business. Relationships are forged and broken. Valentine struggles with her own fears – of being alone, of trusting too much, of not measuring up, of failing, of succeeding. But the more of her works I read, the more I notice how enamored Trigiani is with description. Every dress, shoe, handbag, lamp, sofa, etc is described is exquisite and excruciating detail. It was lovely to read the first time, but after a while I just wanted to skip over all that and get to the plot.

      Cassandra Campbell does a wonderful job on the audio. She’s expressive and really handles the family scenes (with all those different characters yelling at and over one another) marvelously well.
    • 3/5
      3.5 starsThis is a continuation of Very Valentine, but I think it could stand alone. I think anything one would need to know was briefly “recapped” when the info was needed. However, there may be *****SPOILERS***** for Very Valentine in this review. Skip to the last paragraph to avoid any potential spoilers in my summary.Valentine's Gram is marrying a man in Italy, which means she is moving out of the apartment she shares with Valentine in New York City and leaving the family business, making shoes. Valentine feels quite lost, and even worse, Gram has split the business between her and the brother she doesn't get along with, Alfred. Meanwhile, an older man Valentine has spent time with in Italy is wooing her. Mostly, I liked it. I know I really enjoy Trigiani's writing style and mostly I liked the story, but I really didn't like the ending. The end is what kept me from giving it 4 stars.
    • 4/5
      The continuation of the tale of Valentine, spinster sister in an Italian American family. I vaguely remember the first book, Very Valentine, so I started basically fresh with this. Yes, it's a chick book, with romance in it. But what really won the fourth star for me were the characters, and the realism there. As Valentine sorted through her Grandmother's stuff, and realized that though her family treasured the family concept, she was the keeper of the family history. To her fell the decisions about what to keep and what to discard. This was just a small bit of the story, but it really resonated with what I'm experiencing in my own world these days. Through it all, as well, Valentine grows up. She learns to read the strengths of her family, and appreciate what each can uniquely offer. She also learns more about love, some hard lessons, some easy. But it was a good book to listen to as I sorted through boxes of my mother's mementos. Art once again mimicking life in some ways.
    • 4/5
      The sequel to Very Valentine. Great book--loved the characters. Loved the way they banter with one another and the drama among this totally Italian family is hilarious.
    • 3/5
      When Valentine's grandmother begins a new life in Italy, she places Valentine and her nemesis, her brother Alfred, as partners in the Angeline Shoe Company, makers of handcrafted wedding shoes since 1903.
    • 2/5
      I've read other books by Ms. Trigiani, and the beginning of the first Valentine book. I was underwhelmed by the main love story. Valentine is right about everything and everybody, except when she's not appreciating Giancarlo enough, because he's so fabulous. Anyone with marriage problems just needs someone to tell them not to "throw away" all those years together, and magically, those problems disappear. Giancarlo's love letters are like a woman's fantasy of what she wants a man to say, but didn't sound remotely realistic to me. Gabriel's talk about men's ambition being based on pleasing women? Ridiculous. These characters were cardboard. The only one who seemed halfway real was Aunt Feen. I didn't like her, but she had something resembling a personality.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely LOVE the Angelini's. Very Valentine was great and this one is even better! Many new things have happened in Valentine's life and it make you happy, sad, anxious..all the above to go through it with her and her family. So far I have loved all of Adriana Trigiani's books!
    • 3/5
      This book is second in the Trigiani's Valentine series. I don't want to give away any details since not all of you have read the first one in the series, so this summary will be vague! Valentine is back in the shoe shop struggling to manage the family business. She travels to Buenos Aires to explore further options for the company while exploring a buried family secret at the same time. Oh and there's a handsome gentleman that makes an appearance throughout the novel as well. Similar in premise to Very Valentine, the question is whether Valentine will balance her desire to prolong the life of the family's shoe company with her need to find love?I made a reading mistake. I should not have read Brava, Valentine right after reading Very Valentine. Can you say, too much Valentine? Many things that I found to be charming in the first novel was irritating in this one. I liked once again how Valentine travelled to Italy and Argentina. I also liked how she lives in a wonderful NYC loft on the Hudson River. These settings are described very vividly. Unforunately, I disliked several more things. Valentine's view of love is very annoying for me. She generally failed to overlook the fleeting nature of a physical relationship, and when she did look beyond the physical it was very cheesy. Another thing is that Valentine is selfish in her relationships. She admits this but never really works to change her ways - rude! Her family was not near as funny to me in this either. It turned out to be a family soap opera of sorts, and unless it's soaked with a good amount of humor, I do not necessarily want to read about another family's issues... especially when it's issue after issue after issue. So, if you are a diehard Trigiani fan and loved Very Valentine I imagine that you will like this one allright, too. As a person who isn't a usual reader of chick-lit, however, I really don't think Brava, Valentine is for everyone.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! Trigiani's characters were perfectly flawed and beautifully developed. This book really paints the intricate picture of life within an Italian American family and the challenges that come with working together. I'll be reading her other works too.
    • 4/5
      As much as I love Amish, Historicals, and suspense, I love a GREAT chick lit just as much! Now a days, with so much R rated content added in, it's truly hard to find a really good chick lit novel that I can get into. But, after hearing good things about Adriana Trigiani and her work, I was excited for the chance to review Brava, Valentine. Though, sadly, this is a follow up to her book Very Valentine, which I wish I would have read already, but it gives me something to look forward to reading in the future! That being said, though, I wasn't confused by the events or the characters in this book....in fact, this could be dubbed a stand alone title, as well. This book immediately captured me with not only the characters who become friends, but with the setting....parts of this book is set in Italy. I have ALWAYS wanted to go to Italy. And, reading a book like this, that's exactly what I got to do. I didn't even have to leave the comfort of my PJ's or my home! It was like I had just boarded a plane and was instantly next to the Angelini/Roncalli clan. Now, that's some fun traveling. I felt as though I could see the villages in Italy and I could just imagine the bella accents. Oh, how I love an Italian accent! Filled with lots of laugh-out-loud humor and a family secret, Adriana Trigiani really captures the readers' hearts with lovable characters like Valentine(she really was a sweet character!), Gianluca (*ppuurrr* can I have him?), Aunt Feen(well, let's just say that, um, she's definitely quite a character!), and even Gabriel(hhmm,he's sounds adorably funny, but...well,we'll leave it at that ;o)!). I really felt the pull into the story and became one of these characters, laughing out loud, running the family business with a nemesis and helping Valentine follow heart to what she REALLY wants. A story of longing, families, a'more and secrets, Trigiani has turned out a 4 star sexy, sassy, witty novel that, while I can't wait to go back and read book 1, is excellent! It's sexy, and passionate, yet there isn't any detailed R rated scenes, and with an extremely mild use of language (no F's !) that can be easily overlooked, it's one that I recommend to chick lit lovers! I'm hoping, really hoping, that Adriana Trigiani adds a third installment to Valentine's story!
    • 4/5
      Although this is the second installment in the series, I really feel that one could read this book without reading the first because of the good job that Trigiani does of bringing the reader up to speed. She also provides stimulating descriptions of two destinations that I long to visit, both New York and Italy. And after closing this book my desire to go to Italy has only blossomed.The novel opens in Italy as Valentine and her entire family travelled to Tuscany for her grandmother's wedding. And as you can imagine, with the joining of two Italian families there was not a dull moment during the entire event. Valentine finds herself looking forward to laying her eyes on Gianluca once again, but will the reunion go as she would like?Gram has a surprise for Valentine after her wedding when she explains to her that she has decided to take Alfred, Valentine's brother, as a partner. With his financial background Gram figures that Alfred is just what is needed for the Angelini Shoe Company. There has always seemed to be a friction between Alfred and Valentine so one would think that this partnership would never work, but not only did they make it work and help the business flourish at a new level, but they also found a deeper respect and understanding for each other.Secrets are uncovered in this novel, both from the present and the past. When Valentine takes a business trip to Buenos Aires she uncovers a long kept family secret that will not only strengthen Angelini Shoes but also the relationships with her extended family. While in Buenos Aires she finds some time for pleasure as she is surprised by the handsome Gianluca. She feels the pull of her heart towards Gianluca and enjoys the time that they spend together, but can Valentine make the commitment that is needed for this relationship to blossom?I loved so much about this book, from the cobblestone streets in Italy to the family squabbles back in New York City. I love how Trigiani brings out the real feelings in her characters-they do not live perfect lives and they do make mistakes. With themes of family dynamics, love, friendship, and sacrifices, this book was an excellent follow up to the Very Valentine. I recommend this series but even moreso if you feel like being whisked away to fabulous destinations.
    • 4/5
      To be quite honest, I thought Brava, Valentine was definitely better than it's predecessor, Very Valentine. Brava, Valentine picks up a few months where Very Valentine left off. If you don't want minor spoilers, I suggest you stop reading at this point. Anyways, Valentine is still working diligently to save the company, mainly expanding on the solution from the last book. The romance within this book just seemed to sizzle off the page, even though there didn't seem to be a whole lot of play, if you know what I mean.I liked that Brava, Valentine featured more love and romance, than work work work. Valentine and Gianluca's relationship, while chaste for the most part, is rather sexy. Let me say, I wish my boyfriend would take some lessons from Gianluca. Let me say, there is way more chemistry between those two than her last boyfriend.Also, hip hip hurray for more Gabriel. He's Valentine's gay best friend. He is definitely a distinct and memorable character, and it is lovely how well he gets along with Valentine. I liked to see their personalities meshing, and just how strong of a friendship they had. However, there is less of Gram in this book, you can definitely feel her absence. Yet to make up for less Gram, there is more June, who if you recall, was Gram's best friend. Can I just state for the record that I love sassy old women?Anyways, I thought Brava, Valentine was a faster read than Very Valentine. I felt like I already knew the characters so there was no need for long winded introductions to these characters and their nuances. It's weird because I just felt so attached and invested in these people, that I felt myself reaching for the next book after finishing Brava, before realizing it's not out yet.
    • 3/5
      I thought Very Valentine was Trigiani's best since Big Stone Gap. Act 2, Brava Valentine, is a big letdown and feels very contrived.