The Supreme Macaroni Company, by Adriana Trigiani

Valentine is determined to have everything she wants from life.  A member of a strong Italian American family, she is highly involved in the family shoemaking business; she is also engaged to an Italian man.  The couple must learn to juggle family with career, and make compromises.  Valentine also has to adjust to her husband's first family, and fact that each has a history that the other does not share.

If ever there were the perfect book to start off a new year, this is it.  I completely adored this book.  Trigiani's writing is a sensory delight; she spends a lot of time discussing smells, tastes, sights, sounds, and feelings to the extent that you, as a reader, feel as if you are part of the story.  In fact, I took a nap after reading the scene revolving around the family's Christmas dinner, and I dreamed about cannoli.  

I really fell in love with Valentine as a character.  She was a strong woman, but she was also flawed.  I found myself really relating to her.  Apparently, this book is the end of a trilogy, yet despite the fact that I never read the two previous books, I found myself completely absorbed in the story, and did not feel like I had missed anything.

I loved the strong emphasis on family in this book.  It made me wish I was from a big Italian family myself.  All in all, I thought this was a solid story, and it made me want to read more of Trigiani's writing.

I received a review copy courtesy of TLC Book Tours in exchange for my honest review.  See the rest of the tour here.

   

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