Friday, May 9, 2014

Review: The Supreme Macaroni Company

The Supreme Macaroni Company
By Adriana Trigiani
Harper Collins November 2013
338 pages
Received for review from TLC Book Tours and the publisher

The Supreme Macaroni Company

Beloved author Adriana Trigiana brings Italy and New York City to vibrant life as she looks in on the Roncalli family again. Valentine is passionate about her family and the family business of making gorgeous shoes out of Italian leather. She is surprised to find that she has passion for their Italian tanner Gianluca Vechiarelli too. As they begin their life together, Valentine finds herself constantly battling between being present for her loved ones and being committed to their business. Can she find room in her heart and in her day for both? 

I have seen countless bloggers gush over the books of Adriana Trigiani so when an offer to join the book tour showed up in my inbox, I had to say yes. This was my first time reading anything by Trigiani. It was difficult to really get into this book at first, which I think might have something to do with this actually being the third book featuring Valentine and her crazy/wonderful Italian family. I wonder if it would have been easier for me to fully commit to the Roncalli family if I knew more of their history. 

The Supreme Macaroni Company shines when Trigiani is detailing the beauty of Italian vistas or a snowy day in New York City. With just a few words, she paints gorgeous scenes that you can clearly visualize even if you have never visited Tuscany. It's also wonderful to read about giant and crazy Italian family gatherings where one is never sure if the drama or the food will win the day. Big families seem to make life complicated - there are lots of people who want to make their opinions known on things like your wedding and your style of raising your kids and there is always someone who is glad to remind you of the moment when you failed. While the Roncalli family exploits will make you laugh, they also make you want to hop in the car and go spend some time with your own family. 

The heart of this story though, is the relationship between Valentine and Gianluca. I found it difficult to read about them because Valentine seemed so clueless and stubborn. For a woman who has a big family and has seen both failed and successful relationships, she seems to have no idea how to be in a relationship. I found myself mostly feeling bad for Gianluca who, although he wasn't blameless, seemed to be trying very hard to uphold their relationship. I wanted Valentine to change, to realize that she had to give some time and attention to her relationship, but she just seems to make the same mistakes over and over.

The Supreme Macaroni Company is an insightful look into the ways that family can strengthen and challenge us as well as the incredible work and artistry that goes into the creation of shoes. The romantic storyline can be hard to take, but readers who love the Roncalli family will want to read this conclusion to their story.



Want to see what other readers thought of The Supreme Macaroni Company? Read some of these other reviews!

Tuesday, May 6th: More Than Just Magic
Wednesday, May 7th: Bibliotica
Thursday, May 8th: nightlyreading
Monday, May 12th: The Infinite Shelf
Tuesday, May 13th: The Bookmark Blog
Thursday, May 15th: Books, Books Everywhere!
Monday, May 19th: Books on the Table
Thursday, May 22nd: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!
Monday, May 26th: Calico Critic
Thursday, May 29th: Peppermint PhD
Monday, June 2nd: Open Book Society
Monday, June 9th: Patricia’s Wisdom



4 comments:

  1. Thanks for being a part of the tour!

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  2. Definitely read The Shoemaker's Wife by her - I loved it.

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    1. That's what I keep hearing! Thanks for the recommendation. :)

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