Brava, Valentine »

An award-winning playwright, TV writer, and documentary filmmaker, Adriana Trigiani is especially known for her bestselling novels that explore Italian-American families living and loving in America's heartland, most notably her beloved Big Stone Gap trilogy.

Adriana Trigiani's bestselling novels, called "dazzling"* and "tiramisu for the soul,"** are beloved by millions of readers around the world. Very Valentine, an instant New York Times bestseller and the first in a s­eries about the life of shoemaker Valentine Roncalli, was hailed by critics as "Sex and the City meets Moonstruck . . . sly, sensual, dripping in style."***

In this sumptuous follow-up, a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity takes Valentine from the winding streets of Greenwich Village to the sun-kissed cobblestones of Buenos Aires, where she finds a long-buried secret hidden deep within a family scandal. Once unearthed, the truth rocks the Roncallis, while Valentine is torn between a past love that nurtured her, and a new one that promises to sustain her.

Brava, Valentine is Trigiani's best novel yet, delivering a hilarious and poignant mix of colorful worlds and unforgettable characters as only she can create them.

*USA Today
**The Examiner (UK)
***People

Publishers Weekly

Trigiani's sequel to Very Valentine is a sweet second act for shoemaker and designer Valentine Roncalli. Val takes over the New York family-run shoe business with feet-of-clay older brother, Alfred; falls for the dashing, older Gianluca in Italy; and takes a business risk in South America, where she unearths a dusty chapter of family history. There are plenty of picturesque globe-trotting adventures in Tuscany, Manhattan, and Buenos Aires, and, for artistic and independent Val, a grown-up commitment evolves. “There is no art without love. Only love can open someone up to the possibilities of living and creating art,” Val writes to the wary Gianluca. And the startling twist of family history finally challenges an old-fashioned, insular clan to join the modern world. But it's always the endearing, unnerving and rowdy Roncallis who steal the show. Look for a heartbreaking exit of one beloved character, and a cliffhanger breakup in this charming valentine to love, forgiveness, and family. (Feb.)