Sumptuous. That is the word that comes to mind to describe Ms.Trigiani’s writing. Very Valentine celebrates the author’s heritage and the city of New York that is her home, as well as the country of her ancestors and the craft of her grandfather. Her descriptions of everything from clothing to skies and her portrayal of life in an extended Italian-American family put the reader squarely in the story as the title character discovers her passion, her strength, and her capacity for love through the sort of crises and challenges that face us all. Along the way, Adriana Trigiani expounds the virtues of old-world quality and craftsmanship in the art of creating custom-fit, one-of-a-kind shoes in a world that has geared itself to mass production.

Have you ever been to Italy? Do you live in or near a New World community locally known as Little Italy?