Monday, August 4, 2014

The Supreme Macaroni Company: Review and Giveaway

When Laura from Italy Book Tours invited me to participate in the tour for The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani, I was overjoyed.  I'd been interested in reading the work of this author since encountering Brava, Valentine on the book blog, Dolce Bellezza; Bellezza's posts are often quite tantalizing.  At last, I had the perfect opportunity to read a novel by this multi-talented and prolific author!

"The stealth difference:  we're both Italians, but I was an American first and he was truly an Italian first.  All the vowels in the world that we had in common couldn't make up for the disparity in our points of view."
~ The Supreme Macaroni Company, Adriana Trigiani

Published in 2013, The Supreme Macaroni Company is the story of Valentine Roncalli, a talented shoemaker who enjoys working  at the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village, NY.  The beginning of the book centers around Valentine's upcoming marriage to Gianluca Vechiarelli, a handsome, blue-eyed tanner from Italy.  Although Val is independent and career-minded, she wants to be happily married, but she knows that there will be obstacles to overcome, including a "glandular predisposition that prevents true happiness".  She loves Gianluca, but she's worried about how her life will change once she's married.  Val's mostly concerned because she thinks that Gianluca, who's eighteen-years older than she is and has an ex-wife and a grown daughter, would prefer to live in Italy.  This novel explores many aspects of love, work, location, and family, and the connections between them.

What did I think of my first novel by Adriana Trigiani?  Although I learned that this is the third book in the Valentine Trilogy, which includes Very Valentine (2009) and Brava, Valentine (2010), I didn't have a difficult time following the story (although I'd like to read the other two books in this series at some point).  At the start of the book is an elegantly-rendered family tree which is helpful, especially if you stumble a bit over Italian last names (one of my goals in writing this review was to master the spelling of the author's name, A-d-r-i-a-n-a  T-r-i-g-i-a-n-i).  The author's writing lived up to my expectations; it's very lovely, and it's also very funny at times.  The story is mostly set in two superlative places, in NY and Italy, and the descriptions of Italy furthered my desire to travel to this bella country.  Magical writing brought Val, Gianluca, Dutch, Mom, Aunt Feen, and many other characters to life.  I relished the company of Valentine and her large and lively Italian family, as they gathered together to experience and celebrate life.

The Supreme Macaroni Company made me smile, it made me laugh, and it made me cry (just a bit).  It touched my emotions.  It also made me think about how I spend my time, and what my priorities truly are.  I'm thrilled to now have the chance to share this novel with a reader.  The publisher is generously offering a giveaway for an autographed copy of The Supreme Macaroni Company (U.S. only).

  • To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment.
  • For another chance at winning, become a follower of this blog, or let me know that you're already a follower.
  • For an additional chance, post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter.
  • For one more entry, mention a different book by Adriana Trigiani that you've enjoyed reading.

Enter by 5 PM PDT on Monday, August 18.  One winner will be selected randomly and announced on Tuesday, August 19.  Buona fortuna!



Grazie to Laura from Italy Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book, and for offering this giveaway through the publisher.  I'm honored to be the first stop on this book tour.  For more reviews and giveaways, please visit Italy Book Tours' other stops for The Supreme Macaroni Company.

35 comments:

  1. Interesting that this is the third book in a trilogy as one would not expect that to be so with this kind of story.

    Family trees sometimes really help when it comes to stories like this.

    As for the Italian names, that is like my family tree!

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  2. This book sounds captivating and memorable. I have read many by this author and would enjoy this lovely story. Thanks for this great giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  3. I am an e-mail subscriber. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  4. I loved how you used Italian words in this post. Well done! Glad you enjoyed Adriana Trigiani's latest. Thanks for being a part of this tour!

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    1. Thanks, Laura! I enjoyed being a part of this book tour. :-)

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  5. I read the Valentine books and loved them. Thanks for this opportunity to read this novel. What a great feature and giveaway. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  6. I adore Trigiani and her books so I'm glad to see you enjoyed this one so much. You need to go back and read her other work now! No need to enter me in your great contest.

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  7. I have heard so many good things about this series. I already have it in my TBR so no need to enter me in the giveaway. Great review!

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  8. I too loved this book (my review is tomorrow) and now want to read the first two in the series. I have the 2nd one, but need to find a copy of the 1st one.

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  9. How wonderful that you're invited to host his give-away, and how amazing that you remember my review. Really, I barely remember it myself. Would love to be considered for the give-away, even though it seems greedy, because the mood and the characters are just so darn wonderful!

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    1. Bellezza, you are responsible for my discovery of this author--thank you! I enjoyed this novel so much. I think this book, or the Valentine series, would make a wonderful movie, because of the themes, settings, and endearing characters. :-)

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  10. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed this one so much! It sounds like a great read.....great review :)

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  11. I really enjoyed her Big Stone Gap series and am anxious finish Valentine's story. I am already a gfc follower. Thanks!

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  12. Your review definitely sold me on the book! I've put it on my TBR list!
    kimbers10[at]yahoo[dot]com

    I'm also following you via GFC (kimbers10) & I posted the giveaway on twitter (https://twitter.com/kdaze10/status/496478823269949442)

    Thanks!

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  13. Sounds like this lived up to all your expectations and more. I'm quite surprised that this worked so well as a stand alone read given that it is a family saga and part three of a trilogy.

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  14. Sounds great. I am an e-mail subscriber jtretin at aol dot com. The Shoemakers Wife was great. I tweeted - @readsalways.

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  15. This is the link for my tweet - https://twitter.com/readsalways/status/496641222132629505

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  16. I have been curious about this book and author. Great review Suko. Please enter me in the contest. I am a follower: postingfornow@gmail.com. I will tweet this post! Thanks for the giveaway.

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  17. Glad to see you enjoyed the book. I love reading novels set in Italy, too. And it's a beautiful place to visit. I've only been there once but would love to go back.

    If you get a chance, read the first two books in the series. Valentine was younger and more carefree in the first book, which was my favorite of the three. I have a copy of this book so no need to enter me in the giveaway.

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  18. This book has been on my wish list for a while as I'm a fan of Adriana's work. The first of her titles I enjoyed was LUCIA, LUCIA. What I particularly enjoyed about that story was the main character's work as a fashion design apprentice at a 5th Avenue department store and her protective brothers. Every book has made me wish for a huge family! I tweeted about the giveaway and shared on Facebook (see https://twitter.com/kate_ivan/status/496730708702818304 and https://www.facebook.com/katherine.ivan.7/posts/777305878973641) and follow via GFC.

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  19. Suko, this sounds like a great one, and good to know it can be read as a stand alone book. I like the NY and Italy settings.
    It's wonderful when a book can touch the readers emotions like that. Glad you enjoyed this one!
    Great review as always. I'll tweet it now :)

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  20. This is one of those books that's sounds fun, but for some reason I have not read my copy yet. I'm happy you shared your thoughts.

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  21. This sounds like a very interesting book.

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  22. I enjoyed the entire series - love AT's writing. No need to enter me in the giveaway.

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  23. I loved Very Valentine and Brava Valentine, and am looking forward to read the third book in the series - The Supreme Macaroni Company.

    The giveaway is USA only :( Not fair!

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  24. I haven't had a chance to read any of Adriana's other books yet but I've heard only great things about them. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this one.
    +1 I follow your blog by email: carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx
    +1 I tweeted a link to this blog post
    +1 I pinned a photo and a link on Pinterest as well: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/336573772125346998/
    Thanks again!

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    1. Hmm, I left out the tweet URL, silly me: https://twitter.com/carlrscott/status/497391190073819136

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    2. Thank you, Carl, for the follow, tweet, and pin! :)

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  25. Don't enter me in the contest. Italy is a country I'd like to revisit to see the places I missed the first time. The Amalfi Coast for one. Enjoyed your review.

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  26. I have two of her books on my shelf but haven't read any.

    Fantastic post...thanks so much.

    ENJOY your weekend.

    Elizabeth

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  27. I haven't read anything by this author, but I've heard her novels are great. I'm glad to hear you can read this one as a standalone.

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  28. I read Don't Sing at the Table and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to this one.

    I follow you in Feedly.

    Thanks for offering the giveaway. je2kids(at)gmail(dot)com

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  29. Obviously, I'm commenting way past the giveaway but this sounds like a wonderful book. I love to read about both NY and Italy, past and present, and the premise is interesting.

    Great review--you have a lovely way with words.

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