The Supreme Macaroni Company

Valentine #3

by Adriana Trigiani

For over a hundred years, the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village has relied on the leather produced by Vechiarelli & Son in Tuscany. This historic business partnership provides the twist of fate for Valentine Roncalli, the school teacher turned shoemaker, to fall in love with Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner with a complex past . . . and a secret.

A piece of surprising news is revealed at The Feast of the Seven Fishes when Valentine and Gianluca join her extended family on a fateful Christmas Eve. Now faced with life altering choices, Valentine remembers the wise words that inspired her in the early days of her beloved Angelini Shoe Company: "A person who can build a pair of shoes can do just about anything." The proud, passionate Valentine is going to fight for everything she wants and savor all she deserves -- the bitter and the sweetness of life itself.

Romantic and poignant, told with humor and warmth, and bursting with a cast of endearing characters, The Supreme Macaroni Company is a sumptuous feast of delights: a portrait of a woman and the man she loves, her passion for craftsmanship, and the sacrifices it takes to build and sustain a family business while keeping love and laughter at the center of everything.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Italy, Audiobook, Adult Fiction, Adult

352 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

Join Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts: https://linktr.ee/adrianatrigiani

Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.

Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.

Reviews

[Michelle]

The Supreme Macaroni Company is bad. Valentine is pathetic in this third novel. The much-anticipated wedding is rushed in an effort to get the stresses of their new marriage, but therein lies much of the problem. Most people know that marriage is tough, and there is an adjustment period for all newlyweds. Most people also realize that there are certain subjects that an engaged couple should discuss before finalizing their vows. Apparently, Valentine is not “most people” because she fails to not only have these important discussions before the wedding, she does not even think about having these discussions. What results is what one would expect out of a couple that failed to sync up on such matters as where to live, children, expected roles in the marriage, etc. – lots and lots of arguing.

This in and of itself is not a huge deal, but given how close Valentine is to the rest of her family, that she is the last one in her family to get married, that she has witnessed the ups and downs in each of her siblings’ marriages, her lack of preparation is inexplicable. Her behavior does not fit with the careful Valentine fans have gotten to know over the course of the previous two books. While no one would be surprised that Valentine’s marriage is a passionate one – quick to anger, quick to resolve – the arguments they have are just so unnecessary. It does not fit a man of Gianluca’s nature either, especially since he is still harboring bitter feelings about the ending of his first marriage.

The story compounds matters by following the same pattern – Valentine and Gianluca are happy, something about the business comes up, one or the other gets upset, Valentine overreacts and thinks the marriage is doomed, cooler heads prevail, they reaffirm their love for each other, and the cycle begins again. This happens for all but the last thirty pages of the novel. After so many repetitions, it becomes old and, quite frankly, boring.

The only way out of this never-ending cycle is to create an event that shocks everyone out of their ennui, and Ms. Trigiani does just that. However, it is at that precise moment where readers will lose complete respect for the novel. For the ending is purely there for shock value. As with Valentine’s weird issues about marriage that make no sense given her background, the ending does not fit with the story. One expects certain things in romance novels, and Ms. Trigiani fails to deliver. The abrupt plot shift is simply a disservice to the fans and to Valentine.

Adriana Trigiani can write a good story. Anyone who doubts that needs to immediately read The Shoemaker’s Wife. However, The Supreme Macaroni Company is not her best effort. It is not even close to her best effort. It is dull, repetitive, and whiny. Valentine acts in a manner that is not realistic given her close family ties and involvement. The plot circles in on itself many times before the use of a shocking twist resolves the lingering plot issues. The end feels cheap and does not fit with its intended romance genre. The Supreme Macaroni Company has its moments, but the majority of the novel is a trivial, supremely frustrating glimpse into one person’s idealized and completely unrealistic thoughts on marriage.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of the novels of Adriana Trigiani. I particularly enjoyed reading about Valentine Roncalli, a designer of custom made shoes and her big Italian family. "The Supreme Macaroni Company" is, I believe, the third book in a trilogy about Valentine and her family and her family's business. The author shines when she is describing the ups and downs that are common in Valentine's big Italian family. Coming from a big Italian family myself, her voice is authentic and very enjoyable as she begins this next (and supposedly last) chapter in Valentine's story.

This book begins where "Brava Valentine" left off, with Valentine and Gianluca on the roof of her building, after he has just proposed. Without much time to revel in the joy of their engagement, they head to Brooklyn for a traditional family Christmas Eve and to share their good news. The family is in chaos when they arrive and though realistically portrayed, this gets a little wearing. Enough already with the mean old widowed Aunt Feen, who is nasty to everyone and gets away with it, and who prophesizes doom on Valentine and Gianluca (who she calls Giancarlo) because he has been married before. The novel quickly jumps from Christmas Eve to accomplishing a hurried wedding, then a quick honeymoon, a big fight between the newlyweds and it's back to New York for another crisis in the business.

Valentine, at 36, is carrying on with the running of the Angelini Shoe Company and Gianluca, at 54, has a grown up daughter and runs a successful business in Italy but is willing to live in New York so she can continue to follow her dreams of creating fabulous shoes, not just custom, but for a broader market. The problem is that Valentine does not seem to realize that marriage changes things. The author demonstrates this very well when she writes" I hoped to understand Gianluca's point of view. He wasn't fighting to keep me from working. He was fighting to show me how to live".

I think though, the author loses interest (mine) and focus (hers) when she starts throwing in multiple issues in rapid succession; it seemed to me as if she just wanted to get done with the book. At this point I'm wondering where the author ever got the title to the book. the reason finally appears on page 209 and it is as unsatisfying as it is unbelievable.

The author was losing me at this point. From start to finish, this book encompasses two years of Valentine and Gianluca's lives and in no way does it finish Valentine's story. It is at once too much detail and not enough. People who have enjoyed the previous novels will want to read this but I doubt they will be satisfied.

[Gloria ~ mzglorybe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a die-hard-Trigiani-fan. It is very difficult for me to give this author anything less than a 4 star rating, but feel compelled to in this case. The substance of the plot-line just wasn’t enough to make this a compelling un-put-downable novel for me, as hers usually are. Yes, there is still the wit, and some real gems in here. The Italian-family-bantering, ever present, especially true to form when the planning of the wedding between the two main characters takes place. Think “Big Fat Greek Wedding” and you won’t be far off, except for the ethnicity.

Gianluca has just proposed to Valentine in the last novel. This sequel takes us through their wedding and the two years after. Gianluca’s home is Italy, where he has an ex, a grown & pregnant daughter, and a father who recently married Valentine’s grandmother. Val is a shoe designer with a family business to run in New York. She is mid 30’s career woman, never married. Basically this novel is about two people who love each other but have to adjust to the team-concept of marriage, and we, as readers, are privy to the ups & downs of it all. That’s pretty much it. Not unusual, not compelling, but interesting. Nothing to knock your socks off. On the positive side, there are tender moments, funny moments, and profound statements made about love, life and grief, and Trigiani efficiently delivers those in her own inimitable style with a tug or two at our heartstrings.

The title, however, does this a disservice, in my humble opinion. The reason for it may be a spoiler, so I won’t go into why it was used, but the only thing linking the pasta and the shoes together is that Italians make both. I didn’t feel the reasoning behind it warranted naming the novel after the Macaroni Co.

I liked this, but it didn’t have me anxiously awaiting a free moment to pick it up and continue with the read. I would definitely recommend The Shoemaker’s Wife, however. Now that, dear reader, has some meat in with the pasta ;)

[Patricia Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good story by an author I always enjoy. This is a story about life, love and ambition and how a young woman who married an older man did not really know how much he loved her until he was gone. So it was a wonderful story,partly in the US and partly in Itally with beautiful descriptions of the scenery in Italy and true descriptions of living in NY and NJ. I definitely recommend this book if you want to be uplifted.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Adriana Trigiani. I do. I have read every one of her books. This one just left me flat. I am so sorry but it did. I was left with the feeling that the author just wanted to finish off this trilogy. There was so MUCH to work with and so little was really addressed and what was addressed was not addressed well in my opinion.

Now before I get booed let me say this. The Shoemaker's Wife is one of my al time favorite books and that is what I was basing this series on. Since it was in 3 books I expected a lot of that meaty, lovely detail and I got that...in the first 2 books. This one, va bene... and just that.

Sorry Adriana!

[Book Concierge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book on CD performed by Cassandra Campbell
3.5***

This is the third installment in the story of the Angelini Shoe Company in Greenwich Village, New York. Valentine Roncalli is the central character and the series follows her life over several years. I won’t say any more, because that might spoil earlier episodes for future readers.

I really like Trigiani’s books. She features strong heroines with complex backgrounds and conflicted feelings. They almost always end happily, or at least hopefully … even though there is plenty of tragedy involved (and isn’t life, itself, like that?).

Cassandra Campbell does a marvelous job of voicing the audiobook. She has a lot of characters to interpret, and she is more than to the task. Brava!

[Jennifer Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is just another reason as to why Adriana Trigiani is one of my most favorite authors. In this book, the end of the trilogy, she touched me with all the feels one could imagine. Tissue warning.

The book brought me, once again, to the table of the crazy Italian American family. A table that I know so well and remember with such fondness. The crazy aunt, the loud voices always talking over each other, and the bickering.

The connections, the names, and the meaning behind it all just kept putting that lump back in my throat. It was all for a purpose and one so full of unconditional love that it touched me so deep inside.

I honestly cannot say that I saw Valentine's life going in the direction it did, and I must say I am extremely heartbroken over it. However, the lessons, although too late, were good ones. Perhaps the lessons were not too late and they happened as a result of things that were fated, however, devastating they may have been. I haven't cried this much since The Shoemaker's Wife over a book and I've read many in between, including all of Adriana's.

The imagery and descriptions in a Trigiani novel are always spectacular and this one was perfect. The dialogue was spot on and very well done and it gave us such a sense of the dynamic of all the people involved in the story. I cannot say that I'm happy with this ending, but I understand it and all its lessons and hopes for her future. It makes me wish that Valentine will go forward with purpose and live what she learned.

Now with my broken heart and sore eyes, I will sit and wait for another Adriana Trigiani masterpiece.

[Audrey Dailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as I wanted to. I really like Adriana Trigiani and I was looking forward to reading it quite a bit...maybe the anticipation set my sights too high.
The story line was pretty good but I felt like I couldn't get a bead on the characters, which may be due to the fact that this is the third book about them and I read the other two a while ago. I felt like it just showed snapshots in the life of this woman and I couldn't figure out what she wanted. It just seemed kind of disjointed to me.
That being said, I do hope Trigiani writes another book about Valentine because it does not feel like her story is done.

[Ladyslott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors for easy to read so called ‘women’s fiction’. I find them a nice break when I want something generally quick, easy and enjoyable. I have read most of her books and have really liked every one of them. Until today.

This is supposed to be the final book in the “Valentine” trilogy, where we have been following the life of Valentine Roncalli, a custom shoemaker with a very large Italian family, living in New York and trying to find love while building her business. This book starts exactly where book two ends. I don’t want to spoil anything for those who haven’t read the series, but that will be hard to do, so if you plan on reading these books maybe turn away. I won’t reveal major spoilers for this book, but may spoil the previous two.

I don’t even know where to start. Trigiani has taken a character I really liked and turned her into someone else. Instead of the relatively ambitious, tried and true New Yorker we have a bit of a shrew. She whines, second-guesses everything, picks stupid arguments, and doubts the man she is supposed to love; makes idiotic rash decisions and ultimately turns into someone I didn’t want to spend anytime with.

Aside from the character development there were problems all around. The family, as usual, is extremely over the top. And things happen so quickly it’s like a fairy tale. A major wedding is planned and executed in 2 months (in a catering hall I know very well, and trust me that would never happen). A decision to expand the business is undertaken and executed in less than a year. And despite spending all her life avoiding members of her family suddenly everyone is working in the business. The humor, which felt real in the first books, felt forced here. And then with all this tumult tragedy rears it’s ugly head, but it’s not a heart wrenching surprise, it is foreshadowed over and over again.

I honestly feel that the author was done with the storyline and just wanted to wrap it up ASAP. And honestly the title is just so wrong. I believe the original title was Ciao Valentine, which was perfect. But you have to read almost half the book to understand the title, and ultimately it’s just ridiculous.

It makes me sad to say skip this book, but if you want to remember Valentine as she was in Very Valentine and Brava Valentine – skip it.

Garners three stars only because of how much I enjoyed the first two books.

[Annie · Rating 1 out of 5]

First, I have to say I loved Adriana Trigiani's earlier books. I have met this author and she is utterly delightful. However, I cannot give this book a good review. I didn't realize this was the final book in the Valentine series. I read the first book in the Very Valentine series and I thought it was okay, not great. I began the second book in this series and I put it down since the character of Valentine was making me angry. I chose this book off the library shelf because of the author. I hadn't read the synopsis. I must admit that I listened to this book as an audio book instead of reading it. It was a long drive to Minnesota. Once I was in the car, I realized it was the third book in the series and I groaned out loud. Spoiler alert: I guessed Gianluca's fate since she alluded to it in weird ways throughout the book. I felt Valentine was selfish. I couldn't relate to her and her whining. I also didn't like their little girl's name. Ugh! Did she think she was going to have many children so she could waste naming one of her children? I was rolling my eyes when they were setting up the shoe company in Youngstown, Ohio. The storyline was getting so cloying. I couldn't believe she hired her entire extended family to work at the company. What about benefits and insurance in this day and age? So unbelievable. I wish she would write books like Big Stone Gap again. Her New York/New Jersey Italian stories are making me gag. I will tentatively pick up a book by this author again

[Abbie Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

It pains me to give only two stars to a novel by Adriana Trigiani. But alas, it must be done.

I received an Advance Reader's Edition of the book. I've read ARE's before but never has there been so many grammar, punctuation and other typographical mistakes. There were words missing, quotes that were followed by some sort of shorthand to say, "this will be translated to Italian". Since this is an Advance Reader's Edition, I SWEAR I'm not judging the book based on a misplaced comma.

This book just felt like it had no point except to wrap up the Valentine series. If I didn't know better, it felt to me like there was no passion behind this book. Like the author knew how she wanted to end the series but just had to plod her way there in 300 pages or more.

Imagine baking a ton of cookies. Batches and batches. You know there's an end in sight, you just have to get there. The last batch or two are really just in your way before you can move onto your next - more exciting - project. At one point you are slinging mounds of dough onto the cookie sheet, in no pattern whatsoever and not utilizing your previously perfected cookie cutter. Once baked, the cookies are still sweet and tasty, but they are not very attractive and sort of resemble piles of mush.

That description IS this book. I am actually looking forward to Adriana Trigiani's next book. I'll bet you a cookie that it will be one her best.

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Trigiani's books in the past but I don't know if I'm now "growing out of them" or her writing has simply stopped progressing such that there's nothing much new to read in her work. I feel like it's just another family saga where not too much happens other than some fun dynamics at family dinners, etc. I'll admit that some of the repartee between characters is amusing and that the wit and humor she imbues along the way is delightful. That said, the story line is maudlin and the prose edges slightly to what I fear a romantic novel might provide. If she wants to remain contemporary in her books, I'm hoping that Trigiani will step up her game next time. While this wasn't a failure, it's hard to recommend this one.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like most of Trigiani's books whether its the Big Gap series, the Valentine series or her memoir about her grandmothers.

This book was just sort of anti-climactic and could almost have been a story in a magazine, rather than a novel in this series.
Frankly, it left me wanting more of a story. But, perhaps its just a prelude to the next Valentine novel?

A bit of a let down. The writing is good, just too much focus on the crazy Italian family get togethers and their bantering back and forth.

I am still a devoted Tigiani fan just the same.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed overall with this chapter in Valentine's story (though I think this is the last one, so says the author?) as the character seemed to lose all her backbone and spine and be all swoon-y and in love in a way that meant she had to give up her common sense. Her and Gianluca never made sense to me. Too much hiding things from each other. It just seemed very un-Valentine from all the previous novels. As well, the whole story just felt very rushed.

I love Adriana, but one can't expect perfection every time.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ✨

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit that I started this book with a little bit of irritation at the author for taking so long to provide me with this, the third and supposedly final book in the Valentine trilogy.
I have terrible book recall so I had to spend some of my valuable reading time to get reacquainted with the series before starting on The Supreme Macaroni Co. Those feelings vanished as soon as I re entered Valentines world. What a nice place to make a return visit to. The Supreme Macaroni Co. picks up at the exact point that Brava Valentine ends, on the roof of Valentine’s Greenwich Village apartment following Gianluca's proposal. It continues the story of Valentine's struggles to bring her family's couture shoe company into financial success in the 21st century as well as all the activities surrounding planning her wedding to Gianlucca and first year-ish as a married couple. If you have read the other Valentine books this is an absolute must read.
The phrase, "warm and witty" could have been invented to describe the first two books in the Valentine series. However, The Supreme Macaroni Co takes a more serious tone. It is still incredibly warm, most of the characters are well intentioned and loving. The family's loyalty to each other is nice and at times pretty hilarious but there are some darker topics covered here which made me cry lots of ugly tears. I don't want to give any spoilers but I can't imagine Valentine fans will be able to read this without a tear or two escaping.
This book didn't feel like a final book in a trilogy. The end left quite a lot unresolved in Valentines life, so I have a feeling ( and a hope) that we may not have heard the last of her.

[Laurel-Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this third novel in the Valentine trilogy, Valentine Roncalli and Gianluca Vecchiarelli are joining their lives in matrimony. Valentine is a shoe designer who lives in Greenwich Village, in the apartment over the shop where her grandmother before her lived and worked.

Gianluca is an Italian tanner, whose life in Italy included a previous marriage and a grown daughter. For Valentine, this is a first marriage, and she is eighteen years younger than he. Can their love overcome the differences between them? Can they learn to merge their dreams and compromise?

As always, Trigiani brings the reader right into the world of the characters, showing us their hopes, dreams, flaws, and challenges. "The Supreme Macaroni Company: A Novel (Valentine Trilogy)" is a story with a wonderful narrative and very real characters that I enjoyed spending time with.

The love and romance, along with the challenges, bring Valentine and Gianluca closer together, but just when everything seems to be coming together for them, tragedy strikes and everything changes.

Can Valentine still live the life she wants, or will she have to recreate a new world? A lovely story that made me feel a wide range of emotions, reminding me of why I so enjoy this author's work. I want to read more about Valentine and her world. Five stars.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! What a beautiful series!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first two books in the series and the noisy, close knit Italian family that Valentine Roncalli was a part of. Valentine, after a quick courtship and an even quicker wedding, is slow to understand her role as a wife despite loving her husband dearly. No thought was given to any of the larger questions usually discussed by couples ready to be married. Somehow, she was of the impression nothing would change -- when everything did. Despite the wholeness of the characters in the book, some of whom made me laugh out loud, Valentine was a disappointment.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book

[Sarah Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from HarperCollins.

Set in 2010, The Supreme Macaroni Company follows the life of Valentine Roncalli, an Italian American who is running her family's famous company, the Angelini Shoe Company. Valentine has agreed to marry the Italian Gianluca Vechiarelli, a tanner who produces the leather for her shoe company. Yet Valentine is determined to have her way in their marriage, and to accomplish everything on her own terms. She soon learns the difficulty of juggling a business, a large extended family, an independent husband, and motherhood is more than she can manage smoothly on her own.

This novel is the third in a series, preceded by the best-selling Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine. I have read neither of the first two books, and while that certainly did not hinder my understanding of this novel at all, I suspect that a carry over affection for the characters and stories may be the only reason this book does well. I found this novel rushed and the relationships and emotions felt forced. It felt like I was reading a poorly acted out soap opera. Additionally, her large family makes it feel as if you're reading an Italian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding between the controlling mother, petulant, negative aunt, and father who is supposed to have the amusing habit of mixing up vocabulary words. "Charlie was ejaculating -' 'Oh, Dad, you must mean gesticulating - talking with his hands?' My dad's malaprops gets worse when he's nervous" (18). I didn't find it particularly amusing. The relationships felt very stilted - possibly a result of too much telling versus showing. A lot of the big family drama seemed cliche and flat, "There's the famous Legoland, known for its plastics, and during the holidays, we Roncallis build our own version, Tupperware Land. [...] We disburse the leftovers in various plastic containers, which are handed out as guests leave, three to five pounds heavier than when they arrived, depart" (48). Just not very clever.

This novel had really interesting elements - I loved the idea of learning more of the behind the scenes of a shoe company and having a focus on an Italian-American family. However, the delivery did not impress me. In addition to being disappointed with the stilted relationships between the characters, the plot seemed weak. Not much really happens in this and most of the plot tension comes from disagreements between Valentine and her new husband. Although, to its credit, the first two novels may be much better, and may explain the lingering affection for Valentine and her family as characters.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to make a habit of reading books without having read others in the series. I had read The Shoemaker’s Wife which I loved, but the not the other novels about this family and Valentine. I found Valentine to be selfish, ambitious, driven and prone to not thinking things through carefully, if at all. She is woman who goes after what she wants and usually gets it. Her choices and reactions at times struck me as bizarre. And yet, even though at times I felt like clipping her around the ear and telling her to wake up to herself and that marriage is about compromise, I still wanted to keep reading. I certainly didn’t agree with her view about their only being one fight in marriage that is never solved. (See Page 176 in the hard cover version.)
Despite negatives this story still drew me in. That could be largely to do with the cast of characters. They are a close family who share each other’s joys and problems, too much so at time. While I enjoyed the interactions between the family and the glimpses of family life it made me glad I came from a small family that wasn’t constantly in each other’s lives like this, especially with a character like Aunt Feen. She is the sort of cranky, hard to please character that can bring a smile when they come to life in fiction but you wouldn’t want to met her in real life, or even worse have her as a relative.
Some of the dialogue is clever and witty and I whenever I had to put the book down, I wanted to get back to it to see what they were all up to. I liked the way Valentine father managed to muddle up his English words at times and loved all the attention to detail about making shoes. Gianluca is a beautiful character and yes there were a few tears from me in this novel. While I really enjoyed it, I didn’t think it quite reached the standard of The Shoemaker’s Wife which I adored.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fabulous read by my favorite author. This third book was a wonderful ending to the series. It read very quickly. I loved following Valentine and her family on this journey. This final book had me cheering on Valentine's accomplishments and laughing at her family's funny antics, but the ending had me bawling like a baby. It has been awhile since a story made me cry as much as I did with this one. When I closed the cover on this book, I was sobbing. I felt extreme sadness for Valentine and for myself because I don't know how long I'll have to wait for a new book from Adriana Trigiani. I appreciate that she puts such detail and love into every book she writes. I love that she is not one of these authors who shoves out 4 or 5 books a year. She puts thought and research into her stories and lovingly adds bits and pieces taken from her own Italian family and upbringing. This is what makes her books so special and will have me waiting with bated breath for the next amazing read.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Adriana Trigiani from her first trilogy Big Stone Gap.

I have read every book she has written. I am Italian and so enjoy her writing,

because I identify with the family, the Italian words she uses and the family

dinners at grandma's,it was all part of my upbringing.

My favorite book being Lucia, Lucia, I could have read a new

chapter in this book everyday for the rest of my life.

I have read the Valentine trilogy with a loving heart for the heroine and great

anticipation for the next chapter, but was a little disappointed in this final

book. Though I needed a tissue, while nearing the end, and feel a writer has

a real special talent when she can bring such emotion to the reader.

What I needed was more from Valentine, she didn't come through to me

Like she did in her first two books. I always felt she could handle both

career and family because she had so much love to give. Please add a

fourth so everyone can get to see her happy, she deserved it

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Trigiani and all that she has written. I don't think I have ever given her books less than four stars before. My finger hovered between 3, then 4, and back again. I finally just had to do it. This was just a three star rating for me.

The Supreme Macaroni Company is the third book in the Valentine trilogy. Valentine comes from a family rich in history and in love; love for family, love for hard work in making a success of the family shoe business, and love for their Italian roots. Valentine knew her family history by heart and her heart was into designing and making shoes and keeping the family tradition going. She is headstrong, determined, and passionate when it comes to her family business and at the age of 35, she has had to answer only to herself and to follow only her heart.

Now, Valentine is engaged to Gianluca Vechiarelli who happens to be the son of her grandmother's second husband. He is 53, divorced, and the father of a young married daughter. He is also devoted to the shoe business and it was that interest in shoes that brought the two together in Italy in the first place. After a whirlwind engagement and marriage (within the span of less than two months), the couple has married and are living in the states. Gianluca would like for his new wife to slow down, place some distance between herself and her burning drive to open a new shoe factory. He would love to move to Italy once more where life would be slower, more sensual and more relaxing. Valentine can't tear herself away; thus the new shoe factory The Supreme Macaroni Company. Her drive, her hard work, her family, and Gianluca's support helped to make her dream come true, but the victory doesn't come without pain and consequences.

This was a shorter, faster-paced novel than the previous ones I have read. While the hysterical antics of her large, emotionally charged Italian family are still there, I missed the slow, rich history that Trigiani weaves into her beautiful stories. I missed the tender ache that I have felt when reading about this wonderful family and of the sacrifices that they made throughout the years as the held on to their families and as they built an American dream.

I found Valentine, at the age of 35, to be extremely immature--or maybe selfish is a better word. She had no idea of sacrifice and compromise in the name of love. She was blinded by her own determination to expand her business and she forgot that her husband was her partner in business and in life and that he, too, had dreams for the future. It seemed that this Valentine had learned nothing from her family's history about love and the pleasure that comes with spending time together. This Valentine wasn't the Valentine I admired and cheered in the first two books.

As I was reading, I felt an undercurrent throughout the book. It was as if Trigiani was preparing me for a disappointment. I finally flipped back to the end of the book to see what was going to happen and I hate it when I do that, but I needed to be reassured that all was going to be well in the end. Trigiani was right. I was disappointed. But I was prepared.

[Book Preview Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Description:

“In The Shoemaker's Wife Adriana Trigiani swept her readers across generations of an Italian family, from the Italian Alps at the turn of the twentieth century to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy. In The Supreme Macaroni Company, she weaves a heartbreaking story that begins on the eve of a wedding in New York's Greenwich Village, travels to New Orleans, and culminates in Tuscany. Family, work, romance, and the unexpected twists of life and fate all come together in an unforgettable narrative that Adriana Trigiani's many fans will adore.”



Once again, Trigiani has proven her talent for writing spanning many different genres. Epic historical fiction, contemporary, women’s and chick lit fiction and let’s not forget young adult. Family is very much a part of this book. Trigiani owns the “Italian theme” genre.

Eagerly anticipated and culminating third installment in the Valentine series, this brilliantly modern realistic tale has it all. Love, passion, and intrigue… a wisecracking cast of characters…drama, depression and heartache…. All themes centered around family dynamics.

Valentine’s life in a family owned and run business is continued along with the trials and tribulations of a modern woman juggling marriage, family life, work and a career. Trigiani’s glorious gift of storytelling with all the twists and turns paints each scene as if you are yourself immersed within as one of the characters. If you’ve never been to the places described, you come away from reading as if you were.

No matter how much one plans in life, life just happens. Unexpected and unimaginable events take root, both positive and negative, therefore changing our dreams in life. These events mold us, and family pulls its members though, many times overcoming previous painful or misinterpreted events and the healing process begins.

You don’t want to miss this final installment in the Valentine series!

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adriana Trigiani has done it again. She's given her readers the romantic ending they were waiting for at the end of the previous book and then destroyed her heroine's happiness with a terrible tragedy in the next book. I get that this is what life throws at us, and the depiction of grief is sensitively handled, but the ending is not what I wanted from this series. Sometimes when a writer confounds our expectations and subverts genres, it works brilliantly, and there have been several genre novels with unexpected tragic endings which I have loved. In this case though I just wanted a happy ending to a series I was enjoying as lightweight chick-lit romance, and it didn't deliver.

The comic relief provided by family and friends is as entertaining and over the top as ever, and I did enjoy these aspects, but I found other aspects of the narrative as problematic as the ending. The first books balanced the romantic and business stories beautifully, and both engaged me completely as a reader. In this book, though, I felt that both stories lacked dramatic momentum and Valentine's obsession with her shoe business seems selfish and self-destructive rather than endearing, as it was before. And the birth of Valentine's child and her marital conflict felt very rushed and underwritten, as if the author was trying to get to the tragic (and heavily foreshadowed) climax as fast as possible.

Overall this was a disappointing ending to a series I had loved.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adriana Trigiani has been a favorite of mine since she wrote the big gap trilogy about Ave Marie in the hills of Tennessee. I have read about her grandparents and how they came to NYC and started the Angelini Shoe Company on Perry Street in the Village.

This story was funny and sad, I think is the mark of a great author. She held me from the first page to the last. Telling the story of the granddaughter, Valentine, of the two people who started the shoe company.

She is the only daughter from an Italian Family who is unmarried, she is thirty-five, not too old, I was married at thirty-seven and had my daughter at forty. Now everyone knows that I am old! Anyway the book starts off with Valentine getting engaged on Christmas Eve! The family is overwhelmed! Her mother calls the wedding planner on the way home from the Christmas Eve Family celebration. Valentine is shocked, mother says its ok she is Jewish, she was not celebrating anything. That starts the funny things that happen in this book. It only gets better from there.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Supreme Macaroni Company was a fun, heartwarming, and heartbreaking read. I did not read the first two books in this trilogy because I did not know that it was the last in a trilogy before picking it up, but I don't think that made a difference in my enjoyment and understanding of the novel. I am new to Adriana Trigiani and I so enjoyed this humorous and loving story of Valentine and her big extended family. I found myself breezing through the book and laughing out loud during most of it. The characters were so believable, I absolutely loved the underlying strong family bond that was really the theme of the whole book. Even though I know the end of the story already I plan to get the first two books of this trilogy as soon as I can so I can learn more about Valentine and her family.

[Dan Radovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can anyone not fall in love with Trigiani and her ability to tell a story? I admit that I need to catch up with her backlist to fill me in with Valentine, but I was not in the dark reading this installment. Her writing is smooth and fluid, story filled with details and wonderful characters you just want to sit and enjoy a glass of wine or good meal with. (I have met Ms Trigiani at many BEA events and each time walked away in awe of her fan-dom. I understand their enthusiastic devotion). SUPREME MACARONI COMPANY is a rewarding continuation in the story of Valentine Roncalli. Brava, Adriana.