The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani

This is not intended to be a full review. Several readers at my library expressed disappointment in this book. Like me, they had read and enjoyed the first two in the series. I decided I'd better take a look so I could be more prepared to discuss with future readers. I too was disappointed, not at the story line, which seemed to be one of the major problems with several people, but with the trite, hackneyed writing. This book seems to be one stereotype and cliché after another. The whole story could have been told in about 2/3 of the words and not lost anything but a lot of melodrama.

Essentially, it is the continuation of the romance of Valentine Roncalli and Giancarlo Vechiarelli. As the wedding day approaches, Valentine struggles with worries about her factory in Argentina closing down and the conflicting expections between Valentine and Giancarlo concerning a permanent home. It's a beautiful romance, spoiled by Valentine's rather, IMHO selfish desire to have it all. Her unwillingness to bend caused me a lot of angst. At times, it was like listening to a four-year-old stamping her foot and demanding her way. It's hard to review this one without a major spoiler, and for those of you who are fans of the series, I don't want to spoil the story. If you're a fan, it's still a good story; if you haven't read the first two, I'd recommend you start at the beginning.

A final note: I did listen to parts of this on audio.  The narrator,  Cassandra Campbell did an excellent job giving Valentine's angst a true interpretation.  In fact, she was so good, I had to go back to reading it because I wanted to grab Valentine and give her a good talking to.

Title: The Supreme Macaroni Company
Author: Adriana Trigiani
Publisher:Harper (2013), First Edition, Hardcover, 352 pages
Genre: Fiction- Romance
Subject: Shoes and marriage
Setting: New York
Series: Very Valentine #3
Source: Public library
Why did I read this book now? Next one in a series I've enjoyed