Dune Road

This was not as good as I hoped, or expected.
The book was VERY predictable. The characters had a lot of potential but they fell short of making me interested in their lives. I think that Green tried to cram too many story lines into one book, where this could have been 2 distinct stories.
This book follows a newly divorced woman who is trying to navigate living as a single mom in a ritzy beach town. We meet quirky neighbors, a yoga studio owner, owners of a hot restaurant in town, a couple whom she is friends with that might lose it all due to the economy, a hot novel writer, her ex-husband... the list goes on and on. The main character finds out about family members she didn't know she has. It is all too much for one book.
I think I might have enjoyed it, if I was looking for a book to read on a vacation. It was not the best book I have read by Green, but I do plan on reading more of her work.
Read March 2010

Brava, Valentine

I have read I believe 6 (or more) of Adriana Trigiani's books. I have once again fallen in love with her story of an Italian - American Family. This book is the second of the series. The first book was Very Valentine. You can read more about that book here - http://kimsbookblog614.blogspot.com/2009/02/very-valentine.html. The character of Valentine finds herself having to deal with now being the head of the family business and finding a way to work with her brother who is almost her complete opposite.

Brava, Valentine starts off in Italy and crosses back to the United States and then to another old world country. We see Valentine take the reins of the company and really make some great things happen in her own life, along with growing as a person.

I love the aspects of friends and family in this book. It shows that the relationships may not always be good, but family is family and will always be there for you.

Trigiani knows how to describe in beautiful details the characters and places in her books that you feel that you are a part of them. I love this book and would highly recommend reading both Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine. There will be a third book in this series coming out, hopefully next February.

Read February 2010