I want you to know that I spent the last 50 pages of The Supreme Macaroni Company bawling my eyes out.
We’re talking up at 6:30 in the morning, lying in bed reading, flanked by a box of tissues and a wastebasket, and crying so damn hard that my cat came charging down the hall to see what the hell was wrong. (My husband, meanwhile, slept through the whole thing. Bless.)
Before those last pages, though? The Supreme Macaroni Company was really, really good.
I’d never heard of author Adriana Trigiani before my Zumba teacher mentioned her to me. As tends to happen, her name seemed to be everywhere after that, and I shortly thereafter stumbled across one of her books at a library sale. I scooped it up, but it’d been lingering on my TBR shelf for awhile.
I finally dusted it off during pandemic quarantine and got to reading. The beginning of the novel was a little disorienting since The Supreme Macaraoni Company is the third book in a series about main character Val, and the first chapter picks up right where the previous book left off.
However, there was enough backstory to catch me up to speed, and once I got to the next chapter, I was swept away in the hilarious torrent that is Val’s large, loud, zany Italian-American family. Think My Big Fat Greek Wedding and just swap out “Greek” for “Italian,” and that’s what you’re dealing with here.
The book is set in New York City, with a few day trips to Northern New Jersey, which made me ecstatic because these are my stomping grounds. And, since I grew up in this area surrounded by a ton of Italian-Americans — and happen to be one myself — a lot of this funny, sweet, and sentimental women’s fiction book was familiar.
From the Christmas Eve traditions and cookie platters, to the hilariously inappropriate but loveable older relatives, to the family melodrama and Jersey vernacular that peppers every family occasion, so much of the book felt like it was ripped from pages of my childhood. However, even if you didn’t grow up with all the food, family, and fiestiness that Italian-Americans bring to one’s life, there’s plenty to enjoy in The Supreme Macaroni Company
You’re going to love Val. She’s funny, sharply ambitious, has just the right amount of caustic wit, and she’s got one sweetie pie of a husband. We meet her as she’s getting engaged (not a spoiler), and what follows is her whirlwind engagement, wedding, and the first few years of her marriage, all while she tries to keep her family’s shoe business afloat.
Val designs shoes, which is another thing I love about her. She makes glorious, fantastic, bespoke Italian footwear. It’s such a unique profession for a protagonist, and I was enthralled with all the talk of shoe designs, fabrics, and accessories that are weaved throughout the book.
Should you read this book? Yes, it’s lovely. Absolutely lovely. Great shoes. Great food. Great love. Great humor. There’s even a trip to a Mediterranean villa that had me ready to board a plane to Italy, despite the threat of COVID that kept me from venturing to the local supermarket for 12 months straight.
But remember that “bawling my eyes out” thing I mentioned earlier? Yeahhhhh… If you’re not a fan of tear-jerkers, stay far, far away from this one.
Or, stop reading at page 281 and move on happily with your next read. TRUST ME.
For those of you who stay the course — don’t say I didn’t warn you! But, I suppose it’s a small price to pay for all the wonderfulness that comes before it in The Supreme Macaroni Company.
Be sure to check in for my book-inspired recipe: Italian Sprinkle Cookies!
I can’t wait to read the whole trilogy!!! And thanks for the mention!!
Thanks for the recommendation!! 🙂