In this first book of what author Adriana Trigiani intends to be a trilogy (book two is already published), the reader is introduced to Valentine Roncalli and her large, boisterous Italian-American family. Valentine is pass the age where she should have been married with children, according to most of her family, but she has decided to devote her energy to preserving the handmade custom shoe shop in New York's Greenwich Village that was established by her mother's grandfather when he immigrated from Italy. This isn't easy, as the declining economy has taken its toll on the custom shoe industry and at the beginning of the story you learn that Valentine's grandmother, Teodora, is considering closing the business and selling the building it is housed in, which is also where both her and Valentine live. How will Valentine overcome all the reservations of her family and still preserve the business? Take a peek at Very Valentine and find out.