A Well-Read Tart

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THE SUPREME MACARONI COMPANY Book Review

book cover of The Supreme Macaroni Company

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, and flanked by a box of tissues and a wastebasket. I was crying so damn hard that my cat charged 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.

 

What’s The Supreme Macaroni Company about?

The beginning of The Supreme Macaroni Company was a little disorienting. It’s 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 get ne up to speed. 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.

 

What I loved about The Supreme Macaroni Company

The Supreme Macaroni Company 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. Since I grew up 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, and from the family melodrama to the Jersey vernacular that peppers every family occasion, so much of The Supreme Macaroni Company felt like it was ripped from pages of my childhood.

However, even if you didn’t grow up with all the food, family, and feistiness that Italian-Americans bring to one’s life, there’s plenty to enjoy in this book.

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 woven throughout the book.

 

Should you read The Supreme Macaroni Company?

Should you read The Supreme Macaroni Company? Yes, it’s lovely. Absolutely lovely. This book has great shoes and great food. It has great love and 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.

 

What’s the book-inspired recipe?

Be sure to check in for my book-inspired recipe: Italian Sprinkle Cookies!

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