* Fiction. By Adriana Trigiani. Harper, $25.95. Grade: A

Plot in a nutshell: Valentine Roncalli, apprentice shoemaker to grandmother Teodora Angelini, has a few problems. The family business, in the same location since 1903, is on its last legs. Their product, handmade wedding shoes, is unpopular in the age of DSW Shoe Warehouse. And she's dating a married man: chef Roman Falconi adores her, but his demanding wife is his up-and-coming restaurant, the Ca' D'or .

All this happens against the backdrop of her Italian-American family, composed of cheating men and the long-suffering women who are trained to overlook things that make them unhappy. Oh, and let's not forget the family bickering. Lots of bickering.

In this case, know-it-all brother Alfred wants to sell the business' desirable real estate for cash, setting Valentine on the yellow brick road to reinventing the Angelini Shoe Company.

Very Valentine could have been a sob story, but Trigiani refreshes the formula with Valentine herself. The cobbler-in-training has a level head and creativity aplenty, as she goes about designing a new line and competing for the honor of dressing the posh department store Bergdorf's windows. Her course with Roman is less clear. Their romantic visit to Capri doesn't go as planned, and Valentine has decisions to make.

Trigiani doesn't tie it all up nicely for readers. She brings Valentine to a good stopping point, shrewdly leaving you wanting more.

Sample of prose: Valentine remembers how her fashion plate of a mother seemed to her as a child: "I used to pray for a feminist mother. . . . (My friend) Cami's mother marched for peace while my mom sat around and waited for fishnet hose to come back in style." It's nice to read the word "feminist" used without a sneer.

Pros: This is a refreshing change in what Harper's calls "women's fiction." Valentine's grandmother, and her reason for foreign business trips, will especially tickle some funny bones.

Cons: The ethnic identity of the Roncalli clan may be a bit confused. No Italian-American family names children after perfumes, as sister Tess did with Charisma and Chiara. Fuggedaboutit.

Final word: Trigiani has a winning heroine, with a future ahead of her. Look forward to the promised sequel Encore, Valentine.