Shoemaker's Wife (Trigiani)

Book Reviews
Within the pages of this novel, Trigiani’s 10th, is a gloriously romantic yet sensible world that seamlessly blends practicality and beauty...built around the staggering cultural and social changes the war years swept in.... Trigiani’s very best...exquisite writing and a story enriched by the power of abiding love.
USA Today


If you want to learn how to craft a happy life, skip the self-help books and study the characters in The Shoemaker's Wife.  Here, as she does in much of her writing, Adriana Trigiani focuses on love, friendship and family, the kind you're born into and the kind you create when your own family isn't available.... As we learn from her story, we're responsible for our creating our own happiness.... Trigiani gives us a road map to a happy life. You'll have trouble putting this novel down.
Richmond Times-Dispatch


Italian teenagers Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravanelli feel an instant romantic connection when they first meet in the Alps in 1908, but their budding relationship is interrupted when Ciro must quickly leave Italy after learning a local priest's shameful secret. The two meet again years later in New York City, where Ciro works as an apprentice to a shoemaker and Enza enjoys the elegant life of a seamstress at the opulent Metropolitan Opera. The couple's trials continue as the story takes them to the harsh winters of Minnesota and through the horrors of two world wars, helping them both finally to realize fully the true value of love and family. While her plot is somewhat predictable, popular novelist Trigiani (Lucia, Lucia) has created two immensely likable main characters, and it's a particular pleasure to root for Enza, a caring but independent woman who loves Ciro but also has dreams of her own. Verdict: Trigiani's gift for using vivid details to create a strong sense of place and her warm affection for her characters will make this a satisfying read for her many fans. —Mara Bandy, Champaign P.L., IL
Library Journal


This expansive epic, which seems tailor-made for a miniseries, manages to feel both old-fashioned and thoroughly contemporary...[an] irresistible love story.
Booklist