The Shoemaker's Wife

by Adriana Trigiani

The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. At the turn of the last century, when Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza's family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.

Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso.

From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever.

Lush and evocative, told in tantalizing detail and enriched with lovable, unforgettable characters, The Shoemaker's Wife is a portrait of the times, the places and the people who defined the immigrant experience, claiming their portion of the American dream with ambition and resolve, cutting it to fit their needs like the finest Italian silk.

This riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write, one inspired by her own family history and the love of tradition that has propelled her body of bestselling novels to international acclaim. Like Lucia, Lucia, The Shoemaker's Wife defines an era with clarity and splendor, with operatic scope and a vivid cast of characters who will live on in the imaginations of readers for years to come.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Romance, Historical, Italy, Audiobook

485 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2012

About the author

Join Adriana Trigiani and the great authors and luminaries of our time on the YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ PODCAST! Available wherever you listen to podcasts: https://linktr.ee/adrianatrigiani

Beloved by millions of readers around the world for her "dazzling" novels (USA Today), Adriana Trigiani is "a master of palpable and visual detail" (Washington Post) and "a comedy writer with a heart of gold" (New York Times). She is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, including her latest, The Good Left Undone- an instant New York Times best seller, Book of the Month pick and People's Book of the Week. Her work is published in 38 languages around the world. An award-winning playwright, television writer/producer and filmmaker, Adriana's screen credits include writer/director of the major motion picture of her debut novel, Big Stone Gap, the adaptation of her novel Very Valentine and director of Then Came You. Adriana grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she co-founded The Origin Project, an in-school writing program serving over 2,700 students in Appalachia. She is at work on her next novel for Dutton at Penguin Random House.

Follow Adriana on Facebook and Instagram @AdrianaTrigiani and on TikTok @AdrianaTrigianiAuthor or visit her website: AdrianaTrigiani.com.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every once in awhile you have to take a break from the Holocaust books, the slavery sagas and the dysfunctional families... and this, my friends, is the beach read you are looking for. The old Italian-immigrant-comes-to-America-makes-good-intergenerational-story that your preteen daughter could read and write home from camp about! There are no surprises but it makes you happy and you go to sleep at night with no sad sighs or regrets about what this world is coming to. Trigiani is a prolific writer known around the world and I bet it's for just this very reason...I recommend it if you have had enough of pundits, naysayers, "wars on women" and collapsing or near collapsing economies! If nothing else you'll have a craving for good pasta and handsome Italian men.

[TX Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a recent choice by one of the book clubs I belong to and when I heard it was the choice, I was less than thrilled. "Oh, man," I thought. "Not ANOTHER star-crossed lovers book set during the war." I had half a mind to just not read it but decided to force myself to plod through the book and do my duty as a responsible book club member.

Well, I was NOT prepared to be sucked into the story like I was and to discover that I really liked this book. The characters were strong, complex, and likable. The locations described in the book, especially the mountain villages of Italy and New York City around the time of WWI practically deserved to be considered characters in their own right as the story unfolded.

Subplots are rich with details of the lives of Italian-American immigrants interwoven with actual historical figures such as the opera singer, Caruso. This is NOT a sappy love story. It is NOT a bodice-ripper romance. What it IS is a beautiful story of love and family devotion and the dream of a better life.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there’s one book that should be on your summer reading list, it’s The Shoemaker’s Wife. It isn’t just a book; it’s an experience. It’s a slow, beautiful, compelling story with which you can’t help but feel involved and enamoured.

No matter what chapter you are on in this book, the setting is always lush and evocative. The Italian Alps captured me during the first half of the book and America, specifically New York, came to life during the latter half. The story follows two main characters—Enza and Ciro—who both lead different lives but their paths delicately begin to intertwine. Their personalities jump off the pages in different ways; Enza is the strong, stoic young woman who is deeply family-minded but also has a will of her own while Ciro is just like a lovable teddy bear. Ciro is a fantastic character. He’s handsome, funny, charismatic, and yet (of course) he carries his own burdens. Full of life and Italian zest, Ciro strives to come to terms with his past and find solace in his future. Meanwhile, Enza learns how to survive in New York City with the help of a steady friend and her own unparalleled sewing skills.

Midway through the book, I thought that the story was progressing at a slow pace, but I soon realized that’s exactly what it was meant to do. It’s like taking a leisurely passeggiata. One doesn’t simply rush through it; one enjoys the surroundings and the quiet company. This book means to have you spend some real time with Enza and Ciro respectively, rather than rushing through climactic plot points. Ultimately it is this strong relationship that you build with the characters and the setting that makes the read a memorable one.

When I read, I never actually register that I am holding a book in my hands and am engaging with words; I simply become one with the story. The Shoemaker’s Wife took this involvement to a whole new level whereby long after I had finished, I still felt very much connected to Enza and Ciro and the taste of the Italian Alps lingered in my mind.

If my endorsement doesn’t do it for you, take it from Kathryn Stockett (author of The Help)—this book is “Utterly splended!”

[Christy Woods · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author, clearly, did her research before writing this book; and she put every tidbit of research into the novel. It was very descriptive, even when a description was not necessary. There were so many wasted words. There were ideas, and characters, and actions that did not move the story forward or enrich the act of reading in any way. I felt that, had the author trimmed the fat, the story may have been tolerable. Tolerable, not good.

“Tolerable” because, frankly speaking, this is a poorly written book. I tried to find a way to excuse the writing. “Maybe this is her first novel,” I told myself. I could definitely excuse a little bad writing if it was her first novel. Nope. It’s her 10th. She should know better.

Aside from the unnecessary descriptive language, Trigiani is bold enough to break Cardinal Writing Rule # 1: Show don’t tell. Now, I’m all about rebels and rule breakers, but it didn’t work in this case. Written in the 3rd person omniscient (is that ever a good idea?), Trigiani tells the reader what the characters are thinking and feeling. The dialogue is often used as an “info dump”, and the characters never show their emotions through their actions. The result: two-dimensional characters buried under a mountain of useless words. I was so unconvinced of the connection between the two lead characters, Enza and Ciro, that it was terribly anti-climactic when they finally decided to give their relationship a chance.


A teacher once told me that some stories are better realized as novels, while others make better scripts or plays. Perhaps, Adriana Trigiani should have written this as a script. I could visualize the story playing out as a Hallmark mini-series, and I probably would watch it. If you enjoy the immigrant experience, and long-winded passages, you might just like this book. I felt so bad about having to write such a negative review (but, hey, I’ve got to be honest) that I was tempted to read something else written by the author in an effort to vindicate her. Sadly, I just couldn’t stand the idea of putting myself through that.

[Michael Bell-Pouradier · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, especially since I'm an avid reader of historical fiction and a friend recommended it. A love story that travels from the Italian Alps across the Atlantic to New York City and to the Iron Range of Minnesota in a sweeping historical novel that spans the first half of the twentieth century? What's not to like, right? Well, the glaring historical and geographical errors that never ceased to pop up, for one thing.

Maybe I'm an anomaly and no one else cares about a minimum level of accuracy in historical fiction, but if you're bothered by errors (and I don't mean artistic license), this novel will give you a headache. Here's a sample of the most egregious errors. I noted several others I've not included, and who knows how many I missed. After all, I know nothing about opera, Minnesota, or how to make shoes. Any one or two of the following could probably be overlooked in an otherwise engaging tale, but by the time you've been smacked over the head by one every twenty or thirty pages, it just gets tedious:

(There may be some spoilers here ... even if they don't give away the story, they might end up spoiling it for you.)

1. Pizzo Camino is not the tallest mountain in the Alps. It's not even the tallest peak in the Italian Alps. That would be Mont Blanc, or Monte Bianco, on the French-Italian border. Off to a good start ...

2. Imagine it: It's 1910, you travel from the Italian Alps to Venice, take a ship from Venice down the Adriatic, around the boot of Italy, across the western Mediterranean, through the Strait of Gibraltar, around Spain and Portugal and across the Bay of Biscay, and up the English Channel, and you dock at Le Havre two days after leaving home. Impossible, right? Of course it's impossible ... 100 years ago or today. Apparently, the author didn't see a problem with this. Maybe she thought Venice is where Genoa is and Le Havre is where Marseille is?

3. You can't make Burgundy in the Italian Alps. Burgundy is a regional appellation, the same way Champagne is. Maybe she was just describing the color?

4. The Hell's [sic] Gate Bridge crosses Hell Gate ... on the East River, not the Hudson. Google Maps is really handy if you're that confused about the geography of the part of your historical novel set in New York.

5. "You know, Ciro, if there's a war, we don't know what side Italy will be on. It could make it very difficult for us here." SIGH In 1916 (when this statement was made by one of the novel's characters) the First World War had been underway for at least a year and a half, and Italy had been in a state of war against Austria-Hungary since May 1915. It was pretty clear to everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic, which side Italy was on in 1916.

6. Would it take you longer than 29 days to travel from the front in northeastern France to Rome, meet your long-lost brother in Rome and catch up over drinks, book a crossing and sail to New York, run into your long-lost love and break up her engagement, meet her father for the first time, get engaged to her, and get married? Yeah, me too. The author apparently doesn't agree. Given how quickly the novel moves in the last chapter, maybe she was just getting us ready for this tempo.

7. Yugoslavians included Serbs and Croats, among others (Bosnians, Montenegrins, Slovenes, etc.) ... and, more importantly, they are not "Baltic beauties." Again, just take a look at a map. "Balkan" and "Baltic" are not the same thing.

8. Boxing Day has no connection to the sport of boxing! The day after Christmas, Boxing Day was traditionally when employers would give their servants a day off and provide them with boxes containing certain goods for their post-Christmas Christmas celebration.

Look, if you're going to write historical fiction — and a novel apparently loosely-based on your own family's story at that — by all means don't write things that will trip up anyone who's taken a history course and is halfway paying attention, or at least hire an editor who knows how to do research.

... And that's not to mention the sometimes stilted writing and the way the author decided to roll an entire decade into the final chapter and speed us to the conclusion as if we were on a runaway train. But that's a different review altogether.

[Phil Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Overly descriptive, is that a bad thing? Sometimes. Sometimes it is so oppressive that you just breeze over the chapter. Sometimes it's kind of lovely. Despite a book where SO MUCH happens, not much happens, you know? I mean, one moment you are in the Italian Alps, the next NYC, then Minnesota. So what. So much happens in the book but is so bogged down in description that the change of scenery just kind of occurs as an incident. Take World War I for example. Though it deeply affects a character, the actual dedication to it in the narrative is like MAYBE 5 pages. Granted, there are some tender moments and a plethora of sadness in the book, particularly toward the end, and yes, sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. The most fascinating part of the story is the era, and the wide-eyed POV of Ciro when he arrives from the simple hills of Italy to the bustle that is the United States, particularly New York City. The era is the most interesting thing in the book.

NOTE: I was also listening to the audio while reading and the abrupt change of narrator from the Italian actress to author Trigiani is AWFUL. The author even skips words!

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part of this story was very good, but it lost steam about halfway through. At first, I enjoyed Trigiani's many descriptions of food, architecture, and scenery. They invoked in me an overwhelming desire to travel to the Italian Alps and eat custard baked by nuns. After a while though, Trigiani's writing style began to get on my nerves. She had the annoying habit of wrapping up significant events from an omniscient future point of view, as though her readers are sitting beside her looking through the yellowing photographs of her family album. Considering Trigiani is writing about her own family, I can see how this happened, but it had the effect of distancing me from the story. What finally pushed me over the edge though was the unbearable rhapsodizing that took over in the last 100 pages of the novel. It was the most cliched and dull mess of wrapping up a novel that I've ever seen. My verdict: read the first 370 pages of this novel and skim the last 100 if you want to keep your eyes from aching from the perpetual rolling motion that is sure to ensue.

[Scarlett Readz and Runz....Through Novel Time & Distance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful novel is an absolutely stunning work of art. A riveting historical epic of love, family, loss, risk and destiny. Just shy of 500 pages, this saga begins in the Italian Alps and takes the reader to Little Italy in NY, the Minnesota Iron Range and the trenches of France. Beautifully written and authentic in artesian charm of its time, the story of two star-crossed lovers and their hardships will make your heart sing, break, and endure with them until they finally find each other….for a little while.

1905 Bergamo, Italy, Caterina Lazzari has to do the unthinkable. She can’t raise her two sons Ciro and Eduardo alone anymore, and drops them off at a convent to live with nuns with the promise to return in a year to pick them back up. As time passes, the boys are mastering different skills. Ciro tends to the fireplaces, milks the cows, makes cheese, chops wood, scrubs wooden floors and shovels coal daily. Eduardo uses his talents in reading and calligraphy, becomes devout and serves as altar boy. Their mother never returns!

Not far from Bergamo, a bit further up in the mountain village of Schilpario, lives Enza, eldest daughter of the Ravenellis with her family and works all the household chores, studies to be a seamstress and helps her dad Marco with his carriage business. But income is very meager.

Ciro and Eduardo become strapping young teenagers. Ciro is sent up the mountain one day, to dig a grave for a funeral. One of Enza’s siblings has passed away. And this is where Ciro meets Enza for the first time. Their ease of conversation and their friendly exchange leaves them both smitten with each other…forever.

Caught witness to something awful at the wrong place and the wrong time, Ciro, as way of eliminating him is to be sent to a work camp. But the nuns love him dearly and put all their money together to get Ciro a ticket of the lowest ship fare to NYC and save him. There, he is to become a shoemaker’s apprentice with a family relative of one of the nuns. He never has a chance to say good-bye to Enza.

Enza’s family is ridden with more hardships. Their landlord isn’t holding up to a bargain that was made years ago, and the family moves to a small other rental home. Their dreams of owning a farm and their own house is ruined. Marco decides to take Enza to America to make money for a year to send back home to make their dreams come true. But Enza gets very sick on the ship and the two of them are separated at NYC harbor. After a long recovery, Enza ends up working in Hoboken NJ at a seamstress factory under the worst conditions. Laura, her supervisor at the factory endures this with Enza and the other girls for a long time, but then decides to take all their savings and work their way to the Opera House in NYC where Enza’s luck and talent begins to flourish.

So the years pass by and both Ciro, Enza and Marco keep working for their dreams. Close in proximity, both in NYC, Ciro’s and Enza’s timing to meet is off….and it continues so for a long time. Ciro goes to War and returns, Enza is successful and almost gets married at the Opera. Marco finally gets to return home and builds that dream home for the family, but will Enza’s and Ciro’s dreams come true? Will they find each other? How about Eduardo and their mother? 


***


Adriana Trigiani superbly masters the palpable and visual details of the different settings in the novel. Scenes and impressions are so vividly brought to life for the senses. The reader can hear the goats in the mountains, smell the ocean in the harbor, immerse into the hustle and bustle of the NYC streets at the turn of the century, feel the grit and soot of the factories as well as experience the glitz and glam of the opera house. Trigiani's writing makes the material feel a reality. The arduous wait and hope for betterment in the NEW World, the unforeseen tragedies happening to the characters and that very long path to love create a tantalizing tug and longing in the reader. It simply is brilliant and deserves the respect with the best of epics.

I loved this novel, if you can’t tell. It reads slow and is mostly void of all the conveniences we have today. There is so much goodness in the people (characters) and that strive to achievement with hard work. Commitment, devotion and endurance were all part of that generation trying to carve their own dominion in the New World. It is that spirit that makes me come back for historical fiction time and time again to lure me into a life lived more simply. Family values, cooking from scratch and taking care of your own is something I have firsthand experienced in Italian families growing up, and this novel holds so true to all I know about Italy and its way of life. 

If you are a lover of historical fiction, clear your calendars, make that great pasta meal to have with wine, start this wonderful family saga and finish it off with some Tiramisu and a cappuccino. Va bene! Rilassati e divertiti! Enjoy!

More reviews here: https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/

[Phrynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly I did not really like this book much. It began well with some nice descriptions of the Italian countryside and the chapters about the brother's life with the nuns were promising. However it then became a long sequence of silly coincidences and overly dramatic relationships and I found myself wishing it to be over. Possibly the worst part was the final section where we suddenly raced through a whole generation being born, growing up and getting married in the space of a few pages. Why? Kathryn Stockett is supposed to have described it as "a rich, sweeping epic." I did not find it rich, sweeping or epic, just another book which needed to be a lot shorter than it was.

[Gail Jorgensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book starting in Italy going to New Jersey then New York City most of it taking place before I was born.How tough times were and rent was $1.00 a month can't even by a loaf of bread for that now days.There were times my tears kept me from reading the words but loved every word and wanted more when it ended.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put The Shoemaker's Wife down. It's a great love story, set in early 20th century America and 19th century Italy. Finally, a book about early Italian immigrants that does not involve the mafia. 2012, off to a good start!

Enza and Ciro, whose story is based on the true romance of the author's grandparents, grow up just a few miles apart from each other in the mountains of Northern Italy. Both are poor, but talented. Ciro is a handsome hard worker, the village Romeo, but also good with his wits. Enza is a talented seamstress, but more than that, she's the glue that holds her family together. The smart, level-headed one with the head for business. Poverty and bouts with injustice force both to go to America at the same time, but he settles in Manhattan, and she in Hoboken. Enza's talents eventually land her a job sewing costumes at the Metropolitan Opera for the Great Caruso, one of Italy's finest singers. Ciro learns how to make shoes and succeeds in business. But still, for about 75% of the book, the "wife" part of the title remains unfulfilled. That's probably for the best, as the most enjoyable parts of the story are really the Enza/Ciro sort-of-love-affair. You know they're destined to be together, but circumstance keeps pulling them apart. They find and lose each other for years before they finally tie the knot, and even then, it's an uncertain thing.

As I said, the first three quarters of the book, the story of the couple and their love affair, is the best part. It probably could have ended nicely with their marriage and an epilogue. Instead, Trigiani decides to drag it out for several more decades, and without the pushing of the ill-fated love affair, the story loses a lot of its tension. Still, Trigiani is a skilled writer and she does a good job evoking the eras that you're travelling in. Even if you're just coasting to the conclusion, it's a nice ride.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I suspected this book had very little by way of plot from the beginning, but I stuck with it because of the lovingly written scenery porn. Indeed, I was nearly halfway through before I realized it was hopeless. What a dull, saccharine, implausible, frothy piece of fluff. This book is enjoyed by the kind of people who write letters to the editor complaining that the news is too depressing, and can't they print more happy stories?

Some of the most formative periods in the characters' lives are unceremoniously skipped (the entirety of World War I lasts less than a chapter), and they only way we're supposed to know that the characters were affected by these events is with a few explanatory sentences after the fact. In the meal of plot, Trigiani skips the meat and potatoes and goes right to the after dinner mints.

I'm not even going to start on the absurdities of the romance that is the foundation of the book, so I'll just say this: if a man who has previously admitted that he is not very committed to you and with whom you've spent a cumulative two days over the course of ten years asks you to run away with him on the day you're to be married to a man who treats you like a queen, in whose company you are always happy, and will support you while you pursue your dream career - I'm pretty sure I'd laugh in the interloper's face before gleefully sashaying down the aisle.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tap your heels three times and repeat “I believe in coincidence.” What, you say you don’t believe coincidence exists? Well, you won’t like this story, then, because every other chapter gives you a new implausible coincidence to ponder. Sadly, even those parts of the book that do not depend on coincidence are implausible. Ms. Trigiani writes some nice descriptions of the Alps and the Metropolitan Opera. In fact, her settings are far more real than her characters.

This book reminded me of those Barbara Taylor Bradford books we used to read back in the 1970’s when we were convincing ourselves that true love was around the corner and the working world was just waiting to reward us for our cleverness and work ethic. I suspect those who love this book are young and a tad romantic. Or, perhaps I am just old and cynical.

I will not read anything else by this author and must confess to being a bit amazed that I was able to continue reading to the end of this one. It probably did not help that I just finished a book that was remarkable in both content and style and the comparison was unavoidable.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written in such a fashion, it read like a movie. The description used to illustrate every movement allowed the movie to continue to play throughout my mind on every page. I fell in love with each of the characters, and their stories. It was so good, I read it in 4 days, staying up until 3 A.M. to find out what happened next!

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

An epic tale about leaving the old country to set up life in the new, with all the uncertainty, hard work, devotion and spirit of adventure that it entailed.

When Enza and Ciro meet in the mountains of Italy they are young teenagers growing up in a culture at once rich with history and humble in its simplicity. Different circumstances drive them to leave their homes and set out for the land of opportunity across the ocean. How they meet and part, and part and meet is the substance of the story, and in their lives we come to understand the courageous journey of the immigrant, a journey which most of us will find was taken in some form by ourselves or our ancestors.

It is a hearty tale, neither floating over reality nor becoming bogged down in its detail, incorporating the ups and downs, the loves and struggles of life lived well. One understands what it is to have one’s heart back in the mountains of Italy and at the same time throw one’s all into this new land of opportunity born of hard work. We see sorrowful but necessary departures, the daunting excitement of new beginnings, the need to be daring and inventive and to aim high, and the struggle to bear difficult conditions with patience and hope.

We see lives buffeted and yet somehow made stronger by suffering, with all kinds of hardships from the mundane to the extraordinary. Each character must face their own battles, and yet we see that they are also willing to share each other's burdens to make them lighter.

This is because friendship, love and family are at the heart of this story, on their own these characters could not survive, but together they can win through all. Friendship is based on true self-giving, and the life-giving romance at the centre of the story puts to shame all shallow imitations. We are taken through the struggles of life that can help love to grow, and we understand the importance of family which – even with loss and hardship – is loved and treasured above all.

We also see characters making mistakes and bad choices, and are impressed as they are confronted with forgiveness. Ciro’s young adult life is quite free with women because he doesn’t yet know how to seek the happiness he yearns for. The scenes fade to black, but there is a tone of acceptance for his liberal attitude which, while loose for his own time, would be quite normal by today’s standards. But once he puts his priorities in order he devotes himself to a new life in a way that is both realistic and convincing.

Enza’s commitment to the principles of her parents is in large part cultural, and while ideally it would be lived with deeper conviction, at least in those times culture worked to preserve virtue rather than destroy it.

The story has a beautiful sense of culture which is both appreciated by and contributed to by the immigrants. We meet the great Caruso and fall in love with his music, which for him is life itself. We share the joy of Enza’s discovery of the classics of English literature as she works to improve her language with the help of her young Irish friend. Then there’s Enza’s creativity with her work as a costume seamstress for the opera and the opportunities she wins to socialise with the cultural elite. And even Ciro’s devotion to the art of shoemaking helps one to appreciate this art form anew.

In the Italian background we are shown a cultural faith, as though looking at spiritual devotion from the outside and not understanding it deeply. We meet two very different priests, one at the beginning of the story whose actions lead to scandal, and another later on who is noble and honourable and has given his life to the service of God. The former hurt me a great deal, because it is as though a family member who I hold dear has been tainted by fiction. This type of fiction – based on stereotypical scandal – can only do harm, even if it is not developed very far. It makes me reluctant to recommend this book, though there is so much of value in the rest of the story.

That element aside, the main focus of the story is the immigrant’s contribution to our past, a contribution filled with effort, sacrifice and generosity, honour, dignity and love, vision, patience and hope. It is a journey, a history, to be pondered, a layer of the past that enriches and dignifies our present and awakens an appreciation that can inspire our future. www.GoodReadingGuide.com

(Thank you to the author for supplying an advanced copy, and to Lisa for organising it!)

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

At some points in this book, I was really gripped and couldn't put it down and at others I didn't want to pick it up as I felt it was dragging.

Overall, it was fine.

Three stars.

[Lydia Presley · Rating 5 out of 5]

One word summary of this book: HELLO!

Seriously, The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani just seriously took every one of my expectations of Adriana (from reading previous novels of hers) and slapped them around and made me sit up and pay attention. The Shoemaker's Wife, folks, is how a historical story about immigration should be done.

I don't even know where to begin with my review - but let me say this.. this story is so rich in background that by the time the shoemaker gets his wife, I felt as if I knew both Enza and Ciro like they were members of my own family. And, as this story is inspired from Adriana's grandparents story, it's easy to see why this story lives and breathes on the pages.

There is so much for everyone in this book. The descriptions of Enzo and Sister Theresa's cooking had me wiping away the drool - aching for the gnocchi with sage and butter sauce. I cried, laughed, and sighed over the story as it moves over the course of about 30 years. And then.. the immigration - so vivid, I felt as if I was on Ellis Island with both families, and yet I longed for the mountains and the life they'd left behind as well.

This is a perfect book club read - it's lavish, beautiful, and filled with a little bit of every type of perfection.

[Felicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe before I was a discerning goodreads reviewer I might have given this book 3 stars. Nah, not even then. Pollyanna that I am, I could not suspend disbelief to allow for all the "random happenings" (Enza and Chiro meeting in St. Vincent's, and Chiro just happening to return from WWI to find Enza on the day of her wedding!). The dialogue was stilted, the characters one dimensional and the writing -manipulative (don't try to pull on my heartstrings!). The author should NOT have narrated the second half of this audiobook. She is a horrific reader. This might appeal to those who are homesick for Italy, but for me, not so much.....I would have put the book down if I had to actually read it. Listening made it tolerable - and there were those times that I thought- REALLY?????

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story and I can appreciate all the research that went into creating this master piece of reading enjoyment. This was not a book I would normally pick out to read and the cover suggests something my wife might read, but I really enjoyed it. A real love story! And that's coming from a guy who would rather read about guy stuff, you know, guns, cars, & etc.

[Taury · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani The book was okay. It had a lovely true love story involved. It was sad in places. But it was long. I never really connected with it.

[Ro Givens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigiani is brilliant with description - the food, the clothes, the scenery - and I really enjoyed this part (even if I can't stand Thomas Hardy!). And I loved the nuns. However, the storytelling and dialogue were a roller coaster of great to mediocre. Lots of telling, very little showing, conversations that were just awkward, and obvious plot movements. You have a line like "At long last, he understood his mother. The veneer had always been the thing that held her up." followed by "The surface had been strong, but beneath it, who knew?" Every time I thought this is getting good something would bring me back out of it. This is a summer/beach read on an epic scale, but not a book that will affect you deeply, though I can see the appeal as a getaway read as long as you don't mind sadness at the end. I did like the story and felt the Minnesota part was particularly good (maybe because the pace picked up) even though that seems to be the part most reviewers don't like.

Hated. the. last. chapter.

Overall, it will make you really hungry, want to take up sewing, and travel to more beautiful places.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first thing you notice about Adriana Trigiani's newest novel, The Shoemaker's Wife, is the stunning cover. A gorgeous woman in a tangerine colored gown strikes a dramatic pose against a wallpapered print that evokes the beauty of an Italian village. The first time I saw it, it literally took my breath away.

I have read many of Trigiani's books, starting with the Big Stone Gap series, through the Valentine series, stand alone books like Rococco, and her non-fiction book about her grandmothers titled Don't Sing at the Table, and enjoyed them all, but all of the those books so clearly led her to write this masterpiece, her best book yet, The Shoemaker's Wife.

Some writers are better at story (John Grisham, for example), others excel at writing memorable characters; in my mind, no author is better than Trigiani at writing the setting of the story. We fell in love with the small town of Big Stone Gap in Virginia and all of the wonderful people who lived there. In the Valentine series, we were a part of Greenwich Village, and made unforgettable visits to the Italy and Argentina.

Trigiani's writing is so vivid and visual, you can picture each setting so clearly in your mind, you feel like you've taken a trip there yourself. Clothing, shoes and interior design have also played a part in many of her books, and I have often lamented that there were no illustrations of the beautiful things that were being described.

In The Shoemaker's Wife, we begin early in the 20th century in the Italian Alps, both beautiful and dangerous. Young Ciro Lazzari and his older brother Eduardo are being sent to a convent following the death of their father, who was working in a mine in America. Their grieving mother was unable to to care for them.

At the convent, Ciro learned to work with his hands, doing all of the chores that the nuns needed. Eduardo took to the prayer and ritual of religious life. The relationship between the brothers is so well-written; they were very different from and yet devoted to each other.

Young Enza lived with her family on the mountain. They did not have much money, but her father scraped out a living ferrying people up and down the mountain with his horse and carriage.

Ciro meets Enza when he is sent to dig a grave for Enza's young sister who died tragically. They share time together and a special connection is made between the two. Ciro runs afoul of the local priest when he sees him in an embrace with a young girl. The priest wants Ciro gone, and the nuns send him to America.

Enza and her father also emigrate to America to make enough money to send home to build a family home. They are sad to leave their family behind, but know that if they work hard and save all their money, they will return home soon.

Ciro becomes a shoemaker's apprentice in Greenwich Village. Enza works in a clothing factory, a sweatshop where she makes a lifelong friend in Irish immigrant Laura. Over the years, Ciro and Enza run into each other, and although they both have feelings for each other, they are kept apart for many reasons.

Enza and Laura get the opportunity of a lifetime when they are chosen to work as seamstresses at the Metropolitan Opera. Enza's creativity gets her noticed, and she is thrilled to be able to design for Enrico Caruso, the international star of the Met.

This section of the novel soars. The excitement of New York City, the grandeur of the opera house, the lovely boarding house where Enza and Laura live, the gorgeous costumes they create- I was swept away with the beauty of it all.

Enza and Ciro are star-crossed lovers, but you can tell by the title of the book that they are fated to be together. They are hard-working immigrants and when an opportunity to make a better life in Minnesota arises, they take it.

These characters are based in part on Trigiani's grandparents. Reading this book will encourage many people to talk to their grandparents and great-grandparents, to hear their stories, which are probably very similiar. Isn't it funny how we never think of our grandparents as young people, in love and trying to build a life, but they are precisely the people who built our country.

Trigiani hits the nail on the head with her depiction of Enza and Ciro's marriage; it isn't always easy, no matter how much in love they are. There is one scene near the end that takes place among Ciro, Enza and their son that just broke my heart, and the beauty and sadness of it was both private and universal at the same time.

She writes so many thoughtful passages; as the mother of two sons, this one particularly touched me:
"A man need his father more as life progresses, not less. It is not enough to learn how to use a lathe, milk a cow, repair a roof; there are greater holes to mend, deeper wells to fill, that only a father's wisdom can sustain. A father teaches his son how to think a problem through, how to lead a household, how to love his wife. A father sets an example for his son, building his character from the soul outward."
The Shoemaker's Wife is Adriana Trigiani's most magnificent work yet. As beautiful on the inside as the cover is on the outside, it moved me immensely. This is the book I will put into all of my family and friends' hands, saying "you must read this!"

[Ena u zemlji knjiga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman koji se proteže na preko 500 strana prati sudbinu dvoje ljudi od njihovog ranog i teškog djetinjstva pa do poznih godina. Prvi dio romana smješten je u malo selo u Italiji početkom XX stoljeća, dok su naredna dva smještena u Ameriku. Roman je prepun divnih opisa koji su na odličan način dočarali vrijeme o kojem autorica govori. Kao da sam cijeli roman provela negdje uz likove, posmatrajući ih sa strane. Na pojedinim dijelovima sam se morala rastužiti zbog teških trenutaka koji su ih pratili, a na nekim sam se radovala kada bi im se nešto dobro dogodilo. Likovi su odlično okarakterizirani, kroz roman jasno pratimo njihovo sazrijevanje, njihove osjećaje i dileme koje ih prate. Neću pisati o samoj radnji kako ne bih otkrila previše jer preporučujem obavezno čitanje :) vjerujem da će mnoge oduševiti kako divni opisi i rekonstrukcija vremena, tako i apsolutno predivna ljubavna priča koja ovaj roman čini posebnim.

[Insh · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Beware the things of this world that can mean everything or nothing.”

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shoemaker’s Wife was actually my first Adriana Trigiani novel. I know, I know, I call myself a book nerd and I have never before read anything by this highly talented and bestselling author. I’m so terrible. But, honestly, none of her books seemed to grab my attention before, so I never made the plunge. The blurb for Shoemaker’s Wife, combined with the captivating cover, intrigued me. I just had to learn more. What I discovered was a delightful story that left me wanting to read more of Trigiani’s novels.

The Shoemaker’s Wife is a sweeping tale of love, life and the many things that can pull people apart –and bring them together. The story begins in a small town in Italy when a young man named Ciro is banished from his town and heads to America to find a new life. He soon takes up residence as a shoe repairman in the Little Italy area of New York, and finds that America holds many beautiful young women. A young woman from Ciro’s same village who harbors a long-time love for him, Enza, also comes to Little Italy. And though Ciro has never seemed to have any affection for her before, he finds himself drawn to her.

Trigiani’s newest novel is a powerful tale of Italian immigrants, romance and the real hardships of life –and the ability of the human spirit to overcome it all. Though I read an ARC of the book, the writing style was incredibly strong and polished, and though the novel was a rather large tome, it went quickly and comfortably. I found myself completely engrossed in this fascinating tale, though this isn’t usually the type of thing I read.

At times heartbreaking and heartwarming, The Shoemaker’s Wife is a beautiful and sweeping tale that will keep readers glued to every page. I became so invested in these characters and their lives that they became real to me, and I celebrated their triumphs with them and shed tears for their hardships. A truly glorious read.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, engrossing, substantial story about two Italians, Enza and Ciro, that immigrate separately to the United States. They first meet as teens in Italy and are reunited later in New York City. The story in Italy involves both of their families and some major episodes in their early lives. We see them travel, make friends, and establish themselves. The book is a family saga involving births, deaths, courtships, marriages, deep friendships, and all the hallmarks of a life.

The writing is beautifully descriptive. I particularly enjoyed the vivid portrayals of the experience at Ellis Island and the Metropolitan Opera. I could picture the serenity of the Italian Alps and the activity of New York City. I came to care for the two main characters and thought their friends were well-portrayed. Both stories were filled with fascinating people. I thought the first two-thirds more successful than the final third of the book. After a somewhat leisurely pace, it seemed to race to the finish. An epilogue might have better served to wrap up the loose ends. It would have benefited from research or a history-related proof-reading to fix prominent historical inaccuracies. They appeared to originate more from a lack of research than any plot-related necessity. Some may be easier to ignore than others. Though a romantic relationship is part of the plot, it is much more wide-ranging in scope than a traditional romance.

I listened to the newest audio version of the book. Orlagh Cassidy, the reader, did an excellent job. She was required to quickly switch between a variety of Italian, American, and Irish accents as well as distinguish between many male and female characters. The audio entertained me on a driving trip for over 18 hours, and I was eager to hear what Enza and Ciro were up to next.

Recommended to those that enjoy family sagas and anyone interested in the immigrant experience of the early 1900’s in the United States.

[Moony Eliver · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Shoemaker's Wife held the potential for noteworthiness at the beginning. Adriana Trigiani is great at PLACE — her vivid descriptions adeptly enabled me to picture, hear, smell, even taste the scene I was reading. I saw early glimmers of conflict and it seemed like the coming story would be robust.

It tried to be? I'm sure the early book outline promised an epic tale, spanning decades and continents, generations and travails. But the execution was lacking. It leaned on description and sacrificed characterization. The portrayal was overly sentimental, everyone cared about each other the absolute most, the peoples and places were exquisitely beautiful, etc. It was exasperating and I couldn't wait for it to be over. (Had I not been reading as a commute audiobook, I would have DNFed midway through.) Plot points that could have — should have — been emotional didn't land for me at all. Too much "This Bad Thing Happened" but surrounded by trite, prettified narrative that sucked out the lifeblood and grit.

Maybe there are times that third person omniscient works really well. If so, this wasn't one of them — the more the author relied on that POV to tell me things she hadn't made me feel, the more annoyed I got.

Also. Also! I don't think kids said "what's the skinny" in 1930?? I'm not a stickler for zero anachronisms, but that one was like a bucket of cold water. [From my cursory etymological search, it seems likely that it come along not too long after that, so it's older than I assumed. But still.] To be fair, by that point it had already lost me anyway.

1.75 stars

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those historical fiction romance's that people either hate or love, depending on what side of historical truth and super detailed description, you happen to fall on. For me, I'm not a history buff so the lack of accuracy isn't a problem and if you've read any of my other reviews, you know I love well placed descriptive stokes. So 4 stars.

The author is committed to painting a pretty picture. So she manipulated things to make that happen. The title is a little perplexing. She isn't the MC; but it is a "pretty" title. This was mostly a story about her husband.

I liked the characters. They were kind of lovable. I was pulled right into the story of 2 little boys abandoned by their mother who was ill and could not care for them. I loved the descriptions of Italy. Overall this was a sweet story with a nice big bow at the end. Now I did have a few dislikes. The biggest one was the over use of the some awfully convenient conveniences. People just miraculously showed up, not just once or twice, but multiple times.

[Gabrielė|Kartu su knyga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Italijos Alpėse - įsikūręs Vilminorės kaimelis. Dailaus bei darbštaus vaikino Čiro gimtinė. Visai netoli jo gyvena ir Enca. Taip pat be galo darbšti, paslaugi bei nuoširdi mergina. Nors ir netiesiogiai, tačiau Encos ir Čiro gyvenimai persipynė dar vaikystėje, tačiau jaunuolių keliai susikirto tik daug vėliau. Tik susitikus, tarp jų įsižiebė kibirkštis.
Ne viskas taip paprasta ir likimas yra paruošęs dar ne vieną išbandymą.
Čiras užsitraukia vietinio kunigo nemalonę ir yra ištremiamas į Ameriką, o Italijoje likusi Enca savo dienas leidžia apimta liūdesio..
Čiras Niujorke mokosi batsiuvio amato. O Encos šeimą užklumpa sunkūs laikai, tad ir ji netikėtai išvyksta į Ameriką...

Labai vaizdingas bei įtraukiantis pasakojimas apie du jaunuolius bei jų šeimų gyvenimus.
Jautrus pasakojimas, kuriame džiugesio ir linksmų akimirkų nebuvo daug.
Pati knyga labai daugiasluoksnė ir apimanti daug temų. Tad ir skaityti nebuvo nuobodu, tačiau kartais mane aplankydavo jausmas, jog vietomis autorės buvo kiek per daug išsiplėsta. Tad mano akimis, iatorija galėjo būti ir šiek tiek trumpesnė. Nepaisant to, šis romanas man tikrai patiko.
"Batsiuvio žmona" patiks lėto skaitymo skaitytojams.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purple prose monster alert:


This is the first paragraph:
The scalloped hem of Caterina Lazzari’s blue velvet coat grazed the fresh-fallen snow, leaving a pale pink path on the bricks as she walked across the empty piazza. The only sound was the soft, rhythmic sweep of her footsteps, like hands dusting flour across an old wooden cutting board.

And on and on the descriptions continue throughout the book. Some might call the book lush or descriptive, but for me it was just too much. Scenery details are great, but when more time is spent on the details than on the story itself we have a serious problem. There were things that could have been better developed, like the love story. The purpose of the book was to tell this great love story, but instead this plot line came second to everything else. There was too much telling and not enough showing. I felt like they married because they both had some experiences in common rather than they were actually in love.

The thing is the story was a good one. The characters were developed really well, although I think Enza could use more some more airtime being that the book’s title implies she is the focus of the book. Which brings me to another point…the title of the book is rather misleading. The whole shoemaking bit doesn’t take place till more than halfway into the story and it doesn’t define the story. I’m also resentful that Enza is even described as The Shoemaker’s Wife because her character is much more than that. Why spend time developing her into a hardworking, independent female to then define her as the shoemaker’s wife? It makes no sense.

What Trigani does do well is relate the immigrant experience. The book is divided into three parts. The first part describes Ciro’s and Enza’s childhoods in Italy, the second part is their individual American experience and the third part is life after marriage. While I really enjoyed the first and second parts of the story, the third part lagged for me. Somehow the story lost a bit of its luster during this part. By the end I was ready for the conclusion because I felt like Trigani was starting to stretch the story to wrap up all threads in a warm and happy box. There is nothing wrong with a feel good type of book, but this particular story had so many clichés, coincidences and plain old cheese that it put most Hallmark movies to shame. In case you don’t know…I effin’ hate Hallmark movies. >:(

So while I enjoyed parts of this book I didn’t enjoy the whole thing. I found myself skimming much of the over descriptive paragraphs and suspending belief every time a coincidence happened. I recommend this for readers who like their Hallmark movies in book form.