The Shoemaker's Wife

Amid the unforgettable grandeur of the majestic Italian Alps, two teenagers meet for the first time. Enza is the eldest daughter in a large and very poor family, and Ciro is a half-orphan left to live by his mother at a convent. Somehow, Enza allowed an unfamiliar boy to kiss her—and that kiss was nothing like anything in their lives. Enza is the best seamstress in Skilpario; perhaps she can mend Ciro’s broken heart?… But fate separates them: first Ciro, and then Enza, are forced to leave their native places and, separately, cross the ocean to faraway, unknown America. While Ciro, after getting a job as an apprentice, learns the trade of shoemaker, Enza goes to work in a factory. Their paths cross again only to diverge once more: Ciro has enlisted as a volunteer soldier and goes to World War I, and Enza firmly decides to build her life without him. She begins her career as a seamstress in the Metropolitan Opera; diligence and talent lift her upward, and this unexpected path leads her to a meeting with the great Enrico Caruso… Their life story will be full of unexpected turns, temptations, hardships, happy moments, friendship, and love—an epic love that does not fade in the face of long separations. They will carry it across two continents and two world wars, through the brilliance and poverty of New York and the pastoral beauty of Italy. Elegant and generous, rich in enchanting painting-like details, Adriana Trigiani’s style plunges you headfirst into a world of deep feelings—an inspiring story of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny.