The Shoemaker's Wife (Paperback) by Adriana Trigiani

About the Book

A breathtaking multigenerational love story that spans two continents, two World Wars, and the quest of two star-crossed lovers to find each other again.

Book Synopsis

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani returns with the most epic and ambitious novel of her career--a breathtaking multigenerational love story that spans two continents, two World Wars, and the quest of two star-crossed lovers to find each other again. The Shoemaker's Wife is replete with the all the page-turning adventure, sumptuous detail, and heart-stopping romance that has made Adriana Trigiani, "one of the reigning queens of women's fiction" (USA Today). Fans of Trigiani's sweeping family dramas like Big Stone Gap and Lucia, Lucia will love her latest masterpiece, a book Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, calls "totally new and completely wonderful: a rich, sweeping epic which tells the story of the women and men who built America dream by dream."

From the Back Cover

The fateful first meeting of Enza and Ciro takes place amid the haunting majesty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the last century. Still teenagers, they are separated when Ciro is banished from his village and sent to hide in New York's Little Italy, apprenticed to a shoemaker, leaving a bereft Enza behind. But when her own family faces disaster, she, too, is forced to emigrate to America. Though destiny will reunite the star-crossed lovers, it will, just as abruptly, separate them once again--sending Ciro off to serve in World War I, while Enza is drawn into the glamorous world of the opera . . . and into the life of the international singing sensation Enrico Caruso. Still, Enza and Ciro have been touched by fate--and, ultimately, the power of their love will change their lives forever.

A riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny, inspired by the author's own family history, The Shoemaker's Wife is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write.

Review Quotes

...an old-fashioned, romantic tale of two star-tangled lovers...but also a paean to artisanal work, food, friendship and family...Trigiani is a master of palpable and visual detail.--Washington Post

"[A] great read....Bella."--People

"I've always loved reading Trigiani, but [this] is something totally new and completely wonderful: a rich, sweeping epic which tells the story of the women and men who built America dream by dream. If you're meeting her work for the first time, get ready for a lifelong love affair. Splendid."--Kathryn Stockett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Help

"Pure pleasure . . . full-bodied and elegantly written."--Washington Post Book World

"The breathtaking... historical novel sparkles in exquisite details and vivid descriptions."--Huffington Post

"The novel is a sweeping epic, but at its heart, it's a love story. It speaks to an era of possibilities."--Providence 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

"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."--Library Journal

"Trigiani's page-turning newest... is a sweeping saga... More than an epic romance, Trigiani's work pays homage to the tribulations of the immigrant experience, and the love that makes the journey and hardships worthwhile."--Publishers Weekly

"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

"You'll have trouble putting this novel down."--Richmond Times-Dispatch