The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

'An old-fashioned, romantic tale of two star-tangled lovers. 'Completely wonderful: a rich, sweeping epic which tells the story of the women and men who built America dream by dream' Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help exquisite writing and a story enriched by the power of abiding love' USA Today But it is already too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in the war, and Enza has a new job at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of international singing sensation Enrico Caruso.įrom 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, The Shoemaker's Wife defines an era with operatic scope and splendour, in this breathtaking multigenerational love story that spans decades and continents as two star-crossed lovers weave their paths to each other. Unbeknownst to one another, Ciro is later a shoemaker and Enza is working in a factory in nearby Hoboken when fate reunites them. Enza is bereft, but her life too is about to change.

Stumbling onto a scandal, Ciro is sent to hide in America and work as apprentice in Little Italy. Shortly afterward, their lives go in different directions. Though they live just a few miles apart in the Italian Alps during childhood, their first meeting occurs when they are teenagers.

'Trigiani is a master of palpable and visual detail' Washington PostĪ sweeping epic of risk and destiny, of family, and of the power of love to change lives foreverĪt the turn of the last century, Ciro, a young dreamer raised in a convent orphanage, and Enza, a practical girl born into poverty, meet as teenagers in the Italian Alps. The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani is the historical love story of Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravanelli.