Book Review: The Shoemaker's Wife

The Shoemaker's Wife

By: Adriana Trigiani

Published By: Harper

Publication Date: April 3, 2012

Page Count: 448

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided Publisher for TLC Book Tours

Audience: Adult - Historical Fiction

Having never read Adriana Trigiani's work before I had no idea what to expect from this novel. I love well done historical fiction and the book had been blurbed by Kathryn Stockett so I decided to give this one a try. I never expected to fall in love so deeply. The Shoemaker's Wife is a masterpiece - a gorgeous work of art filled with love, loss, and family. This novel consumed every waking moment for me until I savored the last delicious sentence. Trigiani's prose is gorgeous and her descriptions are so vivid that the reader feels as if they are living alongside the characters. How could you not love a book that reads like this: "The quarter moon peeked through the alpine trees like a snip of pink ribbon in the purple night sky" (pg. 147). 

The Shoemaker's Wife is a sweeping love story that spans decades and continents. Ciro, is left with the nuns at a convent high in the Italian Alps, when his mother can no longer care for him and his older brother. Ciro longs for a family and spends his life trying to find his true love. In a town nearby, Enza is the oldest of a large Italian family. She watches as her parents struggle to make ends meet and to keep every mouth fed. Ciro and Enza end up meeting by chance when tragedy strikes; they have no idea how their lives will be entwined from that moment forward. Destiny often works in mysterious ways. Ciro reflects this thinking better than I could explain it: "Ciro had begun to notice the overlapping themes of his life. The seemingly disparate pieces of his experience weren't so separate after all. Happenstance and accidents didn't seem so random ... He figured that all the threads of his experience would eventually be sewn together, taking shape in harmony and form to create a glorious work of art. But who would sew those pieces together? Who would make him whole?" (pg. 127). 

I was reminded while reading this novel that human lives are connected in so many unexpected manners and that often love must wait until the time is right. My husband and I rotated around one another's lives and social circles for years before we finally met one another. Looking back on our story, I know that if we had met before we did things might not have worked out between us. I needed to grow and learn who I was before I could truly appreciate him. I have always been a firm believer in fate and I appreciate seeing my own thoughts reflected in fiction. 

One of my favorite things about this novel is the strong sense of place and culture. Trigiani does a beautiful job of transporting the reader to the Italian Alps in the early 1900's and the United States in the  WWI era. These are two elements that I do not know much about beyond the basics so I learned a lot. I appreciated getting to know more about what life was like for Italian immigrants during this time period. I found it interesting that there were numerous immigrants from Southern Italy, but few Northern Italians flocked to the American shores. I wonder what made this so. Furthermore, I enjoyed getting glimpses of the Ellis Island arrivals. I remember being interested in that element of history when I visited the location as a teenager. I couldn't begin to imagine the emotions people must have felt when they left the boat and stood on American soil for the first time. Class conflict and the quest to obtain the American Dream are dominant threads throughout this novel.

Another element I love about this novel is the characters. Ciro and Enza provide inspiration - life is not easy for them, but their perseverance is admirable. Their stories are compelling and I have to admit that I am saddened that I won't get to spend time with them anymore. This is a novel that I would reread just to linger with them for a bit longer. Both of these characters became real for me and provided many lessons. Ciro's constant motto - "Beware the things of this world that can mean everything or nothing" (pg. 114) will continue to repeat throughout my mind. The whole idea of it intrigues me. 

In addition, another element that makes this novel so compelling is the fact that the author used her family history as inspiration. I have always been interested in my own family histories so I found myself incredibly drawn to this book for that reason alone. Knowing that elements of the story were inspired by real people and their real experiences lends a bit of magic to an already solid story.

The Shoemaker's Wife reads like a quilt - it is a collection of stories tied together with the threads of love and family - each little detail is important to the larger piece. It is truly a thing of beauty.

One Last Gripe: I have no complaints except that this one made me cry in a few parts.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The writing - I know I've said it before but it is beautiful - I am in awe of Adriana Trigiani's use of language

First Sentence: 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.

Favorite Character: Enza

Least Favorite Character: Felicita

Summary:

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.

About the Author:

Adriana Trigiani is an award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker. The author of the Big Stone Gap series; Very Valentine; Lucia, Lucia, The Queen of the Big Time, and Rococo, she has also written the bestselling memoir Don’t Sing at the Table as well as the young adult novels Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight. Her books have been published in thirty-six countries, and she has written and will direct the big-screen version of her first novel, Big Stone Gap. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

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Check out the other great blogs on this tour:

Tuesday, April 3rd: Book Journey

Wednesday, April 4th: Reading Lark

Thursday, April 5th: Life Is Short. Read Fast

Friday, April 6th: Amused By Books

Monday, April 9th: Literature and a Lens

Tuesday, April 10th: Book Dilettante

Wednesday, April 11th: Bibliosue

Thursday, April 12th: West Metro Mommy

Monday, April 16th: “That’s Swell!”

Tuesday, April 17th: Confessions of an Avid Reader

Wednesday, April 18th: Reviews by Lola

Monday, April 23rd: Peppermint PhD

Tuesday, April 24th: A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, April 25th: Knowing the Difference

Thursday, April 26th: Library of Clean Reads

Tuesday, May 1st: Walking With Nora

Wednesday, May 2nd: I’m Booking It

Thursday, May 3rd: The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader