Book - The Shoemaker's Wife

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, ...  At the turn of the last century, ... Ciro ...  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.... 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." goodreads.com

The main characters in this story came from Italy to New York City in the early 1900s. They worked at low paying jobs, some with bad working conditions and bad people. Their hard work and the kindness of strangers and friends led to better opportunities. The author conveys the wonder and excitement Enza and Ciro feel as they encounter what's new and different in this new place. The hard times are touchingly told. It was interesting to read how family, immediate and extended, influenced each person.  

I read about this book in a genealogy magazine. The author based the novel on the story of her grandparents. Wonderful book and great characters!

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Ciro knew he could get his US citizenship if he enlisted and fought in World War I. I've been volunteering in a worldwide project to index records to make them accessible for people doing family history research. Recently I've indexed quite a few draft registration cards for World War I. It’s been interesting to note the birth countries and occupations of the men. I've wondered why each of them came to this country. Ciro's registration card is somewhere in those thousands and thousands of records. 

The Italian Alps are a strong influence in the story. It made me think of the role of the mountains in "The Princess Academy," another excellent book. 

This book brought many questions about our own family to my mind and heart. Why did each individual or family come to this country? Did they plan on staying or was their goal to make money and go back to the home country? 

How did our people decide where to settle? This family eventually went to where people needed shoes - iron mining camps in Minnesota. How did the Italian shoemaker Mancini end up in London, Ohio? Did London need a shoemaker and that’s why they came? 

Enza worked as a seamstress for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and sewed costumes for the great singers, including fellow Italian Enrico Caruso for whom she cooked their favorite Italian foods occasionally. She gave this up, including a beau who wined and dined her, to become the shoemaker's wife. The opera section of the story reminded me of Mom and her promising voice and love of opera. Why did she decide to marry the red headed boy from London, Ohio instead of going on to become an opera singer? Why did she leave the big city of Chicago for the small Midwest town? Was it love and desire to have a family - Enza's motivations?

Timing was crucial in Enza's and Ciro's story - their "chance" meetings and long separations are fascinating - especially when you realize this is a true story. What opportunities have materialized due to being in the right place a the right time - and vice versa. 

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Great book!