The Shoemaker's Wife / Adriana Trigiani / 475 pages

Trigiani is a fabulous storyteller.  In The Shoemaker's Wife, she draws on the love of her own grandparents to create an early 20th century story that carries the reader from the villages of the Italian Alps, to the streets of Little Italy in New York City, to the frozen Iron Range of Hibbing, Minnesota.  Readers will bask in the wonderful descriptions of place and time and characters.  The Shoemaker's Wife is a joyful and heart-wrenching story that centers on the enduring love of two Italian immigrants, Enza and Ciro.  Trigiani shares how love of family and friends, hard work, great Italian food, art, culture and an understanding of what is most important in life, help humanity to endure the bumps in the road.  A book with great feeling!