THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE

Adriana Trigiani once again explores her Italian heritage in this romantic saga, which begins more than a hundred years ago in the picturesque Italian Alps. As teenagers in adjacent hillside villages, beautiful Enza and orphaned Ciro cross paths only once before he is banished to America to be apprenticed to a shoemaker. Lovely Italian names and phrases are presented with grace by narrator Orlagh Cassidy, whose voice seems to relish the lush descriptions of Italy’s food and music. When Enza finds herself in New York City, Cassidy elegantly spins opulent descriptions of the opera. Cassidy rises above the overt sentimentality as she recounts the rocky love story between the two immigrants whose connection is disrupted by war and tragedy. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2012]