a) The title of the book : The Shoemakers Wife

b) The author : Adriana Trigiani

c) No of pages : 475 pages

d) Synopsis of the story :-

The Shoemakers Wife is a novel written a outstanding author Adriana Trigiani.

She has created an epic which we all wouldnt imagine at all. Her writing telling us the
true story of people who immigrated to America from Europe during 1990s. This novel
mainly describe about 2 people, Ciro and Enza who were lives in Italian Alps. They only
met once during a tragic in Enzas life. After the tragedy, both were forced by
circumstances to leave for America, neither expected to meet each other again. Enza is a
women, since she is the oldest child takes on responsibilities of her own family. Coming
to America with her father in her mid-teens was the only way to secure the financial
stability of the family.

In contrast, Ciro is another main character of this novel. In my opinion, I like the
character of Ciro. He is light-hearted, kind and lovable throughout the novel, The
Shoemakers Wife. In the early period of the novel, Ciro along with his brother Eduardo
are brought to the convent by their mother, Caterina, after their father was killed in a
mining accident America. Due to Caterina couldnt afford the financial issue and going
through some health issues, she could no longer care for them. The first day at the
convent, Ciro saw some charm nuns, and communicate well with them. The relationship
between the brothers is very touching; Eduardo the elder brother, feeling responsible for
his younger brother. Both of their lives changed again and Ciro is sent to America to live
with a relative of one of the nuns, where learned to craft of making shoes while Eduardo
was sent to become a priest.

The are many great relationships that developed throughout the story. We can also
see a deep friendship between Enza and Laura, a young Irish-American. They meets at
the factory. Although the characters in this novel are from different, they had a love for
their culture, and respect for the cultures of those from other countries. At last, Ciro has
volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza must learn to forge a life without him, as a
seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House.

e) The character that left a lasting impression :-

The character that left a lasting impression to me is Ciro. This is because Ciro is a
person who likes to help people. Even he met Enza in an accident. He try to bring her to
the hospital. Other than that, Ciro is also a lovable and caring person. He and his brother,
Eduardo takes a good care of their mother, Caterina Lazzari, when she fell in sick in their
childhood. He also very patriotic towards his country. As a prove, he volunteered to take
part in World War I.

f) Descriptions of the other main characters :-

i) Ciro Lazzari

* kind-hearted

* caring for others without expecting anything

* patriotic

* loves his family a lot

ii) Enza

* responsible person

* calm person

* takes good care of her family members

* innocent
iii) Eduardo Lazzari

* Ciros elder brother

* responsible towards his brother

* the relationship between them is wonderful

* accepts others fault for their good

iv) Caterina Lazzari

* Ciros mother

* a brave woman

* fall in sick

* her love towards her children is infinite

g) The problems faced by one of the character :-

Catarina Lazzari is the one who faced a lot difficulties in this novel. After the
death of her husband, she faced the fact of single parenthood for her sons, Ciro and
Eduardo. She sells all the things in their house to feed her children. At one point, she fall
in sick and couldnt go for work. So she planned to send her sons to the convent in San
Nicola because she wants the best for her children. Sometimes Ciro get angry when she
sells the things in house, after he grown up he understand why his mother did that so.

h) The most significant event :-

the significant event in this novel is when Caterina leave her two lovable sons in
the convent in San Nicola. Ciro was too young that time while Eduardo is elder; he could
understand what is actually happening around him. When Caterina leaves, she told
Eduardo to take good care of her brother and to not fight with each other. Ciro screams
and cried. He dont know to differentiate the different between sadness and anger at that
point.

i) A lesson learned in the novel :-

* must tolerate all difficulties in our life to achieve our aim

* be brave all the time even the situation puts you in trouble

* life doesnt end when some loves leave us alone, we must move on

j) The significance of the books title :-

In the novel Shoemakers Wife, the author examines the nature of family. Here
family is depicted as the vehicle and institution of love itself. The real warmth of and
love that exists in many Italian families is in evidence throughout. Family relations
appear on every page.

k) Opinion on the book :-

When I first read the book it was not that interesting as I thought. I had half a
mind to just not read it but decided to force myself to read through the book. Well, I was
not really prepared to be sucked into the story like I was. At the end, the story brings my
emotion into it. I imagine myself into that story sometimes. The characters were strong,
complex, and likable. The locations described in the book, especially the mountain
villages of Italy and New York City practically deserved to be considered characters in
their own right as the story. In short, the novel is a beautiful story of love and family
devotion and the dream of a better life.