Enduring family ties are the theme of Trigiani's love story of Ciro and Enza, which is based on the author's Italian heritage. At the close of the 19th century, Ciro and his brother are left at a convent in the Italian Alps when their widowed mother can no longer care for them. While the boys grow under the nuns' watchful care, Enza and her large family are living in a neighboring village. When Enza's beloved baby sister dies, Ciro is hired as the grave digger. Their paths cross, separate, and cross again when they both immigrate to New York. Ciro becomes a shoemaker in lower Manhattan, while Enza works as a dressmaker at the Metropolitan Opera. They marry, settle in northern Minnesota, and raise a family. Through tragedy, happiness, struggle, and success, Enza and Ciro's devotion to their families and their abiding love for each other shine through. VERDICT Actress Annabella Sciorra and Trigiani share the narration duties to differentiate between Enza's and Ciro's youth in Italy and their life in the United States. Unfortunately, the effect detracts from, rather than enhances, the program. ["Trigiani's gift for using vivid details to create a strong sense of place and her warm affection for her characters will make this a satisfying read for her many fans," read the review of the New York Times best-selling HarperCollins hc, LJ 3/1/12.—Ed.]—Nann Blaine Hilyard, Zion-Benton P.L., IL

Trigiani's page-turning newest (after Viola in the Spotlight) is a sweeping saga that stretches across the World Wars, from Italy to America and back again. Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravenelli grew up in nearby villages in Italy, but only meet when Ciro is hired to dig the grave for Enza's baby sister. Though they come from different backgrounds—Enza is the eldest daughter in a family of eight, while Ciro and his brother are raised by nuns after their father's death and mother's mental breakdown—the two nevertheless bond. But when Ciro catches a priest embracing a young girl, he is banished from the convent and must depart for New York City, where he apprentices as a shoemaker. Soon thereafter, Enza and her father journey to the U.S. to send money home to their struggling family. There, Enza becomes a talented seamstress and gets involved in the lushly detailed New York opera scene by making costumes for the Met. While in New York, Enza and Ciro reconnect, but Ciro is soon swept away to fight in WWI. When he returns and seeks Enza's hand in marriage, Enza, who is set to be betrothed to another man, must now weigh her possible futures: "A life with Ciro would be about family, a life with Vito would be about her." More than an epic romance, Trigiani's work pays homage to the tribulations of the immigrant experience, and the love that makes the journey and hardships worthwhile. (May)

Trigiani's page-turning newest (after Viola in the Spotlight) is a sweeping saga that stretches across the World Wars, from Italy to America and back again. Ciro Lazzari and Enza Ravenelli grew up in nearby villages in Italy, but only meet when Ciro is hired to dig the grave for Enza's baby sister. Though they come from different backgrounds—Enza is the eldest daughter in a family of eight, while Ciro and his brother are raised by nuns after their father's death and mother's mental breakdown—the two nevertheless bond. But when Ciro catches a priest embracing a young girl, he is banished from the convent and must depart for New York City, where he apprentices as a shoemaker. Soon thereafter, Enza and her father journey to the U.S. to send money home to their struggling family. There, Enza becomes a talented seamstress and gets involved in the lushly detailed New York opera scene by making costumes for the Met. While in New York, Enza and Ciro reconnect, but Ciro is soon swept away to fight in WWI. When he returns and seeks Enza's hand in marriage, Enza, who is set to be betrothed to another man, must now weigh her possible futures: "A life with Ciro would be about family, a life with Vito would be about her." More than an epic romance, Trigiani's work pays homage to the tribulations of the immigrant experience, and the love that makes the journey and hardships worthwhile. (May)