Just hated for this to end. Trigiani never disappoints me. Her grandparents are the inspiration for this epic familial drama set in the Italian Alps at the turn of the century, the early 1900's during the time of the Great War. From the get-go it grabs your attention, as a young widow is delivering her two pre-teen sons, Eduardo and Ciro, to a convent to live with the nuns. She is unstable in her grief and realizes her capacities and limitations in providing to their needs. What was supposed to be a few months while she got stronger, turns into years, and the effect that the abandonment has on these brothers alters their lives considerably and charts the courses of their futures, the oldest Eduardo, as a priest and the other, Ciro, as a shoemaker in the United States. From the Italian Alps to Little Italy, New York, and on to the NY Metropolitan Opera where we get glimpses of the great Caruso and his enterouge ... all of it was captivating, the history, the events, even the cold weather of Minnesota's “iron range” era. We can feel the cold, smell the air, “taste” what's cooking in those Italian kitchens.

Enza, one of the main characters, is the eldest in a family that is burying her young sister. At age 15, she meets and falls in love with Ciro who is sent from the convent to dig the grave for her youngest sisters burial. Their connection is immediate, and they will think of one another often as the years go by and they are separated by continents and life circumstances. Their paths will cross sporadically, with her becoming a seamstress for the Great Voice Enrico Caruso. Equally captivating are the supporting characters, as always in a Trigiani novel. I couldn't wait to pick it up each time, but deliberately took my time with it.

We are swept away on this journey of Enza and Ciro, but it is much more than just a love story. For me it was a welcome escape to a different time, and an in-depth look at the strength of familial love, tragedy and joy. This statement she makes will stay with you: "Life is not about what you get, but what is taken from you. It's in the things we lose that we discover what we most treasure.” Equally heartbreaking and heartwarming, a simply wonderful read, and one that will linger in your thoughts long after the cover is closed (or your kindle is idle :)