The Shoemaker's Wife Quotes
"The first stage of widowhood is paperwork."
"Every single promise made to her had been broken."
"A good mother should never knowingly fail her children, not when she is all they have left in the world."
"Make yourselves useful and stay out of trouble. Be pious and pray."
"You are there because of their kindness, not because I could pay them to keep you."
"No matter how Eduardo might reassure him, Ciro was certain he would never see his mother again."
"God had abandoned them, the angels had taken their leave, and the saints had turned away."
"A man who needs a mirror is looking for something."
"The hand-painted statues of Saint Michael the warrior, Saint Francis of Assisi with the lamb, Mary the Mother of Jesus crushing the green snake, Saint Anthony holding lilies in one hand and the baby Jesus in the other, Saint Joseph in a carpenter's apron, and the Pietà, a grieving mother holding her dying son in shades of gray, were lined up in the bright sun in the garden at the church of San Nicola for their annual bath."
"His strong legs, broad shoulders, and silver sword raised high to battle evil appealed to Ciro’s sense of adventure and aspirations for courage."
"Don’t marry a beautiful woman, Ciro. It’s too much work."
"Men stay as they are, and women change."
"I wish I could give you my experience, so you might not have to endure what I have known in my life."
"I don’t want wisdom. I don’t want to grow old to get it. I just want to be happy."
"All I want is more. I earn my room and board, but I want to earn money."
"I can tell. The tabernacle is like a mirror."
"The idea of certain death skirted only seconds ago sent a chill through him."
"I’m going to New York City. I don’t know when I’ll see another cow."
"That’s a talent that you can use anywhere in the world."
"Sister only takes what she needs. It’s the secret to happiness, you know. Only take what you need."
"You’re a man now. It’s not good for you to believe that he’ll return. Put your hopes in something real, something that will bring you happiness."
"They will never run out of feet in need of a pair of shoes."
"Women move through the world never knowing their power."
"I’m going to get a job sewing, and Papa will build all sorts of things: bridges, railroads."
"Just picture the house, and it will come true."
"If every Italian leaves to find a job in America, pretty soon there will be too many workers in America lining up for a few jobs."
"It didn’t occur to Enza to be sad that circumstances were so dire that she and her father had to leave their family to make enough money to buy a house."
"Gravel crunched behind her as her father joined her by the grave. 'What it is about grief, Papa? It never leaves you.' 'It’s there to remind us of what we had,' he answered."
"Enza lifted a chain from around her neck and slipped a medal of the Sacred Heart off its bale. She kissed it and placed it on Stella’s grave."
"If only Enza had known that this would be the last time she’d descend this mountain and overlook the gorge, she might have paid closer attention."
"Enza might also have noticed that the shadows beneath the Pizzo Camino were more menacing than they had ever been; but she didn’t see them."
"Enza searched for the strength to tell her father she felt like a spoke in the wheel of a runaway carriage."
"Enza opened her mouth, but no sound came out. 'I’m here,' Marco said. 'Don’t be afraid.'"
"Enza watched the sun as it slipped past the trees over Greenwich Village. If light itself was different in this new country, imagine what else would be."
"Enza had found a best friend in Laura, but so much more. They both loved well-made, fashionable clothes. They both aspired to elegance."
"In the intervening years, Remo had grown to find as much purpose in the exchange of knowledge from master to apprentice as Ciro."
"But really, are there accidents? Or does fate determine time and place and opportunity?"
"If she did, you’d catch me, wouldn’t you?"
"And here, all I have is this one tree, and it’s more precious to me than all the forests below Pizzo Camino."
"The only way to ever become a permanent part of America’s greatness would be to defend it."
"We cleared stones from the land. Everyone helped."
"We let them know we have the scissors, and we let them know we will use them."
"Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m too serious. I wear my responsibilities like an old saddle on an old horse."
"Her skills, nurtured in Mrs. Sabatino’s dress shop on the mountain and perfected by rote in the factory, had finally been revealed in full."
"I live in a seashell," Caruso remarked. "I'm a real scungeel."
"You have a musical soul, Vincenza. You know how I can tell? Your eyebrows. They’re like D minor notes. They shoot up high, and drop low on the staff."
"Caruso knew what the audience wanted: they wanted to feel something, and they wanted him to take them there, so he gave of himself from the depths of his talent, from a bottomless well of sound, willingly and generously."
"Giacomina had taught her daughter that you must dig constantly for meaning in the sorrow of this life, and that this sorrow must galvanize you, not define you."
"The most memorable feature of the Great Caruso’s face were his eyes, large, dark brown, dramatic, and expressive."
"Signora Zanetti washed, pressed, and hung Ciro’s uniform, an indistinct mud brown, in preparation for his departure later that week."
"Laura poured Enza a glass of wine, and they listened to the conversation beyond the kitchen doors."
"Poor Gerry," Enrico said, not meaning it.
"The screen filled with the image of a steamship as it sailed across the Atlantic, plowing through turbulent whitecaps."
"The United States had entered World War I, and Caruso wanted to show his appreciation."
"Enza rolled the dough to make gnocchi on the table, just as her mother had taught her."
"Enza slipped into her skirt and unbuttoned her blouse."
"Ciro sat under the old elm behind the shop on Mulberry Street and took a smooth, cool drag off his cigarette."
"The orchestra seats were a sea of crisp brown uniforms, as soldiers shipping off to Europe were given priority, with complimentary tickets to the show."
"Enza sank into a pale green velvet slipper chair facing the fireplace in the library as Vito added a log to the fire."
"Ciro imagined his mother, and wondered what she would think about the war, and about her son the soldier."
"This is not a day to be solemn. It’s a day to celebrate. Leave serious Enza right here in this room. You’re a beautiful bride, and this is your moment."
"I most certainly can. I’m getting married."
"Life is a series of choices, made with the best of intentions, often with hope."
"I took in every detail of you, Enza. I remember your face over the pit of your sister’s grave."
"But how could she break Vito Blazek’s heart?"
"A life with Ciro would be about family; a life with Vito would be about her."
"I’m going to make a decision based upon the feeling I have in my heart."
"I have loved you all of my life. I was a boy who knew nothing, but when I met you, somehow I understood everything."
"I’ll be with whatever Ciro brings into my life and be happy that I did."
"You have chosen a tall one, haven’t you?"
"I can’t wait to see my children. But mostly, I can’t wait to see your mother again."
"I want to know why you love my daughter."
"I remember your shoes, your hair, the way you crossed your arms over your chest."
"I’m in the presence of grace, and she makes me aspire to it."
"I've learned one important lesson in my life, and I'm going to share it with you. Don't worry about bad things that haven't happened yet. It will save you a lot of anxiety."
"The man you married is one in a million. But you know that."
"All those years ago, you told me to spend the money on hats. And I'm so glad I'm not vain about hats."
"Your father is paying for your passage home."
"Every father doesn’t have a son like Antonio."
"He knows the truth, and he’s accepting it. He’s never been a religious man, but he has an inner strength that defies faith itself."
"The old elm that he loved had been chopped down. The tree that had given him comfort and hope was gone."
"Her heart leaped in her chest as it always had. Now, though, that joy was soon crushed by a feeling of impending doom."
"In hindsight, Ciro could appreciate their goodness and their choices."
"I’m dying. Now I know in a convent, that’s good news, because you ladies have the key to eternal life. But for me, the skeptic, it’s the worst news."
"You’re a good man, and that’s more important."
"Enza’s mission all along had been to give Ciro comfort, and in every way, she had succeeded."
"The night sky, the cemetery, the memory of places past and the people who had been there to bear witness, provided all the constancy his heart required."
"The great ticking of the clock: every moment that she slept was one less awake with Ciro."
"I want you to sleep on the boat. Take the fresh air and eat. Promise me you’ll eat."
"He’s an athlete. But he’s intelligent too. I hope you will find a way to visit Enza and Antonio in Minnesota sometime."
"Wait for me," were the last words Ciro Lazzari heard as he took his last breath.
"A truly good man is a rarity, a speck of gold in a mountain of slag."
"I can’t believe that out of all the angels in heaven, God decided to send you to me. I’m the luckiest man you will ever meet."
"There is no place or time without her. Where I am doesn’t matter when we’re apart. All I want is her."
"When the sun came up, she bathed her husband, cut his hair and nails, and gently shaved his face."
"We’ve lived in the days of Caruso at the Met."
"But when I close my eyes, brother, all I ever see is her face."
"I never learned how to make women’s shoes."
"I have so many feelings, and so many images and stories of things that Ciro told me about you."
"It was theater to her; every movement of his mastery had meaning and magic to it."