"The Lost Daughter" by Elena Ferrante

by Guatemama@evpl on Thursday, September 4 2008, 11:06am. Viewed 902 times.
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Lost Daughter

 An odd and perhaps even a little disturbing novel,  The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante, is the tale of a divorced mother who finds herself at a loss after her two daughters move out to live with their father.   So she packs her bags and goes on holiday to a small village in Italy where she encounters and befriends a young mother and her family on the beach.   In the process she reminisces about the time when she herself was a young mother and about life as a small child in the care of her own mother.  Haunted by decisions of her own past, she sets out to "guide" her new friend onto another path -- in the most unusual of ways.

The Lost Daughter was originally written in Italian and this version is an English translation.

More Reviews of The Lost Daughter.

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Comments (4)

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reads@evpl wrote
on Thursday, September 4 2008, 2:48pm

The story sounds intriguing but the cover of the book is weird.

Guatemama@evpl wrote
on Thursday, September 4 2008, 3:56pm

The cover makes more sense once you get into the plot of the book, but I didn't want to give too much away.  I must say, however, that it is even more WEIRD when you get the connection!

reads@evpl wrote
on Friday, September 5 2008, 8:20am

The review does say that the novel is a little disturbing. I don't know if I want to go into that area right now. When the mother '"guides" her new friend is it in a positive way?

MediaPhile@evpl wrote
on Friday, September 5 2008, 10:20am

I hadn't heard of this novel but noticed in Amazon.com that Alice Sebold, author of "The Lovely Bones, said "Elena Ferrante will blow you away."  A reviewer on the a University of Rochester international literature blog wrote "The Lost Daughter is a swift and mesmerizing work that reminds us of the darkness that resides in all of us and that the mistakes we make can serve as illuminations into our own psyche. We may not like what we find, but Ferrante shows us that it is in these moments that we know ourselves most intimately and that is reason enough."  And "Publisher's Weekly" opined "Ferrante's prose is stunningly candid, direct and unforgettable. From simple elements, she builds a powerful tale of hope and regret."  I guess the only way to find out the book's secrets is to read it.