Reviews

This didn't land in the same manner as A Girl Returned. Initially, the pacing, presentation, and translation felt off. This was a slow, clunky, somewhat disjointed start (the non-linear timeline transitions weren't particularly clear). It stabilized nearly halfway through.

This novel explores the adult lives of the two sisters featured in A Girl Returned. I do not recommend reading this as a stand-alone. The childhood backstory is critical to understanding the characters' innate traits, motivations, and decisions. The sisters, who are inherently very different, make life choices that reflect their personalities and traumas. Despite their differences and periods of separation in time and/or location, their bond and loyalty remain steadfast. Themes include dysfunctional families, familial bonds, trauma, grief, infidelity, closeted homosexuality, domestic abuse, gender roles, and class.

This paled in comparison to A Girl Returned. It didn't have the same emotional depth. It relied more heavily on the dramatic/traumatic plot points (and may have operated under the assumption that the reader would be able to extract the emotional components based on knowledge of the first novel). I adored the little sister in the first novel and this left me deflated.

"With my sister I shared a legacy of words not said, gestures omitted, care denied. And rare, unexpected kindnesses. We were daughters of no mother."

librarypictures's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kirus's review against another edition

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4.0

Nem hozta az első könyv színvonalát, az valahogy jobban megérintett, de ettől függetlenül nem volt egy rossz olvasmány.

mariagrazia_4's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

4.0

lamensolatraboccante's review against another edition

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5.0

Quanta vita in poche pagine!
Donatella Di Pietrantonio ha la grande abilità del saper trasmettere sensazioni, emozioni, profumi e suoni con poche e semplici parole.
La vita e i ritmi di paese sono evocati perfettamente in questi due romanzi, così avvolgenti e appassionanti che una volta iniziati non si riescono a smettere di leggere!
Una lettura che consiglio a tutti!!

ilaria44's review against another edition

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2.0

"Mi ha mostrato il cerchio inciso sulla pavimentazione, il simbolo del Borgo, della comunità marinara. Rimanere nel cerchio è la forza, la vita, il suo senso. Uscire è perdersi, mescolarsi, andare allo scontro in altri quartieri. Non vale la pena, il pericolo è già nel mare, ogni giorno. Da questo punto non si vede, ma è oltre le file irregolari di case, ora gelido e scuro. È il padrone di ognuno, qui, il luogo della fatica. È la fortuna e la morte."

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