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kairhone's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I realized long ago that I've held on to little of myself and everything of them [daughters].
A woman's body does a thousand different things, toils, runs, studies, fantasizes, invents, wearies, and meanwhile the breasts enlarge, the lips of the sex swell, the flesh throbs with with round life that is yours, your life, and yet pushes elsewhere, draws away from you although it inhabits your belly, joyful and weighty, felt as a greedy impulse and yet repellent like an insect's poison injected into a vein.
I was screaming with rage like my mother, because of the crushing weight of responsibility, the bond that strangles, and with my free arm, I dragged my firstborn, yelling, you'll pay for this.
How foolish to think you can tell your children about yourself before they're at least fifty. To ask to be seen by them as a person and not a function.
[Idealizing the past] it seemed a way to convince onself that there is always a slender branch of one's life to hang on to, and, by being suspended there, get used to the inevitablility of falling.
A woman's body does a thousand different things, toils, runs, studies, fantasizes, invents, wearies, and meanwhile the breasts enlarge, the lips of the sex swell, the flesh throbs with with round life that is yours, your life, and yet pushes elsewhere, draws away from you although it inhabits your belly, joyful and weighty, felt as a greedy impulse and yet repellent like an insect's poison injected into a vein.
I was screaming with rage like my mother, because of the crushing weight of responsibility, the bond that strangles, and with my free arm, I dragged my firstborn, yelling, you'll pay for this.
How foolish to think you can tell your children about yourself before they're at least fifty. To ask to be seen by them as a person and not a function.
[Idealizing the past] it seemed a way to convince onself that there is always a slender branch of one's life to hang on to, and, by being suspended there, get used to the inevitablility of falling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
rai's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
“You just have to listen. The unspoken says more than the spoken.”
When I set out to read this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had heard mixed reviews, but wanted to try a Ferante novel before beginning My Brilliant Friend. While this wasn’t my personal favorite, I would definitely encourage everyone to try it!
The Lost Daughter follows Lena after her two adult daughters finally leave home. Feeling blissfully free, she takes a vacation to the beach, where her obsession with a younger mother draws back to parallels of Lena’s own parenting experiences.
What I loved most about The Lost Daughter was the distinctive narrative voice. Although not much happened plot wise, Lena’s perspective never ceased to enrapture me, keeping me reading well into the night. I think her character arc fit well with the themes of complex mother-daughter relationships and the yearning to discover yourself as an individual without your children.
Overall It is truly a thought provoking read about desire, family, and indenitity, which highlights an extremely talented author in the contemporary literature of today.
When I set out to read this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. I had heard mixed reviews, but wanted to try a Ferante novel before beginning My Brilliant Friend. While this wasn’t my personal favorite, I would definitely encourage everyone to try it!
The Lost Daughter follows Lena after her two adult daughters finally leave home. Feeling blissfully free, she takes a vacation to the beach, where her obsession with a younger mother draws back to parallels of Lena’s own parenting experiences.
What I loved most about The Lost Daughter was the distinctive narrative voice. Although not much happened plot wise, Lena’s perspective never ceased to enrapture me, keeping me reading well into the night. I think her character arc fit well with the themes of complex mother-daughter relationships and the yearning to discover yourself as an individual without your children.
Overall It is truly a thought provoking read about desire, family, and indenitity, which highlights an extremely talented author in the contemporary literature of today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Ableism, Body horror, and Fatphobia
ekg's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Minor: Fatphobia
marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity and Injury/Injury detail
yasmin_raev's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcohol and Fatphobia
Minor: Physical abuse, Blood, and Infidelity
moviemagus's review
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was the first Ferrante book I've ever read and it did not dissapoint even though I already saw the film (The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal).
It flaws well, full of thought and emotions and the characters are very realistic - too realistic at parts, even.
It flaws well, full of thought and emotions and the characters are very realistic - too realistic at parts, even.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood and Abandonment
amyhamilton's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Pregnancy
rorikae's review against another edition
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
'The Lost Daughter' by Elena Ferrante is a short but tense novel about motherhood.
Leda, on a vacation to the beach, becomes obsessed with a young mother and her child. As she watches the family and their interactions, she reflects on her relationship with her own daughters and her feelings about motherhood.
Through Leda's reflections and growing obsession, Ferrante reflects on how women are expected to act as mothers and how this can often be a stifling experience. Even though the story is short, Ferrante's focus on Leda and how she sees the world, makes her a fully fledged character with her faults and all.
This is a story that is filled with generally unlikable characters. As we see Leda's obsession grow, I found her less and less likable though I still think she is a relatable character. Her decisions are erratic at moments but as we learn more about her past and her own relationship with her daughters, they start to make more sense.
I personally don't love literary fiction, which is why I didn't love this book, but I do think that it provides insightful commentary on motherhood and is well written.
Leda, on a vacation to the beach, becomes obsessed with a young mother and her child. As she watches the family and their interactions, she reflects on her relationship with her own daughters and her feelings about motherhood.
Through Leda's reflections and growing obsession, Ferrante reflects on how women are expected to act as mothers and how this can often be a stifling experience. Even though the story is short, Ferrante's focus on Leda and how she sees the world, makes her a fully fledged character with her faults and all.
This is a story that is filled with generally unlikable characters. As we see Leda's obsession grow, I found her less and less likable though I still think she is a relatable character. Her decisions are erratic at moments but as we learn more about her past and her own relationship with her daughters, they start to make more sense.
I personally don't love literary fiction, which is why I didn't love this book, but I do think that it provides insightful commentary on motherhood and is well written.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Pregnancy
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