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koicow 's review for:
The Lost Daughter
by Elena Ferrante
As my first Ferrante read, I found her writing to be easy to read and engaging. I was curious about finding out what was going to happen on the beach and to the characters, and wish to read more of her works.
This being said, I believe my analysis of the story after I had finished was more interesting to me, than when I was reading it. What I mean by this is that, in an attempt to give the narrative some sort of meaning, I put the vague pieces together, rather than it "clicking" naturally for me. Maybe due to the length of the novel, the ending came too suddenly, making it feel out of place. This could also be because I don't know what to expect from Ferrante, so don't know how dark the tone of her writing can get.
[Spoilers:]
I haven't read any reviews about this, so don't know where my thoughts sit in comparison. But I concluded that the "lost daughter" is referring to the main character and her mental state. Although, there are other forms of mothers and daughter that are lost in the story, like the doll, Elena, and Nina, this is a story about Leda.
It discusses when she was younger, and how her mother would shout at her and how she felt suffocated by her hometown, so she left. Leaving for Florence to find herself, to write, read and study. However, she makes the choice of leaving her two young daughters behind in this pursuit. Though, returns after realising her love for her daughters are stronger than any findings of herself. The importance within all of this is about the repetition of the subjects of motherly love, as well as being unsatisfied. Losing your identity as a daughter or individual, as you take care of your children over yourself. There are ups and down, but it depends how you respond to these moments.
I'm not sure if it's selfishness or hurt, but Leda continues to feel unsatisfied, leading her to do certain things (like having an affair to feel younger or stealing this little girls doll). Her actions and hatred come tumbling down, due to her unresolved feelings that she has never identified, leading to a final act in consequence. Ultimately, she has never been fine and now that has caught up with her.
Again, the ending happened quite quickly, so can't put too much meaning behind it all. But this is a story about that struggle of knowing what is right or wrong to do, whether it is about a big or small action.
This being said, I believe my analysis of the story after I had finished was more interesting to me, than when I was reading it. What I mean by this is that, in an attempt to give the narrative some sort of meaning, I put the vague pieces together, rather than it "clicking" naturally for me. Maybe due to the length of the novel, the ending came too suddenly, making it feel out of place. This could also be because I don't know what to expect from Ferrante, so don't know how dark the tone of her writing can get.
[Spoilers:]
I haven't read any reviews about this, so don't know where my thoughts sit in comparison. But I concluded that the "lost daughter" is referring to the main character and her mental state. Although, there are other forms of mothers and daughter that are lost in the story, like the doll, Elena, and Nina, this is a story about Leda.
It discusses when she was younger, and how her mother would shout at her and how she felt suffocated by her hometown, so she left. Leaving for Florence to find herself, to write, read and study. However, she makes the choice of leaving her two young daughters behind in this pursuit. Though, returns after realising her love for her daughters are stronger than any findings of herself. The importance within all of this is about the repetition of the subjects of motherly love, as well as being unsatisfied. Losing your identity as a daughter or individual, as you take care of your children over yourself. There are ups and down, but it depends how you respond to these moments.
I'm not sure if it's selfishness or hurt, but Leda continues to feel unsatisfied, leading her to do certain things (like having an affair to feel younger or stealing this little girls doll). Her actions and hatred come tumbling down, due to her unresolved feelings that she has never identified, leading to a final act in consequence. Ultimately, she has never been fine and now that has caught up with her.
Again, the ending happened quite quickly, so can't put too much meaning behind it all. But this is a story about that struggle of knowing what is right or wrong to do, whether it is about a big or small action.