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A review by caroisreading
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.0
This is my first Elena Ferrante read, and now I understand the hype behind her beautiful way of writing, and how she's become the standard for complex inner monologue.
This is a short book that reads long. The writing is dense and intricate, wandering and conflicted.
Our narrator is a divorced mother of two daughters, and has a difficult history with motherhood. Arguably, she's a terrible person. Though the beauty of this first-person perspective is that we are in her darkest thoughts and memories, ones that we've likely had ourselves and try not to face. She is symbolic of common themes among women, the loss of identity, career and power once married and becoming a mother, jealousy of other women, tiredness of dealing with the advances of men, a focus on beauty and youth. It's so much packed in 140 pages.
The title "The Lost Daughter" very cleverly applies to so many dimensions of the story -- the lost doll, her own lost identity, losing her daughters to her husband, Nina almost losing her daughter.
This may not be enjoyable for you if you need storyline -- this is more like an essay, or running train of thought. This also has unlikeable characters, our protagonist included, which may feel like a drag to read.
Still, I'm looking forward to trying more of Elena's translated work.
This is a short book that reads long. The writing is dense and intricate, wandering and conflicted.
Our narrator is a divorced mother of two daughters, and has a difficult history with motherhood. Arguably, she's a terrible person. Though the beauty of this first-person perspective is that we are in her darkest thoughts and memories, ones that we've likely had ourselves and try not to face. She is symbolic of common themes among women, the loss of identity, career and power once married and becoming a mother, jealousy of other women, tiredness of dealing with the advances of men, a focus on beauty and youth. It's so much packed in 140 pages.
The title "The Lost Daughter" very cleverly applies to so many dimensions of the story -- the lost doll, her own lost identity, losing her daughters to her husband, Nina almost losing her daughter.
This may not be enjoyable for you if you need storyline -- this is more like an essay, or running train of thought. This also has unlikeable characters, our protagonist included, which may feel like a drag to read.
Still, I'm looking forward to trying more of Elena's translated work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Car accident