A review by callanisreading
The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante

challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Leda, an English literature professor with two grown daughters, vacations alone on the Italian coast. On the beach she spies a mother-daughter pair amidst a large, noisy Neapolitan family who capture her imagination. As she draws closer to the young mother, Leda reflects on her own painful motherhood and how to know herself after becoming a mother.