A review by laurelinwonder
Costalegre: A Novel Inspired by Peggy Guggenheim and Her Daughter by Courtney Maum

5.0

This lovely little book, oh goodness. If you like a little capital L Literature, and enjoy historical fiction (loosely based on Peggy Guggenheim and her real life daughter Pegeen. This book is Lara's little diary, which reads like a notebook. This book is not that of a whiny teen, so don't assume as such, if anything, Lara is the epitome of any child/teen who has ever wanted to be seen, to be loved in a way that their parent is unable to do. I loved Lara's syntax, her longing to be someone of worth. I loved the ways in which she pulled back the curtain on the "loonies" the artists she and her mother travelled and lived with. Like most teens, even those in the 1930s, she is unable to not reveal herself in these pages. A testament to art, to youth, to trying to grow up in constantly changing scenery, countries, and languages.