Elena Ferrante's The Lost Daughter: A Moving Tale of Love, Loss, and Redemption

MoonfacemadnessMoonfacemadness: Gotta admit, I really liked reading it. It's the English translation of an Italian novel by Elena Ferrante. The writing is gorgeous, quite straightforward, something different from my usual reads. Explores a mother's viewpoint and delves into the mother daughter dynamic issues.
All in all, I'd totally suggest this book to anyone!
Just 140 pages, can breeze through it in a day.

India on Sep 13, 2023

Phyllis Antebi Ph.D: In the style of a meta analysis, Ferrante brings us into the intra psychic world of a narcissist. Leda, the main character, is tormented by her incessant examination of her past. On going and obsessive ramblings, however, never provide Leda with a satisfying resolution. Introspection represents only her desperate efforts to justify her life’s journey as an accomplished academic. Her pessimism is the dominant theme and it’s internal self doubt is the consequence. An unhappy childhood and the inevitability of an unhappy marriage, catapulte Leda into a journey of academic and sexual self indulgence. She struggles to integrate the various dimensions of her life from a position of emotional disengagement.
The Doll is the center of the plot. It is merely symbolic of the fantasies and imaginative games played by a mother and her child. Leda watches the enchantment generated by the intensity of the mother’s adoration of her child. In turn, the child, mimicking her mother, turns all her attention and love to her doll. The scene, a loving and deep engagement that brings mixed emotions to an observer, Leda yearns to have been nurtured by such compassion.
I don’t want to give...

United States on Sep 09, 2023

Mark W.: I have to say, first off, that I am not the overly literal-minded American. Sorry if that’s insulting, but at least we are allowed to say our minds in this country. What I mean is, by way of example, I love incandescent lighting and always have. I don’t care if LEDs give you all the light in the world for free. That matter not. So that Bizzarre preamble is to say no, I do not look at novels only for how they end; that would be utter stupidity.
Next thing for background, I am a male. And I suppose the one other thing I should add is yes the culture in the novel is far different than what we have in America.
Given all that I want to speak of the ending, but don’t worry I’m not gonna give away the ending. It’s only a few sentences really, but I won’t give it away. What I will say is it’s wonderful poignancy is done in such elegant simplicity; it brings tears to your eyes. And of course you’re not supposed to cheat and look at the ending but as well you won’t see its poignancy without the context of the book. I guess we could say it’s kind of a litmus test for whether you got the main character – it’s all in her mind that you’re understanding everything...

United States on Apr 03, 2023

Faloumo: É sobre umas férias da protagonista que reflete sobre sua vida ao observar uma família em férias também.

Brazil on Nov 09, 2022

R E Davidson: It's an interesting book - barely any actual dialogue (lots of reported conversations). Lots of lovely description and atmosphere. Leda is a complex character who expresses a viewpoint on what it feels like to be a mother (and a daughter) which might not sit well with the disney-esque-view of motherhood, but I liked it's truthfulness and rawness. The ending is totally bizarre - I felt strangely impressed by the confidence of the author to end the book in this way. Hat's off to her. Confident piece of writing.

United Kingdom on Jan 18, 2022

J. C.: Sicherlich nicht für jeden aber für mich eine großartige Erzählung und tief bewegend. Heute Abend werde ich den Film auf Netflix anschauen.

Germany on Jan 01, 2022

Elle Shopper Lady: It kept reminding me of other stories and generally, I did not like it.
IF the doll element was the unifying thread, the story needed to be shorter. I got tired and pushed past the perfectly worthy fullness of the story, to get to the resolution of the doll element, which would be silly except for the power of that element to direct the lives of the real people in the tale.

Beautiful Italy - but the descriptions are iconic to the point of repetitiveness. This century has been a blockbuster in evolution of quality family life. Hopefully, people will get better at not making a family until they have worked out the details. - happily accepting that family life varies - but it works better if we simply cut the melodrama grow up and love our children and show them by example how important it is to accept the diversity of life scripts. If that acceptance is there the details are just that - details - and all the members of the family can rejoice that all are being genuine human beings finding their way on the journey of life. Togetherness is not always right or desirable. But that should not ever create a goodguy / badguy dynamic, since that is not truth. If the family created...

United States on Dec 07, 2021

Danuta Zadorecki: It’s very interesting study of mother’s ambivalence.
Elena Ferrante understands women very well.

Canada on Jan 11, 2021