The Lost Daughter - Elena Ferrante

So I’m sure if you’re on Bookstagram, you must have seen her most recent book The Lying Life of Adults which was published last year and although the front cover is beautiful, I didn’t really have the desire to read it. YET…I saw The Lost Daughter lurking around WHSmith a few months ago and it caught my eye. I then saw that the book was on offer at Waterstones and decided OK, let’s delve into the world of Elena Ferrante and see what all the hype is about…

SYNOPSIS: Leda, a middle-aged divorcée, is alone for the first time in years after her two adult daughters leave home to live with their father in Toronto. Enjoying an unexpected sense of liberty, she heads to the Ionian coast for a vacation.

But she soon finds herself intrigued by Nina, a young mother on the beach, eventually striking up a conversation with her. After Nina confides a dark secret, one seemingly trivial occurrence leads to events that could destroy Nina’s family.

REVIEW: From the very start of this book, you’re flown right onto a beach, with your book, people-watching from the comfort of your sunbed. Picture yourself there yet? Yes, OK, let’s turn up the drama. Our protagonist is not only a really nosey woman, she’s also secretly messed up but you’ll get to that bit a few chapters in.

We’ve all been there haven’t we, sat on a beach, trying to work out the dynamics of a family close by to our sunbeds who are causing a stir or being a bit too loud and distracting you from your book. So imagine, if you then become directly involved with that family who, it turns out, aren’t the nicest friends you could make.

Our protagonist gives us an absolutely brilliant depiction of a selfish mother whose children aren’t their ‘moon, stars and earth’ and in fact, are one of their biggest regrets. Which to be honest, is something I haven’t often read about and it was refreshing to see the other side of the very typical ‘motherhood’ narrative.

This has since been made into a movie with Olivia Coleman playing our main character, Leda, and throughout the whole story I could just picture Olivia Coleman playing that character so well, so I’m excited to see how the film compares.

For only 130 pages, this is absolutely brilliant and a story which I’m sure everyone can relate to. I think it’s so refreshing to see a different type of mother figure and that battle between choosing career over motherhood and vice versa. Leda is one complicated and messed up woman which is proving time and time again to be my favourite type of protagonist.

READ THIS IF:

🏖 You’re looking for a short book that packs a punch

🏖 You’re interested in reading about motherhood and divorce

🏖 You like complicated protagonists