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The Lost Daughter

Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Lost Daughter follows Leda, an English teacher and mother whose life alters when her daughters leave home. Seeking respite, she holidays in a southern Italian coastal town, where encounters with a brash family provoke unsettling memories of her own challenging maternal choices. This intense psychological tale unfolds into a compelling examination of womanhood and motherhood, spotlighting the complex emotions binding mothers to their children.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers of literary fiction interested in emotional and psychological explorations of motherhood and identity. Those who appreciate introspective, character-driven stories rich in nuance and feeling will find this novel compelling.

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Soon to be a major film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson and Paul Mescal.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

From the international bestselling author of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND

Leda is devoted to her work as an English teacher and to her two children. When her daughters leave home to be with their father in Canada, Leda anticipates a period of loneliness and longing. Instead, slightly embarrassed by the sensation, she feels liberated, as if her life has become lighter, easier.

She decides to take a holiday by the sea, in a small coastal town in southern Italy. But after a few days of calm and quiet, things begin to take a menacing turn. Leda encounters a family whose brash presence proves unsettling, at times even threatening. When a small, apparently meaningless, event occurs, Leda is overwhelmed by memories of the difficult and unconventional choices she made as a mother and their consequences for herself and her family. The seemingly serene tale of a woman’s pleasant rediscovery of herself soon becomes the story of a ferocious confrontation with an unsettled past.

The Lost Daughter is a compelling and perceptive meditation on womanhood and motherhood, exploring the conflicting emotions that tie us to our children.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised for its visceral and hypnotic prose, Elena Ferrante's novel offers a brutally honest and intimate portrayal of a woman's interior life. Critics highlight the narrative's psychological depth, describing it as a gritty, gripping meditation on motherhood and its difficulties. The writing is lauded for its sensuality and raw emotional force, creating an absorbingly shaped drama that resonates with readers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787704183

Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 25 November 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Edition: Media tie-in

Contributors:

  • Translated by Ann Goldstein
  • Translated by Ann Goldstein

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 300g

Pages: 144

About the Author

Elena Ferrante is the author of The Days of Abandonment (Europa, 2005), Troubling Love (Europa, 2006), The Lost Daughter (Europa, 2008) and the four volumes of the Neapolitan Quartet (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child), published by Europa Editions between 2012 and 2015. She is also the author of a children's picture book illustrated by Mara Cerri, The Beach at Night, and a work of non-fiction, Frantumaglia: A Writer's Journey. Incidental Inventions, her collected Guardian columns, was published in 2019.

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