Review: Daughter of Mine
Twenty-seven year old Tiziana Manoretti seems to have a great life – she’s doing well in her career and she has parents and friends who adore her. When her mother is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the doctor suggests Tiziana be tested for it as well. This forces her parents to reveal that she was in fact adopted in Italy as an infant. Tiziana is just devastated by the news and can’t think of anything else, so she decides to head to Italy to see if she can find her birth parents and discover why they put her up for adoption.
In Italy, Tiziana meets people who can help her, uncovers her past and comes to realize what she really wants for her future.
Daughter of Mine by Laura Fabiani offers a little for everyone – love, adventure (Italy!), mystery – but for me it’s almost a coming of age story. I know Tiziana is technically an adult, but she was somewhat sheltered, so she did a lot of her growing up later than most people do. I enjoyed the story and it kept my interest throughout. Tiziana was a great character and the Italian setting was fantastic. At times, though, I felt there was too much description in the book – I didn’t need to know the details of every outfit Tiziana wore. I also thought there were a few unnecessary plot threads woven through the story that were left hanging. Overall, I felt the writing was solid and the story was a little above average, and I liked it, but I didn’t quite love it. Check out the book’s trailer:
Laura Fabiani has a degree in Special Care Counseling and a diploma in Writing for Children and Teenagers. She lives in Montreal with her husband and children and blogs at Library of Clean Reads.
Review copy provided by the author. I am an Indiebound Affliate.
Sounds like the author has some good potential. I’ll keep the title on my radar.
What is not to love about a book involving Italy? I could do without the descriptions of the outfits, but like Candace said, it has potential.
love the premise, something like I would love.
I agree that coming of age is something that can in fact happen after the traditional age. I know a lot of twenty-somethings that still have a whole lot of growing up to do
I’m sure I’d love all of the Italy references! I’m a sucker for books about Italy!
One of my pet peeves is an overly descriptive book about things that don’t really matter that much in a story. But this does sound like it could be a nice summer read.
Good Review. Yours is the second one I have read for this book. It is officially going on the wish list. The kids are out of school in one month and I see more reading time in my future. This will be one of those that I will read. I can usually ignore lengthy descriptions if the story is good. I am hoping I like this one. Thanks for the review.
Sounds like a relaxing read – something I’d like to read while on vacation.
Very interesting about why they had to tell her she was adopted. I’m with the others – who wouldn’t love reading about Italy as well?
You do read really interesting books. I would love to read this, if only for the part about Italy !
Trying to find her parents and it being in lovely Italy is a selling point. The overly descriptions, not so much.
I don’t mind minor threads being unresolved, but I’m with you, I’m not wild about descriptions of every outfit. This still sounds like a pretty good book. I like “coming of age” stories.
Helen
Straight From Hel
Since I love Italy I’ll have to add this to my list.
Great review! I can’t wait to read this story!
I was really hoping you’d love this one because I’m always on the lookout for a good adoption story.
Thanks for your honest review, Kathy! I really appreciate it. I am currently reading Very Valentine and I’m guessing clothes and food description must be an Italian thing. LOL
I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Best,
Laura
oh, wow this books sounds great. I can’t imagine finding out you were adopted while you are an adult. I’ll add this one to my wishlist.
Interesting that you point out Tiziana’s upbringing in terms of her living a sheltered life and hence ‘growing up later than most people do’. It is nonetheless in keeping with the Italian/Greek culture that daughters (even sons) will stay with their parents until they are married. Unlike the American/Canadian nuclear family model with it’s characteristic ‘leaving the nest’ at a specified age, the Italian model is that of the ‘extended family’, even in Italian families that have immigrated to the U.S/Canada and this is accurately reflected in the novel. Just as ‘supper’ is more than eating; it is seen as a social event which brings the extended family together; hence the descriptive detail on food. Ditto for clothing which takes on a more significant meaning in these cultures, signifying not only class status, but personal taste in the clothing one wears and socially projects to others.
However we see these aspects as strange from the American/Canadian perspective, in this novel they are both viable and realistic if the subject matter is rooted in a different culture.
It is not that one way is better then the other in terms of the familial, culinary or clothing practices, but rather alerts the North American reader that they are but a minority in the global village that is the world.
This sounds like something I might like. The story of someone going in search of their birth mother always interests me, and the fact that much of the book is set in Italy also intrigues me. Sorry to hear that there were some slight problems with the book, but I am glad you enjoyed it overall! Great and honest review!
This sounds like a fun book for me…just say Italy!
The setting is a big plus, but sorry this one was just a tad above average for you.
I like the part where you said the book “offers a little for everyone – love, adventure (Italy!), mystery.” Just those three things would be enough for me to read the book. Thanks for the video too.
I don’t think I can resist a coming of age story set in Italy!