Welcome to a TLC Book Tour for Daughter of Ruin by Yvette Manessis Corporon. I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher for this stopover.
I was not paid for this review and all opinions, thoughts and rants are completely my own.
About the book:
• Publisher: Harper Muse (October 8, 2024)
• Paperback: 400 pages
A motherless daughter. An Italian prostitute. A mail-order bride. Are these women brave enough to change their fates?
Demitra’s mother died in America in the 1930s when Demitra was three years old. Her father took her home to the Greek island of Cephalonia, where she endures a lonely childhood and dreams her dead mother watches over her, like the goddesses she reads about in her mythology books. When Demitra comes of age, she refuses to marry the man chosen for her. Instead, she defiantly begins an affair with a forbidden man who ignites her passion for painting the goddesses she once imagined protected her.
Elena is a beautiful Italian woman who dreamed of a life away from the brothels where she was raised. But opportunities are not meant for daughters of prostitutes and Elena has no choice but to become one herself. When Italy occupies Cephalonia, Elena finds work entertaining the soldiers. Her life on the island is happy and carefree–until the Germans arrive in 1943.
Maria lives in a poor mountain village in 1921 with a loving mother and sister. When her father grows desperate to feed his family, he sends her to America as a picture bride to marry a stranger. Only eighteen years old, Maria is terrified of the journey ahead.
Daughter of Ruins is an all-encompassing tale steeped in the rich history, culture, and myths of Greece. It is a deeply moving story that follows three women as they struggle to control their destinies, fighting to become the women they were meant to be.
About the author:
Yvette Manessis Corporon is a three-time Emmy Award–winning writer, author, and producer. Her debut novel, When The Cypress Whispers (Harper, 2014), has been translated into fourteen languages and was an international bestseller. She has received the Silurian Award for Excellence in Journalism and the New York City Council and Comptroller’s Award for Greek Heritage and Culture. Yvette lives in New York with her husband and two children.
What I thought…
This novel spans the decades from the 1920s to the 1980s and follows some stoic women. While there are strong parallels to some of their lives (like Maria and Elena and their daughters), the other women from the old widowed matriarchs from the Greek villages to the new friends Demetria makes in her new life, are all strong and resilient.
The plot of this novel is massive as one would imagine for a tale spanning 60 years. I enjoyed how the author brought the tale to conclusion, but along the way there were times I wanted things sped up. There were a few aspects and characters I really wanted to know more about, like Demetria’s Thea Olga and the appearance of snakes at the convent.
World War II, while important to the plot, was a quick interlude of sorrow. It sets up Elena’s tale and that about covers it. I needed more there too.
I know that’s ironic for me to say because I mentioned at times I wanted the story to move faster.
Daughter of Ruin could have been at least two novels and perhaps three.
The food:
There’s lots of authentic Greek food in the novel from baklava, Pastitsio, Boureki, Spanakopita, Boureki, Souvlakie, and Loukoumades. My review is almost late and I literally just finished reading the novel a few hours ago. Now new recipe today. Instead, I decided to provide some links to some Greek food from the archives.
