Written by Paolo Giordano
Pages 146
On-sale: December 1st
ISBN: 9780525428763
SYNOPSIS:
"When a young married couple hire a middle-aged widow during the wife, Nora's, difficult pregnancy, they don't realize the dominating force she will become in their small family. Signora A--maid, nanny, and confidante--becomes the glue in their household, and over time, the steady and loving presence whose benign influence allows them to negotiate the complexities of married life. But the delicate fabric of the young family comes undone when Signora A is diagnosed with lung cancer. After she becomes too sick to work, both husband and wife feel the strain of her absence. Moving seamlessly between the past and present, Giordano weaves together the layers of Signora A's devotion and sacrifice--from her early experiences of love during a tragically short marriage, to her adoration of her new surrogate family. Highlighting the joy of youth and the fleeting nature of time with remarkable precision and lyricism, Paolo Giordano gives us a meditation on life, death, and the relationships we build in between. Like Family is not a simple love story; it's a story about love in its many forms, and how a capacity for love can give meaning to any existence, no matter how ordinary"
Review:
This author wrote an exquisitely beautiful book about love and family thereupon demonstrating throughout that random people who come into your life can become family. Likewise, exhibiting how love can change a person's feelings and behavior. Written from the viewpoint of Giordano inspired by his own personal experiences with his own Mrs. A despite the fact this book is considered a work of fiction. Mrs. A came into this family's life when Dora, the wife, was on bedrest due to complications with her pregnancy to help around the house, she fits in so well she stayed with them after Emanuele was born becoming a part of the family. A loving part of the family, but preferred this were done her way:
“Then let me into the kitchen to explain what does you should cook for dinner, how to reheat them so they wouldn't dry out and where to put the dirty pots and pans after work. “don't bother washing them, I'll do it tomorrow” she's always had at the beginning I disobeyed her, but when I saw that in the morning she redid the dishes I’d washed anyway, I gave into her command.”
“Then let me into the kitchen to explain what does you should cook for dinner, how to reheat them so they wouldn't dry out and where to put the dirty pots and pans after work. “don't bother washing them, I'll do it tomorrow” she's always had at the beginning I disobeyed her, but when I saw that in the morning she redid the dishes I’d washed anyway, I gave into her command.”
Even though this is not a very long read it is abundant with pertinent knowledge for life. Such as, knowing when to change a behavior that is holding you back in a relationship with someone you love, letting go of traditions that do not make you happy and starting new ones that do, fighting for a person you love but also knowing when you need to let them go. I learned an abundance regarding love, family, and loss from this book. I know for a fact that I will be rereading Like Family over again many times. I hope you will read this book too. Another quote to finish my review. This takes place after a wig is specially made for Mrs. A:
“In the frenzy we forgot to take the wooden dummy. I go back to retrieve it a few days later, by myself. I tell the same girl, “excuse me, but the lady lost her head.” She, however, does not smile, perhaps the joke is in bad taste... One afternoon I offer a young colleague a ride home. He gets into the car, he looks up, puzzle. “And just what we are doing with this?” he asks. Then, giving me no time to explain, he bows to kiss her lipless face.”
I would like to thank “Pamela Dorman Books” for letting me give an honest review
AUTHOR:
Paolo Giordano is a professional physicist and is currently working on a doctorate in particle physics. The Solitude of Prime Numbers, his first novel, took Italy by storm where it has sold over a million copies. It is being translated into twenty languages and has sold all over the world.
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