Review: Swimming in the Moon
Posted by Cathie on Monday, September 2, 2013. Filed under: historical fiction, published in 2013, review, reviewed in 2013
Swimming in the Moon by Pamela Schoenewaldt
Published by: William Morrow Paperbacks
Our source: ARC courtesy of the publisher
What it’s about (from Goodreads):
Lucia D'Angelo's voice is nothing like her mother's. She's no nightingale with the gorgeous tones, tender and passionate, peaking and plummeting as dramatically as her moods. Yet in the rough world she's chosen, Lucia's words may truly change lives.
In 1904, fourteen-year-old Lucia and her young mother Teresa are servants in a count's lush villa on the Bay of Naples. Between scrubbing floors and polishing silver, Teresa soothes the unhappy countess with song until one morning's calamity hurls mother and daughter to America, exchanging their gilded cage for icy winds off Lake Erie and Cleveland's taut immigrant neighborhoods. Lucia blossoms and Teresa wins fleeting fame on the tawdry stage of vaudeville until old demons threaten their new life. In factories and workhouses, Lucia finds her own stage, giving voice to those who have given her a home. As roles reverse, mother and daughter reshape their fierce and primal bond.
In 1904, fourteen-year-old Lucia and her young mother Teresa are servants in a count's lush villa on the Bay of Naples. Between scrubbing floors and polishing silver, Teresa soothes the unhappy countess with song until one morning's calamity hurls mother and daughter to America, exchanging their gilded cage for icy winds off Lake Erie and Cleveland's taut immigrant neighborhoods. Lucia blossoms and Teresa wins fleeting fame on the tawdry stage of vaudeville until old demons threaten their new life. In factories and workhouses, Lucia finds her own stage, giving voice to those who have given her a home. As roles reverse, mother and daughter reshape their fierce and primal bond.
Our thoughts:
Swimming in the Moon touches on so many different topics. The story deals with the trials and tribulations of being new immigrants to the United States during the turn of the century, with the poor working conditions in the factories and shops, and how Lucia helps to organize and lead marches for worker's rights. It also touches on issues of mental health, which not only was a taboo subject in the 1900's when people who were thought to be "just not right" were locked away, but It still holds many stigmas in society today.
The true center of the story though is the complex mother/ daughter relationship between Teresa and Lucia and how much they will sacrifice to help each other. It gives you the true feeling of what being a family really means.
This book was great. I enjoyed the story line so much that I found it hard to put down. I definitely look forward to reading Pamela Schoenewaldt's other novel, When We Were Strangers.
We would recommend this to:
Mothers and daughters, fans of historical fiction
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