it's a story with a lot of promise. two best friends, living in an orphanage in italy at the end of WWII, both looking for a family. however, for me, the book just fell flat. the characters felt hollow, and the book itself was not engaging at all. everything was too simplified. how convenient that after ten years of being orphans, both girls would discover their parents at the same time. too much time was spent on the insignificant...such as the girls being made to learn to crochet to raise money for the orphanage...too much of the backstory was missing. and, the ending was extremely disappointing. pina, the little blond girl, was met with a plethora of potential adoptive parents because she was beautiful. while, susanna, the mulatto who no one would want, was claimed by her missing father. A sweet story about two friends in orphanage in Italy after WWII. When the nuns start letting the girls in their care be adopted, Susanna thinks that her blond best friend, Pina, is a likely candidate, while she is clearly bi-racial and doesn't think she can ever be adopted. The chapters alternate between Pina and Susanna's point of view. I did not like Pina, especially when I was in her point of view. But it was a nice story, and I liked the somewhat unusual set-up/circumstances.Geography Challenge: Italy
Do You like book Take Me With You (2010)?
I never really felt connected to either girl in this story, so it didn't do much for me.
—kisswall
Good idea - promising characters - but in the end it fell a little flat.
—Andy
Bri and I read this together. We both liked it.
—culkin
