"An extraordinary and inherently riveting read from beginning to end, The Sicilian Woman's Daughter is an original and deftly crafted novel showcasing the genuine flair for narrative storytelling by author Linda Lo Scuro (a pen name)...highly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections." - Midwest Book Review "The plot, in a nutshell: Mary/Maria has a pleasant life with a loving husband and children, from whom she has kept secret her mother's side of her family, who are Sicilian mafia."The things I loved about it: Mary's identity is formed from drastically different parts of her life, leaving her feeling as though she fits nowhere. Its not hard to feel that way, in this day and age, and makes for a lot of sympathy towards her character. The plot is fast, and makes for a gripping read. Though the tension grows rapidly throughout, the writing is witty and there are moments that are laugh out loud funny. Though life is extremely tough for them, there are an endless amount of strong women in the novel, with our protagonist having a horrendous start in life. A brilliant, thrilling read about real life grit... "The author: Linda Lo Scuro is a pseudonym, due to the sensitive nature of the story. I am so intrigued by mysteriously secret identities! "I rate this: 5 stars. "Worst hobby in the history of hobbies...big-time serial tarting. - Sara Wingfield, UK "I loved this book. The transformation of Maria was remarkable to read. Ms. Lo Scuro does a fantastic job filling in the sordid past of Maria's family and blending it in with the present day characters. Will visiting her Sicilian family turn this upper-middle class Brit into the person she has always feared she may become? Perhaps it was inevitable. "Linda Lo Scuro is as mysterious as Maria. Because this was the first book I've read by this author, I Googled her name to find out more about her. What I found out about Linda Lo Scuro is exactly what she wants us to know. This is not her real name and she will not be giving interviews. You can follow her on social media under her pseudonym, but her real persona will not be revealed. I admire her decision as well as her determination to stay anonymous amid the clamor of writing a truly remarkable and memorable novel. I think she is as interesting as her novel, which makes this a double win in my reading world." - Writeknit Reviews, USA "Maria, the protagonist of The Sicilian Woman's Daughter, is a retired, respectable teacher. Happy wife, mother of two daughters and Benjamin's granny. Life is gorgeous in her West London residence (or not?), by the Thames, and lovely Maria has all the time in the world to read books, drink tea, enjoy the time with her beloved husband Humps (or not?), or do whatever she wants to do, all the day long. Or not? "Zia, the other main character, an influential, fragile looking, old woman, and Maria's aunt, will turn her niece's way of life upside down. Despite appearances, Zia is made of iron. La famiglia before anything else is her motto, and she proves it along with the action of the book..."Written in the first person The Sicilian Woman's Daughter immerses the reader deeply and actively and it blows away the benefit of the doubt for the perpetrators, because justice, in Mafia terms, is a matter of feelings, guts and immediate reaction. The charm of reading this book is that: always, and I mean always, the reader is satisfied with the result. A gun under the bed will make the owner more confident and his/her self-esteem 1000x higher."The Sicilian Woman's Daughter is a confrontation between raw, unpolished power (men) and the sophistication of women's minds. Guess who will win in the end!" - Manuela Iordache, Romania
