San Diego author Carolyn Marsden has created a touching story of two young girls, Susanna and Pina, growing up in a convent orphanage in post-WWII Italy. Susanna is mixed race, the child of an Italian woman and an African-American soldier. Pina, a beautiful blond, does not know anything about her mother. The girls struggle with issues of self-identity, self-worth, and belonging. As opportunities to leave the orphanage and connections with their “real families” manifest, the girls navigate the tension between their desire to remain together and their desire to belong to a family.
The story is elegantly told, and the reader enjoys getting to know the girls. Young girls, particularly those from broken homes, may identify well with the characters and their struggles.
Marisa Behan
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