Twenty-six-year-old Lavinia Lavinia is burdened by her unknown heritage—but her uncle Sal, who raised her in San Francisco, has always kept silent, refusing to reveal the devastating secret of her origin. And now, following the death of his wife, he’s left for Italy. In the wake of her uncle’s departure, Lavinia has quit school. Now she works as a personal laundress to a diverse cast of San … cast of San Francisco residents—people with stories as complicated as her own. As time progresses, through the sacred ritual of washing clothes—and with the help of a friend and her nurturing, flamenco dancing mother—Lavinia begins to recover memories of her past. Gradually, her gifts of receptivity multiply, and she communes with nature, finding messages from birds and the leaves of her garden’s fig tree. And when she recovers Raggedy, a beloved doll that accompanied her from Naples when she was four years old, she experiences a tangible connection to her own mother.
Even as Lavinia makes these discoveries, she is busy building new relationships—discovering healing dance with her lover, a barista in a North Beach coffee shop; learning to understand Time and forgiveness with an elderly client; and even getting to know her father, a man who has never been a part of her life. Poetic and poignant, The Laundress is a coming-of-age story for anyone who’s ever sought to understand where they came from in order to figure out who they’re meant to become.
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This. Is. It. A book that moved my soul! I search these out! They are my favorite!
Barbara Sapienza is a poet writing a novel! You will be in awe of every paragraph, page and chapter as they link together! Barbara Sapienza is a gifted wordsmith!
Lavinia Lavinia “The Laundress” is growing up in front of our eyes! She is trying to find out who she is and who she is meant to be.
We meet fabulous, eccentric, artistic characters along the way. There is so much beauty, even among the hard knocks.
I will read this again and recommend it to others! It’s one of my favorite novels this year!
Let me recommend it to you, First!
I received a copy of this book from the author and GETRED PR in exchange for a fair and honest review.
as a san fransisco native i enjoyed everything about this book, the characters, the story, and of course the location.
This book told an interesting story. There were a variety of characters with many generational family behaviors intertwined throughout the book. It was worth reading.
A delightful, well-written story that slowly peels the layers of who Lavinia is, where she came from, and why her life was made such a mystery her. It’s a beautiful journey of self-discovery and unexpected love, of friendship, forgiveness, and acceptance. A very enjoyable read.
This page-turning novel is filled with family secrets, twists and turns, as well as redemption. Exquisite sensory detail of San Francisco neighborhoods pulls the reader in. Sapienza has created troubled, quirky but loveable Lavinia Lavinia who gives away bubblegum and fig leaves to strangers and baristas alike. I highly recommend this wonderful book!
The Laundress is a heartfelt story . We meet Lavina who was taken in by her Aunt and Uncle after her mom died when Lavinia was only four years old. As Lavina gets older she wants to know the details of her mothers death which have been a secret. She is searching for answers but there seems to be secrets that the family want to stay hidden.
I enjoyed this well written book. I too wanted to know what the secrets were. The characters were complex and well fleshed out. I felt for Lavinia, and was also desperate for answers.
The pacing was perfect with pieces of the story revealed at just the right time. The story kept my attention and I just wanted to know more.
Barbara Sapienza is a new to me author. I must admit that when I started this book I was not a huge fan. I felt like the story was a bit jumpy and I did not understand exactly what was happening or how the synopsis related to what I was reading. While I was struggling, I decided to keep reading and give the book another chance. Maybe more pages and more details would help and maybe not and this would be a did not finish. And I must admit it did! As I continued to read the story and learn more about the life of Lavinia Lavinia and those in her life, I began to enjoy the story. For me, this story was about finding oneself. About discovering one’s past to discover one’s future. I very much enjoyed learning about Lavinia as she learned more about herself. I enjoyed learning about the relationships that she had built over the years and the ones that she built as she began to find herself. I felt for her as she experienced heartbreak and pain. Most of all I saw a little of me in her. I am so glad that I was turned on to this book…even if I did have a bit of a rough start.
This story and book is just so beautiful. It is a story of self discovery as Lavinia searches for answers on her and her family’s past. Where is she from? What happened to her mother? It is one part mystery and one part a journey. Sapienza expertly wove this story and kept you on the edge of your seat needing to find out the answers to all of Lavinia’s questions just as much as she herself needed to.
I love when I am able to become invested in a book and the story. Lavinia was such an interesting character and I really became invested in find out about herself. In a sense I was able to connect with her because my own family’s history is slightly murky. So it was a story I knew I would love from the start.
I absolutely loved the pacing of this book, the secrets and answers came out slowly but not too slow that you would lose your interest. It was definitely an edge of your seat read, but not the same edge of your seat as you get in a thriller (if that makes sense). The writing is also just so spectacularly done. It’s definitely a book that I see many people enjoying!
This book was such a delightful surprise. I was initially drawn in by the synopsis – a young woman working as a laundress in modern San Francisco (had no idea this was a job that existed) while trying to sort through her emotional last. I’m here for it. But there was so much more to this story that I wasn’t expecting.
First of all, Lavinia’s voice was so unique. I was expecting a very emotional, perhaps introspective character, but there was a playfulness and a positivity to her that grabbed me from the very beginning. She was so much more dimensional than I had anticipated. I really enjoyed her voice.
Then there were all the rest of the characters. There was so much personality oozing out of these pages (some good and some who sucked), and I absolutely loved it. All of the personalities kind of reminded me of the way I imagine large cities with all of the voices and smells and different faces every day, so it felt perfect for a story set in San Francisco.
And finally the story. While there was plenty of grief in Lavinia’s life because of all the unanswered questions about her parents and her uncle abandoning her after her aunt died, there was also a lot of positivity and energy. The people she’s close with created a kind of family around her that felt so comforting. And her clients were all so different and interesting that it kept the pages turning. I was always wondering what type of situation would play out the next time she was in the same room with each of them.
Overall, this book was such a treat. It dumped me in my pile of emotions, but didn’t leave me feeling depleted. I felt comforted and happy, and I keep thinking about what Lavinia is doing today. This one is definitely a “recommend” from me.
Barbara Sapienza, author of “The Laundress” has written an entertaining and intriguing novel. The genres for this novel are Literary Fiction and Women’s Fiction. There is some romance, music, dance, and art also described in this story. The story takes place in San Franciso. The timeline for the story is set in the author’s present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. Some are searching and determined to find the answers to their problems. Some are quirky.
Lavina Lavina was brought by her Uncle Sal to San Franciso from Italy when she was 4 years old. Lavina is obsessed with finding out the reasons that her Uncle Sal and his wife brought her to America. She knows that her mother is deceased, but everything is very secretive. There have always been dark secrets in the family. When Uncle Sal goes back to Italy, Lavina becomes more determined to find the truth.
Lavina loves doing laundry for several regular customers that are unusual and quirky. Every day she stops and gets expresso and gets to know the expresso owner, Mario. Lavina has a special friend Kinky and her Mother, who make Lavina want to be a part of their family. I love it when the author describes the food that Kinky’s Mom makes and the songs she sings, and when she dances.
I appreciate that the author describes art, sculpting, dance, music, and song, which add both essence and depth to the story. I highly recommend this entertaining novel.
Lavinia is a laundres,
She does other people’s laundry for a living.
She has also lost her mother at a young age.
Uncle Sal and her aunt rose took her in taking care of her after her mother’s accident..
Her Aunt Rose wasn’t fond of her..
She had a doll called
Raggedy.
That her Aunt has taken away.
Not only has she lost her mother at such a young age her mean Aunt has taken away her doll..
Soon her aunt passes
Away from cancer..
Lavinia wants to find what happened to her mother.
Time goes on..
Uncle Sal moves one day..
Not really telling her..
Each day before work she goes to the coffee shop leaves the Barista a piece of gum as a tip. gets her latte coffee and on her way she goes..
Lavinia also would like for her uncle to explain to her what happened to her mother. what the accident was that took her at such a young age.
In search of Love and family..
This was a first book for me by this author..