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NESTING DOLLS
“Suspenseful and moving . . . This author has a talent for telling a story and telling it well.” – Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
"Like the dolls of the title, the story moves backward through three generations of dysfunction. We learn violence and alcoholism are not random, but historical, and until one young woman has the courage to break the cycle, the pattern will repeat itself. Lyrical and passionate, Nesting Dolls is an excellent debut." – Kaylie Jones, author of Lies My Mother Never Told Me
"By turns funny, poignant, and frightening, Nesting Dolls is a gorgeously-written reverse fairy tale the reader will be reluctant to set down." - Lenore Hart, author of Becky and The Raven's Bride
Seventeen-year-old Valentine never imagined her life as a fairytale. Growing up, she barely got by, spending the majority of her time, energy, and money caring for her younger brother, Jonathon, and herself. Her mother lives life recklessly and selfishly, occasionally sobering just enough to see her children through glassy eyes. After yet another violent episode involving her mother’s boyfriend, Valentine decides to run away, taking Jonathon with her. In search of a better life, she gets half-way across the country only to receive shocking news from home, forcing her to turn the car around and face trials she never expected.
In a flashback to twenty years before, Valentine’s mother Theresa, the privileged daughter of a small-town police chief and a strict, repressive mother, finds herself desperate and devoid of options when she lands in Los Angeles, 13 years old, pregnant, and utterly without a clue. Life on the street is ten times meaner than she ever imagined, and as she struggles to get through each day, week, and month, she holds on to the hope of finally getting herself back to her normal life of upper-class suburban bliss . . . if she can only make it out in one piece.
And in yet another flashback, twenty years before that, Theresa’s mother, Caroline, plays the part of doting wife like a pro, but behind the designer skirts and lipstick smiles lies a married life of severe physical and emotional abuse. After having two children, Caroline settles into the idea of living in home with a man who terrifies her…only to have the love of her life show up on her doorstep, asking her to make a choice that will forever change her path and those of the women who will come after her.
NESTING DOLLS is the multigenerational story of three women, how their lives connect and diverge, and how they support or betray each other due to circumstances and the choices they make. Their lives each span a different time, a different life, but ultimately converge in a single theme: how mothers and daughters are truly bound together forever, no matter what they may imagine, dream, or regret.
About the Author
Raised half under the open skies of the California Bay Area and half on the muddy farmlands of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Salena Fehnel bears the brand of a bi-coastal adult, gravitating toward sunshine and salty waters. Among her talents, she counts using the most sticks of butter possible for all recipes, picking the wrong toll booth lane, producing amazing human beings, taking the perfect twelve minute charger nap, finding sharp corners in seemingly impossible settings to bang her knee on, and sometimes, if it’s a good day, writing. Her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has been published in East Meets West, American Writer’s Review, The Cohort Review, Calliope, and in the national bestselling anthology My Parents Were Awesome. She teaches writing and literature at Berkeley College in New Jersey, where she savors students’ first experiences with great fiction writing.
"Like the dolls of the title, the story moves backward through three generations of dysfunction. We learn violence and alcoholism are not random, but historical, and until one young woman has the courage to break the cycle, the pattern will repeat itself. Lyrical and passionate, Nesting Dolls is an excellent debut." – Kaylie Jones, author of Lies My Mother Never Told Me
"By turns funny, poignant, and frightening, Nesting Dolls is a gorgeously-written reverse fairy tale the reader will be reluctant to set down." - Lenore Hart, author of Becky and The Raven's Bride
Seventeen-year-old Valentine never imagined her life as a fairytale. Growing up, she barely got by, spending the majority of her time, energy, and money caring for her younger brother, Jonathon, and herself. Her mother lives life recklessly and selfishly, occasionally sobering just enough to see her children through glassy eyes. After yet another violent episode involving her mother’s boyfriend, Valentine decides to run away, taking Jonathon with her. In search of a better life, she gets half-way across the country only to receive shocking news from home, forcing her to turn the car around and face trials she never expected.
In a flashback to twenty years before, Valentine’s mother Theresa, the privileged daughter of a small-town police chief and a strict, repressive mother, finds herself desperate and devoid of options when she lands in Los Angeles, 13 years old, pregnant, and utterly without a clue. Life on the street is ten times meaner than she ever imagined, and as she struggles to get through each day, week, and month, she holds on to the hope of finally getting herself back to her normal life of upper-class suburban bliss . . . if she can only make it out in one piece.
And in yet another flashback, twenty years before that, Theresa’s mother, Caroline, plays the part of doting wife like a pro, but behind the designer skirts and lipstick smiles lies a married life of severe physical and emotional abuse. After having two children, Caroline settles into the idea of living in home with a man who terrifies her…only to have the love of her life show up on her doorstep, asking her to make a choice that will forever change her path and those of the women who will come after her.
NESTING DOLLS is the multigenerational story of three women, how their lives connect and diverge, and how they support or betray each other due to circumstances and the choices they make. Their lives each span a different time, a different life, but ultimately converge in a single theme: how mothers and daughters are truly bound together forever, no matter what they may imagine, dream, or regret.
About the Author
Raised half under the open skies of the California Bay Area and half on the muddy farmlands of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Salena Fehnel bears the brand of a bi-coastal adult, gravitating toward sunshine and salty waters. Among her talents, she counts using the most sticks of butter possible for all recipes, picking the wrong toll booth lane, producing amazing human beings, taking the perfect twelve minute charger nap, finding sharp corners in seemingly impossible settings to bang her knee on, and sometimes, if it’s a good day, writing. Her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has been published in East Meets West, American Writer’s Review, The Cohort Review, Calliope, and in the national bestselling anthology My Parents Were Awesome. She teaches writing and literature at Berkeley College in New Jersey, where she savors students’ first experiences with great fiction writing.
213 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
7 people are currently reading
886 people want to read
About the author
Salena Fehnel
2 books24 followersRaised half under the open skies of the California Bay Area and half on the muddy farmlands of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Salena Fehnel bears the brand of a bi-coastal adult, gravitating toward sunshine and salty waters.
Among her talents, she counts using the most sticks of butter possible for all recipes, picking the wrong toll booth lane, robot dancing, taking the perfect twelve minute charger nap, finding sharp corners in seemingly impossible settings to bang her knee on, and sometimes, if it’s a good day, writing.
Her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has been published in East Meets West, American Writer’s Review, The Cohort Review, Calliope, and in the national bestselling anthology My Parents Were Awesome.
Her second novel, Fortunemaker, a historical crime fiction novel, has been put on hold, pending publication of her futuristic fantasy series, The Anarchist's Logbook. The first chapter can be read at Vocal Media: https://vocal.media/fiction/the-archi...
Among her talents, she counts using the most sticks of butter possible for all recipes, picking the wrong toll booth lane, robot dancing, taking the perfect twelve minute charger nap, finding sharp corners in seemingly impossible settings to bang her knee on, and sometimes, if it’s a good day, writing.
Her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has been published in East Meets West, American Writer’s Review, The Cohort Review, Calliope, and in the national bestselling anthology My Parents Were Awesome.
Her second novel, Fortunemaker, a historical crime fiction novel, has been put on hold, pending publication of her futuristic fantasy series, The Anarchist's Logbook. The first chapter can be read at Vocal Media: https://vocal.media/fiction/the-archi...
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 7, 2014
Once I opened this book I could not put it down until I was finished. This story takes you on a ride over three generations of mothers and daughters and how the decisions they make effect each other. Ms. Fehnel has a way of describing the settings in such detail that you feel as if you are in the actual book, and the characters are so well defined that you feel you know them personally. Nesting Dolls had me laughing at parts and in tears during others. This is definitely a book you want to add to your Summer Reading List. I am very much so looking forward to reading the next book by this author.
May 13, 2014
Written by an extremely talented author, Nesting Dolls is a worthwhile read that you will be unable to walk away from. Each character and location is provided with such detail it seems like you know the characters personally and have been to each place countless times. Following the tales of three generations of women from one family, Salena Fehnel artfully illustrates the choices, dysfunction, and hardships that define each female, showing how all their choices influence one another. Nesting Dolls contains all the elements that make a story intriguing from the characters’ ability to rise above the trials that have been dealt to a forbidden, deep love that keeps you holding out hope that there is a way to be together. A must read!
January 11, 2015
Rarely does a story sweep me off my feet in its emotion, but Nesting Dolls lured me in and had me absolutely captivated from beginning to end. This story is emotional and heart-breaking to the point that you wish you could jump in and change each character's story for the sake of achieving just a small amount of happiness. I wouldn't normally embrace a story that is whole-heartedly melancholy, but this one consumed me and left me saddened, yet extremely satisfied. I have a feeling this story will stay with me for a long time and be a new go-to when it comes to recommendations. Be sure to set time aside when reading this one, as I finished it in two sittings, and really had to tear myself from it on day one.
November 25, 2014
I had the pleasure of meeting Salena Fehnel as she so graciously attended our Book Club meeting, November 2014.
Written as it was, in a reverse timeline fashion, was a great way to read through the generations and learn how one effected the other. It was so easy to read that even just by reading snippets, 15-20 minutes at a time, it took me less than 2 days to read...just something about the style of writing, combined with the story line, flowed nicely.
Nesting Dolls brought up a lot of discussion about parenting, selfishness (or selfLESSness), and choices we make.
With author insight, the book punched me in the stomach with the reality of how being a mom can create all different scenarios for women and how your current lifestyle and choices trickle down from one to the next.
Written as it was, in a reverse timeline fashion, was a great way to read through the generations and learn how one effected the other. It was so easy to read that even just by reading snippets, 15-20 minutes at a time, it took me less than 2 days to read...just something about the style of writing, combined with the story line, flowed nicely.
Nesting Dolls brought up a lot of discussion about parenting, selfishness (or selfLESSness), and choices we make.
With author insight, the book punched me in the stomach with the reality of how being a mom can create all different scenarios for women and how your current lifestyle and choices trickle down from one to the next.
May 10, 2014
I couldn't put this book down and finished it in 2 days. The story unfolds backwards and you have multiple 'aha' moments as you understand why a previous character's life is how it is. Engaging and beautifully written with characters that feel uncannily real. A must read!
October 28, 2018
The nesting dolls from which this book derives its title are indeed an absolutely perfect metaphor for the story of these three generations of women at the heart of Salena Fehnel's debut novel. Learn about the lives of one of these women and you'll see one of the dolls individually: detailed, nuanced, beautiful in its way, and seemingly complete by itself. It's only when you take a step back and analyze the lives of all three – in this case, Valentine; her mother Theresa; and Theresa's mother Caroline – that you realize their stories are interconnected in ways you could never predict at first glance. The separate lives they shared – all of the tragedies, secrets, and losses – draw common bonds between the three that even they could never predict. Despite living lives often completely closed off from each other – sometimes literally, sometimes emotionally – their stories are as linked as the nesting dolls themselves once they are placed inside one another.
Nesting Dolls begins with the story of Valentine, an intelligent young woman who is about to graduate high school, but hasn't had the luxury of enjoying a childhood. Instead, she's had to take on the responsibility of raising her younger brother while her mother, Theresa, neglects the children in favor of alcoholism and an endless string of deadbeat boyfriends. At first, Theresa might understandably seem deplorable; irredeemable, even. But after we learn Valentine's story, the narrative jumps back in time to give us Theresa's, starting when she was a timid 13-year-old living a comfortable life within an affluent household. That is, until a terrible mistake leads her to becoming pregnant, and she is thrown out of the house by her mother, Caroline, leaving her with nothing but some money and a note demanding she never return home again. It's an unforgivable act that could leave the reader understandably despising Caroline. Then the narrative jumps back again, and we learn the circumstances of her life, and the personal challenges and tragedies she faced in the years leading up to the exiling of her own daughter.
It's a credit to Salena Fehnel's skill as a writer that we are able to come away with Nesting Dolls caring strongly about all three of these women, even as one commits heinous actions that have a life-alteringly negative impact on another. If this were simply the story of Valentine alone, or Theresa alone, then their respective mothers may have come across as two-dimensional "wicked stepmother"-like stereotypes. Instead, Fehnel delves much deeper and shows us that, just as in real life, it's all much more complex then that, and in doing so she gives us three very strong and well-developed protagonists. And along the way, she unflinchingly tackles very difficult topics, including drug abuse, domestic violence, prostitution, suicide, and death.
I personally found Theresa's story to be the most compelling, and found myself developing a genuine affection for the de facto family unit she forms from her friends at a homeless shelter, a tenacious group of fellow teens who are almost completely different from each other except in one crucial, overriding way: they each survivors of broken childhoods. In a way, Nesting Dolls reminded me of one of my favorite novels: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. Obviously, there are major differences, as much of that book focuses on an intersex protagonist coming to terms with his gender identity. But it's also the story of three generations of a Greek family and how each of their personal histories influence the others, even when they know very little about the personal history of the ancestor that came before them. The fact that that Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece came to my mind while reading Nesting Dolls bodes well for Fehnel's debut effort.
Nesting Dolls begins with the story of Valentine, an intelligent young woman who is about to graduate high school, but hasn't had the luxury of enjoying a childhood. Instead, she's had to take on the responsibility of raising her younger brother while her mother, Theresa, neglects the children in favor of alcoholism and an endless string of deadbeat boyfriends. At first, Theresa might understandably seem deplorable; irredeemable, even. But after we learn Valentine's story, the narrative jumps back in time to give us Theresa's, starting when she was a timid 13-year-old living a comfortable life within an affluent household. That is, until a terrible mistake leads her to becoming pregnant, and she is thrown out of the house by her mother, Caroline, leaving her with nothing but some money and a note demanding she never return home again. It's an unforgivable act that could leave the reader understandably despising Caroline. Then the narrative jumps back again, and we learn the circumstances of her life, and the personal challenges and tragedies she faced in the years leading up to the exiling of her own daughter.
It's a credit to Salena Fehnel's skill as a writer that we are able to come away with Nesting Dolls caring strongly about all three of these women, even as one commits heinous actions that have a life-alteringly negative impact on another. If this were simply the story of Valentine alone, or Theresa alone, then their respective mothers may have come across as two-dimensional "wicked stepmother"-like stereotypes. Instead, Fehnel delves much deeper and shows us that, just as in real life, it's all much more complex then that, and in doing so she gives us three very strong and well-developed protagonists. And along the way, she unflinchingly tackles very difficult topics, including drug abuse, domestic violence, prostitution, suicide, and death.
I personally found Theresa's story to be the most compelling, and found myself developing a genuine affection for the de facto family unit she forms from her friends at a homeless shelter, a tenacious group of fellow teens who are almost completely different from each other except in one crucial, overriding way: they each survivors of broken childhoods. In a way, Nesting Dolls reminded me of one of my favorite novels: Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. Obviously, there are major differences, as much of that book focuses on an intersex protagonist coming to terms with his gender identity. But it's also the story of three generations of a Greek family and how each of their personal histories influence the others, even when they know very little about the personal history of the ancestor that came before them. The fact that that Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece came to my mind while reading Nesting Dolls bodes well for Fehnel's debut effort.
June 11, 2014
Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” Author Salena Fehnel heeds Angelou’s everlasting message in her debut novel, “Nesting Dolls.” In exquisitely sequenced narrations, three generations of women from present to past — Valentine, Theresa, and Caroline — all share their stories of interconnection, loss, and most importantly, the secrets they have kept hidden.
Observed by the title, Valentine, Theresa, and Caroline are parallel to intricate nesting dolls. As each character begins to narrate their own tale, readers soon find that their past, present, and future culminates into a series of figures. Each figure of the whole serves as a different point in their lives that is somehow together, yet separately evolving over time.
We are first introduced to 17-year-old Valentine, the youngest narrator of the three who sets precedence by offering a more literal context to the nesting doll notion. After stealing several nesting dolls, Valentine conceals money she has saved within, hoping the amount will be enough to escape with her young brother, Jonathon, to a place of refuge. After all, Valentine is not unlike Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation, the wretch. While she spends much of her life in the absence of love and sympathy, she becomes more capable of humanity than that of her maker, Theresa.
Fehnel then traverses through the work, moving from present to past with Valentine’s mother, Theresa, expressing that even in death, her characters may live again to tell their stories. During Valentine’s narration, readers grow to despise Theresa, but when we are given her story 20 years before, our judgment is quickly adjusted. A product of her environment, we manage to understand Theresa. While her neglect and abuse towards Valentine and Jonathon are never justifiable, there remains empathy for Theresa having suffered at the hand of her own mother, Caroline. Caroline is the first to activate the vicious cycle and, ironically, the final narrator before the epilogue.
Valentine is arguably the most pivotal character in the novel, especially pertaining to her relationship with Jonathon. Possessing the strongest bond built upon maternal instinct, Valentine is able to finally break the brutal cycle in her familial history. It is through her character that the seemingly unending grief and negativity begins to lift.
As readers are given each heartbreaking revelation, we come one step closer to understanding the intricacy of each character. While much of the novel tackles difficult themes of drug abuse, violence, neglect, suicide, prostitution, and death, the epilogue demonstrates resolve, resulting in a final, beautiful masterpiece.
- Kacy Muir, The Weekender/Times Leader/Songs of Sirens
Observed by the title, Valentine, Theresa, and Caroline are parallel to intricate nesting dolls. As each character begins to narrate their own tale, readers soon find that their past, present, and future culminates into a series of figures. Each figure of the whole serves as a different point in their lives that is somehow together, yet separately evolving over time.
We are first introduced to 17-year-old Valentine, the youngest narrator of the three who sets precedence by offering a more literal context to the nesting doll notion. After stealing several nesting dolls, Valentine conceals money she has saved within, hoping the amount will be enough to escape with her young brother, Jonathon, to a place of refuge. After all, Valentine is not unlike Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation, the wretch. While she spends much of her life in the absence of love and sympathy, she becomes more capable of humanity than that of her maker, Theresa.
Fehnel then traverses through the work, moving from present to past with Valentine’s mother, Theresa, expressing that even in death, her characters may live again to tell their stories. During Valentine’s narration, readers grow to despise Theresa, but when we are given her story 20 years before, our judgment is quickly adjusted. A product of her environment, we manage to understand Theresa. While her neglect and abuse towards Valentine and Jonathon are never justifiable, there remains empathy for Theresa having suffered at the hand of her own mother, Caroline. Caroline is the first to activate the vicious cycle and, ironically, the final narrator before the epilogue.
Valentine is arguably the most pivotal character in the novel, especially pertaining to her relationship with Jonathon. Possessing the strongest bond built upon maternal instinct, Valentine is able to finally break the brutal cycle in her familial history. It is through her character that the seemingly unending grief and negativity begins to lift.
As readers are given each heartbreaking revelation, we come one step closer to understanding the intricacy of each character. While much of the novel tackles difficult themes of drug abuse, violence, neglect, suicide, prostitution, and death, the epilogue demonstrates resolve, resulting in a final, beautiful masterpiece.
- Kacy Muir, The Weekender/Times Leader/Songs of Sirens
August 5, 2014
I won this book from a contest on Goodreads.
Valentine Maurieno is the daughter of Theresa and was brought into the world when Theresa was only 14 years old. Valentine was just a child herself when her brother was born but she has been his caregiver since practically his birth. Unfortunately her Mother seemed to love the bottle more than her own children. But when her Mother picked up her latest boyfriend it was obvious he didn't mind using his fists on Theresa, but when he laid his hands on Jonathon, Valentine has reached her limit.
Theresa Maureino was pregnant at 13 and was all alone and desperate when her Mother ran her out of her family home. After Valentine was born she found herself alone and pregnant again, with Valentine in tow. When she managed to scrape a few bucks together, her drinking and picking up strange men began.
Caroline Maureino married a police officer who later became the chief of police. But not long into the honeymoon, the physical abuse started and Caroline had no where or no one to turn to. Or did she!
The story of three women whose lives are all connected and their journey of how and who they each came to be. Author Selena Fehnel did a superb job putting this story together and it kept my interest from start to finish. Very good story!
July 14, 2014
Now that my tears have dried... I didn't want this to end. I was only two chapters from finishing and I said to my husband while sobbing, "I think I need to stop reading now..." But I didn't, I finished it! :) What wonderful tales of three generations of women. I was most saddened by Caroline's story. Being trapped in a loveless, abusive marriage while knowing that your true love is right within your reach would be a living hell, I think. But then again, she made a choice. I feel most sorry for Theresa because she never gets any sort of redemption. It's like she never had a chance. I think the coolest part, however, was seeing my friend's name in the acknowledgements at the end of the book! Yay, Lynne!
December 21, 2014
Salena Fehnel's debut novel is captivating. Chronicling the lives of three generations of women, moving backwards through time, the reader is wholly transported into each woman's story and feels the implications of each's decisions on the upcoming lives of the rest. A testimony of how our lives are not just our own and how we each shape one another within a family, I absolutely loved each character and could wholly empathize with each woman. The writing just got better with each page, full and complex characters, three stories within one, all transcending the next. A definite recommended read!
May 23, 2014
I just finished this first novel of local author, Salena Fehnel. This emotional story of three generations of dysfunctional women is raw and eye opening. I found it interesting that this story was told in reverse, it allowed the reader to slowly put the pieces of the characters together and understand how they ended up where they did. The book is heart wrenching and captivating at the same time.
March 27, 2015
I read this book quickly because I was intensely interested in the characters and wanted to know what had happened/what was going to happen, but when I got to the end, I just felt meh. It was a very interesting concept, but I think it could have been executed a bit better. For a first novel, though, I think Ms. Fehnel did a good job.
July 21, 2014
A beautiful debut. Salena Fehnel has crafted a poignant tale about three generations of women struggling to overcome the mistakes of those who came before them. NESTING DOLLS shows the complexity and long-lasting impact of domestic violence and what it takes to break the cycle.
November 3, 2014
Thanks Goodreads for this giveaway! Interesting and thought provoking at times, this book didn't wow me, but it is a strong story of the choices, changes and chances in our lives and how they affect those who come after us.
March 18, 2015
From the minute I picked up this book I couldn't put it down. The author writes with such a smooth flow perfectly painting detailed images in ones head. The storyline of 3 generations of women -grandmother, mother and daughter capture the readers with their intriguing stories.
January 7, 2015
A beautiful debut. Salena Fehnel has crafted a poignant tale about three generations of women struggling to overcome the mistakes of those who came before them. NESTING DOLLS shows the complexity and long-lasting impact of domestic violence and what it takes to break the cycle.
July 17, 2016
What an interesting book! "The nesting dolls" discusses 3 generations of women. It begins with the youngest woman followed by a bio of her mother. Her grandmother is the protagonist of the last story and is the catalyst of misery handed to the next generation. I can sincerely recommend this book.
July 5, 2014
This story kept me from the beginning.
September 9, 2014
Loved the way this book was written, kind of backwards. The story doesn't really come together until the end,
Though I did wish there was less of a time gap.
Though I did wish there was less of a time gap.
March 31, 2015
Loved this book. An intricate story that tells the story how each generation affects the next.
June 26, 2015
GREAT Book
I loved this book. Well written dialogue,.tremendous character development, great plot. Story telling at it's best. I LOVE this book. Darlita
I loved this book. Well written dialogue,.tremendous character development, great plot. Story telling at it's best. I LOVE this book. Darlita
November 3, 2016
Didn't love the ending but the rest of the book was a page Turner.
July 22, 2017
4.5 really. Had to dock some for spelling errors. I really liked this book although the last book I read had some similarities so I kept mixing up the characters from the last book with this one. Very good though. I liked how each generation told a story.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews