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Our Share of Morning: A Novel
Her eyes were fixed on my face. “Men,” she said simply. “And women. Make mistakes. Blissful, dreadful mistakes. But more often than not, women pay the price.”
1933. A three-story tenement in a mill town west of Boston. In the third-floor apartment hangs a portrait of unforgettable Ada, a neighbor’s daughter, who disappeared years before. In the apartment below, two sisters—thoughtful, sensible Violet and gifted but fragile Glory—come of age unaware of how the missing Ada haunts their lives. As disease and poverty threaten their family, they are each other’s refuge. But as they reach adulthood, the fallout from a broken love affair—while unraveling the mystery of Ada—threatens their bond.
Narrated in turns by each of the sisters, Our Share of Morning reveals how contagion, misogyny, and a series of betrayals force Violet and Glory to face immutable loss. Poignant and poetic, the novel is a meditation on meaning, fate, forgiveness, and the fierce endurance of sisterly love.
About the Author
Laura Bonazzoli’s short-story cycle, Consecration Pond, was praised by Publishers Weekly as poetic and haunting. Her short fiction, poetry, and essays have been published in dozens of literary magazines and several anthologies. She works as a freelance editor and ghostwriter, and teaches creative writing with Maine Media Workshops. She holds a BA from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, and an MFA from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She lives in Midcoast Maine. Our Share of Morning is her first novel.
Praise for Our Share of Morning
"With a rich cast of characters and a narrative that intertwines the sisters’ voices across multiple timelines, Our Share of Morning is a touching exploration of the heartaches that tear us apart, but more importantly, the bonds that hold us together." —Cynthia Reeves, author of The Last Whaler and Falling Through the New World
"As I read Our Share of Morning, I came to feel myself a sister to these two sisters, Violet and Glory, as if I had grown up with them in that three-story tenement outside Boston and had shared their dreams and heartbreaks and joys. Reading Bonazzoli’s beautifully crafted novel is a deeply moving experience." —Jonna Bragg, author of The Broom of God, Exit 8, and Hemlock Flat
"A tenderly written account of the perennial trials women face and the strength they muster to overcome hardship, Our Share of Morning tells the story of two sisters navigating girlhood into womanhood in the 1930s and 1940s in a New England town... Readers will both cheer on and weep for these sisters. But through the darkness, threads of light lace the narrative, offering comfort in what remains beautiful and true––the enduring bond of sisterhood, forgiveness, and the healing power of art."
—Jodi Paloni, author of They Could Live With Themselves
"Told through the eyes of two sisters coming of age amidst poverty, illness, and misogyny, Our Share of Morning is the story of a secret that threatens to tear their family and community apart. Poetic and heartbreaking, it is beautifully written with tension and tenderness. Long after you finish reading, the characters will haunt you.
1933. A three-story tenement in a mill town west of Boston. In the third-floor apartment hangs a portrait of unforgettable Ada, a neighbor’s daughter, who disappeared years before. In the apartment below, two sisters—thoughtful, sensible Violet and gifted but fragile Glory—come of age unaware of how the missing Ada haunts their lives. As disease and poverty threaten their family, they are each other’s refuge. But as they reach adulthood, the fallout from a broken love affair—while unraveling the mystery of Ada—threatens their bond.
Narrated in turns by each of the sisters, Our Share of Morning reveals how contagion, misogyny, and a series of betrayals force Violet and Glory to face immutable loss. Poignant and poetic, the novel is a meditation on meaning, fate, forgiveness, and the fierce endurance of sisterly love.
About the Author
Laura Bonazzoli’s short-story cycle, Consecration Pond, was praised by Publishers Weekly as poetic and haunting. Her short fiction, poetry, and essays have been published in dozens of literary magazines and several anthologies. She works as a freelance editor and ghostwriter, and teaches creative writing with Maine Media Workshops. She holds a BA from Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, and an MFA from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. She lives in Midcoast Maine. Our Share of Morning is her first novel.
Praise for Our Share of Morning
"With a rich cast of characters and a narrative that intertwines the sisters’ voices across multiple timelines, Our Share of Morning is a touching exploration of the heartaches that tear us apart, but more importantly, the bonds that hold us together." —Cynthia Reeves, author of The Last Whaler and Falling Through the New World
"As I read Our Share of Morning, I came to feel myself a sister to these two sisters, Violet and Glory, as if I had grown up with them in that three-story tenement outside Boston and had shared their dreams and heartbreaks and joys. Reading Bonazzoli’s beautifully crafted novel is a deeply moving experience." —Jonna Bragg, author of The Broom of God, Exit 8, and Hemlock Flat
"A tenderly written account of the perennial trials women face and the strength they muster to overcome hardship, Our Share of Morning tells the story of two sisters navigating girlhood into womanhood in the 1930s and 1940s in a New England town... Readers will both cheer on and weep for these sisters. But through the darkness, threads of light lace the narrative, offering comfort in what remains beautiful and true––the enduring bond of sisterhood, forgiveness, and the healing power of art."
—Jodi Paloni, author of They Could Live With Themselves
"Told through the eyes of two sisters coming of age amidst poverty, illness, and misogyny, Our Share of Morning is the story of a secret that threatens to tear their family and community apart. Poetic and heartbreaking, it is beautifully written with tension and tenderness. Long after you finish reading, the characters will haunt you.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 12, 2025
3 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Laura Bonazzoli
3 books3 followersLaura Bonazzoli's historical novel, Our Share of Morning, was published in September 2025 by Sibylline Press. Readers' Favorite gave it five stars, Kirkus gave it their "Get it!" endorsement, and the Midwest Book Review praised it as "an extraordinary and engaging read from beginning to end." Laura's novel-in-stories, Consecration Pond, was published by indie press Toad Hall Editions in 2022. Publishers Weekly praised the collection as "poetic and introspective," with "voice-driven stories" that "leave a haunting impression."
Laura has also published short fiction, essays, and poetry in more than thirty literary magazines, including Connecticut River Review, Northern New England Review, and Naugatuck River Review, as well as in several anthologies. She is a freelance editor and teaches creative writing with Maine Media Workshops. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in Midcoast Maine.
Laura has also published short fiction, essays, and poetry in more than thirty literary magazines, including Connecticut River Review, Northern New England Review, and Naugatuck River Review, as well as in several anthologies. She is a freelance editor and teaches creative writing with Maine Media Workshops. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in Midcoast Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 14, 2025
Laura Bonazzoli has written a beautiful, compelling novel about two sisters, Violet and Glory, who are growing up in Depression-era Boston. Haunted by disease, poverty and a mystery that threatens their family, they rely on each other when the adults in their lives try, but in many ways, fail them. Our Share of Morning is narrated in alternating chapters by Violet and Glory, and each sister is equally and astonishingly believable. It is clear that Bonazzoli loves them both. This compelling and poignant story will appeal to readers of literary historical fiction as well as mystery. These sisters will stay with you long after you've turned their final page.
December 21, 2025
Reads so much like an American classic that I kept forgetting it was published this year. The first part is told from the perspective of Violet and Glory as children--Bonazzoli immerses you in their developing minds as they navigate growing up in a dysfunctional family with a dark secret. The second part picks up with them as young women, exploring both how their adult selves were shaped by their upbringing, but also how Violet and Glory each shape their own destinies, in quite different ways. Beautifully and carefully crafted prose. This book has something for everyone, whether you like the literary classics, feminism, 20th-century American history, or mysteries. Couldn't put it down!
January 29, 2026
This book drew me in, gently at first and then firmly. I quickly followed every twist and turn as Violet and Glory grew up in their family and their community. The secrets uncovered, the hearts broken are familiar to us all. I loved this book and look forward to the next from Laura Bonazzoli.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews