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Beginning Middle End
Not yet published
Expected 28 Jul 26From the beloved, award-winning author of the culture-changing hits Lost Children Archive and Tell Me How it Ends comes her most powerful and page-turning novel the tale of a mother and daughter traveling together after the collapse of a marriage and the dissolution of their traditional family structure.
Valeria Luiselli's novel opens the morning a mother and her teenage daughter arrive in Sicily, during a summer of rapidly-changing winds, volcanic rumbles, and sudden tempests. They’ve landed near the ancient ruins where the narrator’s grandmother worked long ago on an archaeological dig. How do you begin again, the mother wonders, pondering her family line, and what if the new beginning you're imagining is actually the end?
While the mother tries to figure out how to reconstruct their lives together—cooking meals side by side, reading out loud to each other, playing chess, bickering and making-up—her deeply intelligent, inquisitive daughter begins to take the reins of the story. She becomes increasingly curious about her great-grandmother’s past as a digger in archaeological sites and ancient tombs, and urges her mother to leave their enclosed day-to-day in search for answers about their family’s past and future.
Beginning Middle End evolves into a road novel of exquisite tenderness. In their drive through Sicily, mother and daughter cross paths with the island's migrants, storekeepers, and elders, but also its volcanoes, its winds and its waters. As their trip progresses, it becomes a journey to origins—not just to the familial past across continents, languages, and generations, but also further back to a mythical and geological past. With her own mother showing signs of dementia, the narrator confronts the primary questions of Where is home? Where do we dwell and seek safety? How are a family’s memories made and what happens when they disappear?
Warm, funny, and poetic, this novel is an ode to imagination and possibility in dark times.
Valeria Luiselli's novel opens the morning a mother and her teenage daughter arrive in Sicily, during a summer of rapidly-changing winds, volcanic rumbles, and sudden tempests. They’ve landed near the ancient ruins where the narrator’s grandmother worked long ago on an archaeological dig. How do you begin again, the mother wonders, pondering her family line, and what if the new beginning you're imagining is actually the end?
While the mother tries to figure out how to reconstruct their lives together—cooking meals side by side, reading out loud to each other, playing chess, bickering and making-up—her deeply intelligent, inquisitive daughter begins to take the reins of the story. She becomes increasingly curious about her great-grandmother’s past as a digger in archaeological sites and ancient tombs, and urges her mother to leave their enclosed day-to-day in search for answers about their family’s past and future.
Beginning Middle End evolves into a road novel of exquisite tenderness. In their drive through Sicily, mother and daughter cross paths with the island's migrants, storekeepers, and elders, but also its volcanoes, its winds and its waters. As their trip progresses, it becomes a journey to origins—not just to the familial past across continents, languages, and generations, but also further back to a mythical and geological past. With her own mother showing signs of dementia, the narrator confronts the primary questions of Where is home? Where do we dwell and seek safety? How are a family’s memories made and what happens when they disappear?
Warm, funny, and poetic, this novel is an ode to imagination and possibility in dark times.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 28, 2026
About the author
Valeria Luiselli
39 books2,469 followersValeria Luiselli was born in Mexico City in 1983 and grew up in South Africa. Her novels and essays have been translated into many languages and her work has appeared in publications including the New York Times, Granta, and McSweeney’s. Some of her recent projects include a ballet libretto for the choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, performed by the New York City Ballet in Lincoln Center in 2010; a pedestrian sound installation for the Serpentine Gallery in London; and a novella in installments for workers in a juice factory in Mexico. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Did Not Finish
March 23, 2026While I was taken by the story of this mother and her twelve year old daughter, at 48% I just can’t read anymore about the Greek classics that are read and continuously referenced, some of which I’ve never heard of. Just too tedious. Bottom line , this is just not for me .
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Beginning Middle End, by Valeria Luiselli, is a beautiful, poetic collection of reflections first from a mother (in her 30s) and then from her daughter (age 12) as they seek to make sense of their own uncertain and shifting present and its connection to the past and the future.
The mother is traveling in Sicily with her daughter, and is trying to make sense of the plot of her life—the beginning, middle, end—after divorcing her husband leaves her and her daughter uncertain of where life will next lead. The mother writes fiction for her profession, which she calls the intersection of memory and imagination, and as she weaves truths from her life into a tapestry of fiction her daughter and she both wonder what the narrative of their real life is. As mother and daughter travel together, they also talk with the mother’s mother, who may very well have dementia—leading to questions of memory, time travel, and how narratives of individual lives weave into the whole of families, and of humanity.
The theme of the mother’s, daughter’s and grandmother’s shifting presents is also reflected and amplified in the ongoing presence of a Proteus mosaic passed down to the mother (and daughter) from the great-grandmother, who took it from an ancient dig site. Proteus is a god of the sea who, while difficult to capture due to his form-shifting nature, has prophetic powers and knows all things—past, present, and future. The daughter becomes obsessed with the Proteus mosaic, and the potential power of Proteus to give her and her mother the key to understanding the arc of their life stories.
This theme of shifting is amplified even further against the backdrop of climate disaster/volcanic rumblings/hot winds in the present, and in the plethora of Greek myths that the mother and daughter read together on their adventure.
Deeply beautiful and poignant, this book stirred up an aching longing and tearfulness in me numerous times. Themes in this story feel especially timely for me personally as my family and I are on the precipice of a big life decision—and I’m not sure of where the plot arc will go, and at what point of our current story we are living.
I highlighted so many passages throughout that, since I read an arc of this story, I unfortunately can’t include here verbatim. But I can say this book is deeply moving, and that if you enjoy more existential and reflective works (which are some of my favorites!), please read this one for yourself. You might just love it as much as I did.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Valeria Luiselli, & Knopf for this digital arc. Publication date July 28th 2026!
The mother is traveling in Sicily with her daughter, and is trying to make sense of the plot of her life—the beginning, middle, end—after divorcing her husband leaves her and her daughter uncertain of where life will next lead. The mother writes fiction for her profession, which she calls the intersection of memory and imagination, and as she weaves truths from her life into a tapestry of fiction her daughter and she both wonder what the narrative of their real life is. As mother and daughter travel together, they also talk with the mother’s mother, who may very well have dementia—leading to questions of memory, time travel, and how narratives of individual lives weave into the whole of families, and of humanity.
The theme of the mother’s, daughter’s and grandmother’s shifting presents is also reflected and amplified in the ongoing presence of a Proteus mosaic passed down to the mother (and daughter) from the great-grandmother, who took it from an ancient dig site. Proteus is a god of the sea who, while difficult to capture due to his form-shifting nature, has prophetic powers and knows all things—past, present, and future. The daughter becomes obsessed with the Proteus mosaic, and the potential power of Proteus to give her and her mother the key to understanding the arc of their life stories.
This theme of shifting is amplified even further against the backdrop of climate disaster/volcanic rumblings/hot winds in the present, and in the plethora of Greek myths that the mother and daughter read together on their adventure.
Deeply beautiful and poignant, this book stirred up an aching longing and tearfulness in me numerous times. Themes in this story feel especially timely for me personally as my family and I are on the precipice of a big life decision—and I’m not sure of where the plot arc will go, and at what point of our current story we are living.
I highlighted so many passages throughout that, since I read an arc of this story, I unfortunately can’t include here verbatim. But I can say this book is deeply moving, and that if you enjoy more existential and reflective works (which are some of my favorites!), please read this one for yourself. You might just love it as much as I did.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Valeria Luiselli, & Knopf for this digital arc. Publication date July 28th 2026!
December 3, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the ebook. This charming and warm book show a mother and her twelve year old daughter in Europe on the road from their old lives, divorced from husband/step father, no longer in contact with step son/step brother. The mother pulls her daughter out of school early so they can both go on a book tour through Europe with a plan to settle into Sicily for the summer. Except the island is on fire and the winds are blowing their way. Before that, it’s wonderful to spend time with these two women as they try to plan the next phase of life with games of chess, discussions of the classical texts that the daughter is digging through and constantly debating if they should return a small artifact that their grandmother stole while working at an archaeological dig when she was a teenager.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was excited to receive an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. With all the great reviews I couldn’t wait to dive in. I am not familiar with any of “the classics” or their authors. I have zero interest in mythology. The time spent on these two subjects made the book completely BORING for me. There was no plot to speak of and what there was came off as simply bizarre. Characters were mother, daughter, grandmother, no names. The twelve year old has conversations with her mother like she is 35. I am scratching my head trying to figure out how so many rated it fantastic, 5 stars, memorable, beautiful prose, etc etc. I found it to be a complete waste of my precious reading time. Since I’m the minority, best to give it a go. I just can’t figure out how I missed so much of what so many others saw in this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Beginning Middle End is an intensely literary novel for the analytical and patient reader who wants something to sink their teeth into. However, even though I read some literary fiction, this was challenging, and I struggled to understand and enjoy it. The book is a gentle meditation on major upheavals in family life and starting again. It follows a recently divorced mother and her daughter as they relocate to Italy. They finally settle in Sicily, near the archaeological dig the narrator’s grandmother once worked. There, their family’s past, present, and future interconnect through slice-of-life vignettes and flashbacks to the past. Luiselli’s prose is tender and beautifully written, especially with the backdrop of a summer in Sicily. It’s hard to overlook the disparity between the tranquil daily lives of these nameless characters and the potential storms and volcanic eruptions that surround them. The book plays around with reality and structure. Past and present scenes and memories are juxtaposed, and, at times, the characters are the writer and the reader.
This novel is brimming with ideas, themes, and symbolism that oftentimes went way over my head. I didn’t understand why parts of the book are sectioned off by planetary and astrology themes, and what are the parallels/metaphors with this story and mythology. Some readers will take issue that this story is light on plot and action. While this normally hasn’t been a problem, I didn’t find the characters engaging enough to keep my attention, and so the story’s pace dragged. Even though it’s a first-person point of view, there wasn’t enough emotion and expressiveness. I wanted more substance and personality from these characters, something distinctive. How did the mother feel about her marriage ending? Was she devastated, blindsided, or was it a long time coming? What made her angry? What brought her joy? Did she miss her old life? While I’m not sure the general public will go for it, this could be a rewarding read for someone with discerning taste and who appreciates its understated qualities.
Thank you, Netgallery and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.
This novel is brimming with ideas, themes, and symbolism that oftentimes went way over my head. I didn’t understand why parts of the book are sectioned off by planetary and astrology themes, and what are the parallels/metaphors with this story and mythology. Some readers will take issue that this story is light on plot and action. While this normally hasn’t been a problem, I didn’t find the characters engaging enough to keep my attention, and so the story’s pace dragged. Even though it’s a first-person point of view, there wasn’t enough emotion and expressiveness. I wanted more substance and personality from these characters, something distinctive. How did the mother feel about her marriage ending? Was she devastated, blindsided, or was it a long time coming? What made her angry? What brought her joy? Did she miss her old life? While I’m not sure the general public will go for it, this could be a rewarding read for someone with discerning taste and who appreciates its understated qualities.
Thank you, Netgallery and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for providing an advanced copy to review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is my first introduction to Valeria Luiselli's writing and I was excited to read, as I've typically loved works by poets. "Beginning Middle End" is told from the first person perspective of a mother who's just arrived in Sicily with her 12 year old daughter, following the aftermath of a divorce. As she tries to make sense of what happened to her, she struggles to raise her daughter in their new surroundings, while juggling the responsibilities of her own mother who's dementia is becoming more and more present.
In the midst of this, the unnamed protagonist tells her daughter the story of her own grandmother who was an archaeologist and pocketed a piece of a mosaic she uncovered years back - one that included the head of Proteus, a Greek God of the sea. She weaves in snippets of their daily life, from going to the market and playing chess, to flashbacks to their past lives, to conversations with her mother. In between, the narrator reflects on her own career as a fiction writer, and the ways her life has influenced her work.
I struggled a lot with this novel given how unstructured it was (despite what the title might imply). Even small things, like the fact that quotations are never used for when people speak and names are never provided to formatting and unexpected line breaks (perhaps san issue specific to the ARC itself) detracted from the reading experience. Unfortunately I don't think this was the novel for me, although I think others may appreciate the lyrical and stream-of-consciousness structure and the beautiful descriptions of Sicily.
In the midst of this, the unnamed protagonist tells her daughter the story of her own grandmother who was an archaeologist and pocketed a piece of a mosaic she uncovered years back - one that included the head of Proteus, a Greek God of the sea. She weaves in snippets of their daily life, from going to the market and playing chess, to flashbacks to their past lives, to conversations with her mother. In between, the narrator reflects on her own career as a fiction writer, and the ways her life has influenced her work.
I struggled a lot with this novel given how unstructured it was (despite what the title might imply). Even small things, like the fact that quotations are never used for when people speak and names are never provided to formatting and unexpected line breaks (perhaps san issue specific to the ARC itself) detracted from the reading experience. Unfortunately I don't think this was the novel for me, although I think others may appreciate the lyrical and stream-of-consciousness structure and the beautiful descriptions of Sicily.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A hauntingly beautiful road novel through memory and mythology.
Valeria Luiselli’s Beginning Middle End is a deeply moving and poetic exploration of family origins and the weight of the past. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Sicily—complete with volcanic rumbles and shifting winds—the story follows a mother and her teenage daughter as they navigate the collapse of their traditional family structure.
What makes this novel stand out:
Intimate Mother-Daughter Dynamics: The book shines in its portrayal of small, daily rituals—cooking together, playing chess, and bickering—that feel incredibly authentic and tender.
Archaeological Depth: The narrative deepens as the daughter becomes obsessed with her great-grandmother’s history as an archaeologist. This turns their road trip into a literal and metaphorical "dig" into familial and mythical origins.
Lyrical & Profound Prose: Luiselli’s writing is exquisite and tender, raising existential questions about where home truly lies when memory begins to disappear, especially as the narrator’s own mother faces dementia.
I’m giving this four stars rather than five only because the experimental, reflective pace might feel a bit slow for readers looking for a plot-driven adventure. However, for those who love existential and reflective works, this is an absolute gem.
It is a warm, funny, and poetic ode to the power of stories to shape our reality in dark times.
Valeria Luiselli’s Beginning Middle End is a deeply moving and poetic exploration of family origins and the weight of the past. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of Sicily—complete with volcanic rumbles and shifting winds—the story follows a mother and her teenage daughter as they navigate the collapse of their traditional family structure.
What makes this novel stand out:
Intimate Mother-Daughter Dynamics: The book shines in its portrayal of small, daily rituals—cooking together, playing chess, and bickering—that feel incredibly authentic and tender.
Archaeological Depth: The narrative deepens as the daughter becomes obsessed with her great-grandmother’s history as an archaeologist. This turns their road trip into a literal and metaphorical "dig" into familial and mythical origins.
Lyrical & Profound Prose: Luiselli’s writing is exquisite and tender, raising existential questions about where home truly lies when memory begins to disappear, especially as the narrator’s own mother faces dementia.
I’m giving this four stars rather than five only because the experimental, reflective pace might feel a bit slow for readers looking for a plot-driven adventure. However, for those who love existential and reflective works, this is an absolute gem.
It is a warm, funny, and poetic ode to the power of stories to shape our reality in dark times.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I received a copy of Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli via netgate for review. all thoughts and opinions written here are my own. I did not receive any compensation for this review whatsoever.
Beginning Middle End so wonderful mother-daughter life transition story that tells the journey of a family from the women's point of view. great grandmother, grandmother, mother and daughter all journeying through life connected together by the passage of time and family history. their personal tapestries are also woven through legend a little bit as great-grandmother lived near a historical site where ancient relics were buried. in this story the tapestry takes on a modern-day feel when the mother and daughter now find themselves having to navigate a brand new chapter together as the mother navigates divorce from the only father the daughter has known as well as stepbrother the only brother the daughter has known. the men are mentioned briefly and other men come into the story and take up a place from time to time, but it all comes down to the journey of these four women. even though they're not always present physically together, they are all braided together through stories of life and love and history.
I thoroughly recommend this book especially to my fellow women who might be curious to look at the stories of other women and how they find their place in the world.
Beginning Middle End so wonderful mother-daughter life transition story that tells the journey of a family from the women's point of view. great grandmother, grandmother, mother and daughter all journeying through life connected together by the passage of time and family history. their personal tapestries are also woven through legend a little bit as great-grandmother lived near a historical site where ancient relics were buried. in this story the tapestry takes on a modern-day feel when the mother and daughter now find themselves having to navigate a brand new chapter together as the mother navigates divorce from the only father the daughter has known as well as stepbrother the only brother the daughter has known. the men are mentioned briefly and other men come into the story and take up a place from time to time, but it all comes down to the journey of these four women. even though they're not always present physically together, they are all braided together through stories of life and love and history.
I thoroughly recommend this book especially to my fellow women who might be curious to look at the stories of other women and how they find their place in the world.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This book starts as a mother trying to find her bearings and purpose after a divorce. She is also trying to find her way back to her career as a writer. She and her daughter travel to Italy, where natural disasters influence their perception and journey. As the book progresses we realize that the woman isn't only coming to terms with her divorce but also with the fact that her mother is aging. The daughter also grows as the story unfolds. She becomes almost obsessed with learning about her great grandma and returning a relic she stole from an archeological dig. She also develops more of an awareness of her mom and some of the struggles she is going through.
This book was very interesting to read. None of the characters have names. Parts of the story are abstract and cerebral. The novel itself is formatted like the Greek classics. The author was able to seamlessly transition the story telling from the mom in the beginning to the daughter at the end. I think this book has multiple layers that might take multiple readings to discover. It's not normally the type of book I would read but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you the the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This book was very interesting to read. None of the characters have names. Parts of the story are abstract and cerebral. The novel itself is formatted like the Greek classics. The author was able to seamlessly transition the story telling from the mom in the beginning to the daughter at the end. I think this book has multiple layers that might take multiple readings to discover. It's not normally the type of book I would read but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you the the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received an ARC of this book from Alfred A Knopf publishing . It was the first novel I had read from the author. I give it 4.25 stars.
I started the book about 2 month ago ( read about 20 pages) and set it aside. I started the book from the beginning yesterday and finished it today. I haven't read a book that fast in a long while.
The book is very easy to read. The chapters are short. The chapters are divided by spaces to make sub chapters in the chapters. There are not a lot of characters in the book. The book is straightforward and easy to understand.
The book is about the mother daughter relationship. It isn't stereotypical or horrible. It is just the complexities of it. I really liked that. It's not a common theme for books.
The book is, also, about things that don't have easy answers ( or any answers too). It makes you think. One of those, is time travel but not in a traditional sense. I like that the book is intelligent but doesn't answer questions that are difficult.
It is an easy and fun book to read. I am grateful to the author and publishing house for the copy of the ARC. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
I started the book about 2 month ago ( read about 20 pages) and set it aside. I started the book from the beginning yesterday and finished it today. I haven't read a book that fast in a long while.
The book is very easy to read. The chapters are short. The chapters are divided by spaces to make sub chapters in the chapters. There are not a lot of characters in the book. The book is straightforward and easy to understand.
The book is about the mother daughter relationship. It isn't stereotypical or horrible. It is just the complexities of it. I really liked that. It's not a common theme for books.
The book is, also, about things that don't have easy answers ( or any answers too). It makes you think. One of those, is time travel but not in a traditional sense. I like that the book is intelligent but doesn't answer questions that are difficult.
It is an easy and fun book to read. I am grateful to the author and publishing house for the copy of the ARC. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was drawn to the story of a mother, an author. and her precocious and thoughtful young daughter on a journey together, travelling, after a painful divorce. At the same time, the grandmother seems to be beginning to struggle with dementia (as did her own mom). They travel to Sicily, where the great grandma was born. The mom is writing a book that seems to blend fiction and autobiography and that seems to confuse both mom and daughter. They carry with them an ancient mosaic of Proteus that had been in the family for years after the great-grandma pilfered (?) it when working as an excavator (disguised as a boy) at an archeological dig site. At first, I felt like it had shades of the Neopolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, which also have challenges and are not perfect. Many, many cultural references to classical works by Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger (over my head). Lot of intellectual posturing, mostly indecipherable to me. Perhaps I am struggling with translation issues? I am so sorry to give such a tepid review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Told in vignettes with headings pulled from Pliny’s “Natural History,” BEGINNING MIDDLE END is a meditation on time, memory, and love.
Hearkening to ancient classics, this is one for the nerds. I liked the way Luiselli blends thematic motifs throughout the text. That being said, I wasn’t always sure how the pieces fit together. For example, according to the pre-publication materials, it’s told in twenty-four parts like Homer’s “The Odyssey.” (I would not have made that connection without being told.) Indeed, the entire novel is composed of similarly allusive structural components that invite extended interpretation. Despite this complexity, the backbone of the story is simple and beautiful—the love between mothers and daughters.
If you enjoyed Luiselli’s previous novel, “Lost Children Archive,” you’ll find much to appreciate and enjoy in this novel. Both share the same poetic prose and elegiac tone.
Thank you to publisher Knopf for an electronic advance-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hearkening to ancient classics, this is one for the nerds. I liked the way Luiselli blends thematic motifs throughout the text. That being said, I wasn’t always sure how the pieces fit together. For example, according to the pre-publication materials, it’s told in twenty-four parts like Homer’s “The Odyssey.” (I would not have made that connection without being told.) Indeed, the entire novel is composed of similarly allusive structural components that invite extended interpretation. Despite this complexity, the backbone of the story is simple and beautiful—the love between mothers and daughters.
If you enjoyed Luiselli’s previous novel, “Lost Children Archive,” you’ll find much to appreciate and enjoy in this novel. Both share the same poetic prose and elegiac tone.
Thank you to publisher Knopf for an electronic advance-reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 18, 2026
This felt exactly like the title—less about a clear plot and more about living in that in-between space where things are ending but not quite starting yet. I really understood the idea of a beginning, a middle, and an end—not just in the story, but in life and relationships too.
A mother and daughter in Sicily after a marriage falls apart, trying to figure out what comes next. It’s quiet, reflective, and very much about family—memory, identity, and all the messy layers that come with it. The grandmother’s storyline added this deeper sense of history and loss that really stuck with me.
Not a fast read, and definitely not one where everything gets tied up neatly. But it’s beautifully written and leaves you sitting with that lingering feeling.
One of those books that’s more about the mood and the emotional weight than the actual storyline.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This beautiful book shares with Valeria Luiselli's earlier work some of the elements that made that one such a favorite: a life changing road trip with amazingly prescient children, in-depth forays into many matters that somehow have a cohesive quality, a style that echoes poetry written as prose ("... he has the air of those men that walk into someone's life like it's a crowded restaurant, cross the space full of confidence and charm, and then walk out after looking at the menu.") Taking place in Sicily, the reader is treated to much of that island's history and attachment to mythological magic. As mother and daughter make their way accompanied by a storied piece of mosaic, their lives echo the image of Proteus depicted thereon, mutating and evolving. Highly recommended.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.
I liked this, but unlike most of the other reviewers of this book, it didn't grab me to make me love it. I just didn't get there. The relationships between mothers and daughters were interesting, certainly, and for me, were the crux of the story. The mythological connections and mosaic history did not connect with me, and without those connections, the story plodded along slowly.
I understand the appeal of the author's work; her characters are rich, full, and human. I just wish there was a little more going on for me to invest in.
Would I read more from the author? Yes, probably. I didn't not like this.
I received a complimentary e-copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.
I liked this, but unlike most of the other reviewers of this book, it didn't grab me to make me love it. I just didn't get there. The relationships between mothers and daughters were interesting, certainly, and for me, were the crux of the story. The mythological connections and mosaic history did not connect with me, and without those connections, the story plodded along slowly.
I understand the appeal of the author's work; her characters are rich, full, and human. I just wish there was a little more going on for me to invest in.
Would I read more from the author? Yes, probably. I didn't not like this.
I received a complimentary e-copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and the writing was beautiful. I loved how atmospheric this book was, even if the atmosphere was less than ideal. The mother daughter relationships were truly beautiful and it was encouraging to watch them support each other through their difficult times. This has notes on generations and how stories and traumas pass through. This book was slow for me at times, but it was more of a character driven story with three generations of women and how their lives impact each other. I recommend this book if you’re looking for a beautiful mother/daughter relationship story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.
Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for allowing me to read this book early. The opinion in this review is my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Beginning Middle End is a beautifully written, reflective novel where past, present, and future seem to blur together. Poetic, emotional, and atmospheric, the story follows a writer traveling through Italy with her daughter as they process grief while worrying about the grandmother whose memory is fading.
The book opens strongly and quickly draws you into the narrator’s relationship with her daughter. At its heart, the novel explores the idea of home—what we create, what we inherit, and what we lose along the way. Thoughtful and quietly moving, it’s a tender story about memory, change, and finding new beginnings after loss.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.
The book opens strongly and quickly draws you into the narrator’s relationship with her daughter. At its heart, the novel explores the idea of home—what we create, what we inherit, and what we lose along the way. Thoughtful and quietly moving, it’s a tender story about memory, change, and finding new beginnings after loss.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Valeria Luiselli's Beginning Middle End is a deceptively simple novel about a woman reconfiguring her relationship with her daughter and her notions of home and self after a divorce. Luiselli writes: "I had been telling myself, over and over: all I need to do is figure out what happens after the collapse of the traditional story (the parents, the children, the house) and reinvent the narrative." Reinventing the narrative and playing with layers of meaning and the inherent beginning/middle/end structure of the novel, Luiselli sends this mother and daughter into the liminal space of travel; they spend a summer in Sicily, in a moment between past (traditional family structure) and future (post divorce), inhabiting a city and apartment that are not their own. They are in their own state of reinvention. As Luiselli treads ever deeper into the middle/end of this story, treating the novel itself as a journey and a process, big ideas about life, family, memory, and endings (big and small) crystallize in a profound and masterful way. Beginning Middle End so thoroughly engaged my brain that I found myself underlining passage after passage, page after page... I can't wait to discuss it with anyone and everyone.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I liked this book more and more the deeper I got into it. Literary fiction at its finest (to my taste) - it's poetic, it's unique, and it's a bit weird/quirky. I loved the grandmother-mother-daughter trio. I loved Pliny's writing and books running throughout, I loved the setting, the geology and volcanoes, the four winds, the photographs, the symbolism, the mythology.... I would very highly recommend this for fans of literary fiction with strong female characters determined to pursue their passions and dig up (or rebury?) their family history. My second five-star rated novel of 2026 so far (the other being A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing); after quite a dry spell, this one really stands out.
Favorite quotes:
I am not sure why teachers are so averse to Wikipedia. True, there is no guarantee of accuracy since anyone can contribute and not everything is fact-checked But even so, it's one of the most beautiful things that the internet has produced. Perhaps the only truly beautiful model that the early internet produced: a collectively written, free body of knowledge, interlinked between its parts.
I am not sure exactly what Pliny means, that the mountains are the memory of the world. But if they are, .. and they get destroyed and quarried and hauled away, does that mean that the world loses its memory like an old person does? And if losing memory means being lost in time, what does that mean about the world? And are those memories lost forever, or are they still inside the stones that get hauled away?
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC.
Favorite quotes:
I am not sure why teachers are so averse to Wikipedia. True, there is no guarantee of accuracy since anyone can contribute and not everything is fact-checked But even so, it's one of the most beautiful things that the internet has produced. Perhaps the only truly beautiful model that the early internet produced: a collectively written, free body of knowledge, interlinked between its parts.
I am not sure exactly what Pliny means, that the mountains are the memory of the world. But if they are, .. and they get destroyed and quarried and hauled away, does that mean that the world loses its memory like an old person does? And if losing memory means being lost in time, what does that mean about the world? And are those memories lost forever, or are they still inside the stones that get hauled away?
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you, Penguin Random House and NetGalley, for the advance e-reader copy of “Beginning Middle End.”
The story took me on an emotional and true ride of a mother and a daughter through a journey both physical and emotionally. The journey is through Sicily and Aeolian Islands, sites of origins for both mythical or real of the Mediterranean winds, of the god Vulcano, the cyclops Polyphemus, Typhon, the god of terrible storms and tempests.
I truly loved the Greek and Roman mythology intertwined in the story.
A beautiful story.
The story took me on an emotional and true ride of a mother and a daughter through a journey both physical and emotionally. The journey is through Sicily and Aeolian Islands, sites of origins for both mythical or real of the Mediterranean winds, of the god Vulcano, the cyclops Polyphemus, Typhon, the god of terrible storms and tempests.
I truly loved the Greek and Roman mythology intertwined in the story.
A beautiful story.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I am always captivated by Luiselli's prose. She writes uncertain characters with a clarity, an honesty that leaves me awestruck. This is perfect literary fiction. A compelling story with beautiful sentences and satisfying shifts and turns. An absolutely gorgeous novel.
Review of advance copy
predictions and presentiments story from the New Yorker
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ARC Review of Beginning Middle End from NetGalley
This is the story of a mother on a road trip through Sicily with her teenage daughter after her marriage falls apart. While the mother struggles with how to begin again, the daughter takes an interest in their family's history and the historical sites where her grandmother-who is now elderly and dealing with dementia-worked years ago.
”What if the new beginning you're imagining is actually just a very long end?"
It is an interesting read, beautifully written where the past, present, and future all seem to be happening at once. It is very different, poetic, tender, atmospheric, and deeply emotional.
As you read, you sense many endings and things talling apart, as well as new beginnings and transitions, like the narration hand off to the daughter which a smart move that perfectly suits the title. The hot summer marked by volcanic activity and shifting winds all add to the overall feel.
If you're looking for something fast-paced, this definitely isn't it. It's very slow and sometimes portrays the teeling ot being
"stuck in the middle." The story and characters often feel stagnant, which seems intentional.
The book is more about the overall vibe; the characters don't even have names, and it has a documentary feel, complete with archival inserts. While this isn't typically the kind of book l gravitate toward, I enjoyed it and am thankful for the chance to have read it.
A big Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for gifted ARC. All opinions are mine.
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NetGalley
This is the story of a mother on a road trip through Sicily with her teenage daughter after her marriage falls apart. While the mother struggles with how to begin again, the daughter takes an interest in their family's history and the historical sites where her grandmother-who is now elderly and dealing with dementia-worked years ago.
”What if the new beginning you're imagining is actually just a very long end?"
It is an interesting read, beautifully written where the past, present, and future all seem to be happening at once. It is very different, poetic, tender, atmospheric, and deeply emotional.
As you read, you sense many endings and things talling apart, as well as new beginnings and transitions, like the narration hand off to the daughter which a smart move that perfectly suits the title. The hot summer marked by volcanic activity and shifting winds all add to the overall feel.
If you're looking for something fast-paced, this definitely isn't it. It's very slow and sometimes portrays the teeling ot being
"stuck in the middle." The story and characters often feel stagnant, which seems intentional.
The book is more about the overall vibe; the characters don't even have names, and it has a documentary feel, complete with archival inserts. While this isn't typically the kind of book l gravitate toward, I enjoyed it and am thankful for the chance to have read it.
A big Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for gifted ARC. All opinions are mine.
NetGalley
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