Maria, Maria

by Jennifer Galvão

'Breathtaking.'
ANN PATCHETT

'A tremendous achievement.'
ANN NAPOLITANO, author of Hello Beautiful

'A soaring tale of love, longing and desire.'
LUCY STEEDS, author of The Artist

'Beautiful, sensuous ... a world suspended in time.'
MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of The Paper Palace

'Made me think of Elena Ferrante - it's that good.'
CLARE LESLIE HALL, author of Broken Country

'Sweeping yet intimate, heart-breaking yet hopeful.'
JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things

'Takes us to fascinating, rarely explored corners of history and the heart.'
M L STEDMAN, author of The Light Between Oceans and A Far-Flung Life

'A beautiful, tender story of love, grief and penmanship.'
PANDORA SYKES

'Lush, vivid and gorgeous.'
CHARLOTTE McCONAGHY, author of Wild Dark Shore

'Tender, sensual, thrilling.'
SARA COLLINS, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

'Simply a marvel.'
JENNY JACKSON, author of Pineapple Street

Amidst the vast, sunlit cornfields of Portugal, Maria Lucilia receives a letter. The note is from her husband, Benedito da Silva, who is in exile – serving a punishing seven-year sentence as a fisherman with the White Fleet. But Bene cannot read or write.

In the icy port town of St John’s, Newfoundland, another woman welcomes Bene into her life and composes a letter to a stranger across the sea. Maria Alvares, a widowed shopkeeper, knows the uneasy power she wields – the other woman, lending a voice for the man she loves to reach the wife he left behind.

Though thousands of miles stand between them, the two Marias are drawn irresistibly to know each other. Slowly, in the margins and footnotes of the letters, a deep connection fears, hopes, and secrets neither woman has spoken aloud. What grows between them has the power to sustain – or undo – them both.

Intimate, atmospheric, and infused with a powerful yearning, Maria, Maria is inspired by a piece of the author’s own family history. Jennifer Galvão's debut novel is a story of hope and endurance – in which the deepest bonds form not between lovers, but rivals.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Portugal, Canada, Marriage, Literary Fiction

Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 2, 2027

Reviews

[Meagan (Meagansbookclub) · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Set in 1950s Portugal, Maria, Maria follows two women connected by the same man who develop an unexpected bond through their correspondence. I appreciated the rich historical setting and the exploration of the rigid social expectations placed on women, but the pacing was my biggest struggle. The story felt relatively flat for much of the book, and while I found the themes of loneliness, longing, and societal expectations interesting, the plot never quite built the momentum I was hoping for. It’s a beautifully atmospheric character study, but ultimately, I wanted more depth and movement to the story.

[Kerrin · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Maria Maria by Jennifer Galvao is a captivating story of love, rivalry, and an unexpected connection between two women who share the same name and love the same man. When Benedito kills a man in self-defense, he leaves his wife, Maria Lucia, behind in Portugal and signs a seven-year fishing contract in Canada to protect himself from the dead man’s family. There, he becomes involved with a widowed shopkeeper, Maria Alvares. Unable to read or write, Benedito asks Maria Alvares to write letters to his wife. What begins as a simple exchange evolves into a remarkable bond as the two Marias share their secrets, hopes, and confessions. I loved this unusual premise and the unexpected connection that develops between two women who might otherwise have been rivals.

[Stephanie · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Unfortunately there are serious pacing and tone issues in the last 60% of this book. Neither epic or dramatic, and let’s be real: why are two women named Maria in love with a man like Bene to begin with? What a spoiled brat.

[Ollie Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

completely and truly exceptional, 2027 is looking bright bright bright. the nuance afforded to the relationship of the two Marias was gorgeous; I hope this one wins lots of prizes and love next year

[Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader 2.0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria, Maria is a rich, slow-building novel that will carry you along on a surprising journey. It's set in rural Portugal and St. John's, Newfoundland, where thousands of Portuguese sailors were part of the White Fleet, fishing for months at a time in the freezing Grand Banks. After killing a man in self defence, Benedicto must leave his home and wife of three months to serve in the Fleet on a seven-year contract. He is illiterate, although his wife and siblings are not. His teenaged wife Cilia is surprised to received a letter from him, penned by a woman in St. John's named Maria. She does not identify herself in the letter, knowing that Cilia will know someone had to write it for Bene.

You know what's going to happen. Bene is in a relationship with Maria, a young widow who owns a shop and post office. Cilia is happy to receive letters from her husband, and eventually, the women begin something of a correspondence and friendship. It's 1952, so all sorts of taboos are in play, including Cilia's developing relationship with Bene's younger brother and Maria's growing deep love for the young fisherman. Bene is an interesting character, a big, handsome young man who processes things slowly but is not stupid. He is kind and funny nad has good friends, but there's an underlying ripple of violence in him that can break through.

They are all people of their times and places, be it poor, rural Portugal or icy, struggling St. John's. The mores of Murtusa would be a perfect fit for the middle ages--Cilia is somehow to blame for a stranger attacking her. In St. John's, Maria's widowhood casts aspersions on her, even though her husband and child were living in St. John's at the time of their deaths. Men are expected to work hard and drink hard and not think too much. Everyone's under an unloving microscope.

Jennifer Galvão's writing is nuanced and fine, and I loved how deeply the characters grew under her pen. She is a writer to watch.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for a digital review copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This is a powerful debut novel! It is draws to the surface the complicated emotions of love. You will find yourself in another world as the characters develop in the novel by alternativing points of view. I look forward to the author’s next novel.

[Angelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is outstanding! A poetically written novel that travels to the deepest emotions of loneliness and longing.

It’s like I was transported to Portugal and the coast of Canada in the 1950’s. This is immersive. It’s emotionally raw and the characters are so wonderfully human. Two women who share a unique rivalry, yet a deeper connection. A yearning of sorts. To be known, to love and to hate.

I was captivated by how this author captured the unique layers of grief, shame, and loneliness, especially for women in this era. Emotion was portrayed quietly and violently at the same time! Impressive!

📢 Publication Date: 2/2/27
🎉 My Star Rating: 5/5🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
📖 Genre: Historical Fiction | Literary Fiction

Thanks to Jennifer Galvão, NetGalley, and Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this last night and sat with my thoughts until today, so I could say what I really mean.

I thought this book was lovely. The old me, who was a bit of an impatient reader, might have said that it was slow and that i found all of the characters unlikeable . But if you examine the heart of this novel -that simply is not true.

If you love setting as a main character, this one is for you.

This was a quiet examination of loss and death. There is a deeply woven tapestry of pain and loss, both intentionally and unintentionally caused, throughout Maria, Maria. This book is full of imperfect people making bad choices and it’s sad and heavy but strangely beautiful.

I loved the unlikely friendship between the two women, I loved learning more about Portugal, and I am so glad i took the time to truly savor this story.

One of my goals as I evolve as a reader is not having to love characters to find a story meaningful. Real life humans are flawed, I want to appreciate flawed humans in fiction as well.

[Laura Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, tender, yet tragic, character-driven novel about love, loss, and friendships in different forms. It's a slow burn that catches you and immerses you in the worlds of each Maria. Thank you to @penguinrandomhouse @Hogarthbooks and @netgalley for the eArc.

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a fatal encounter with a stranger, Cilia's husband of three months finds himself fleeing his native Portugal with the White Fleet fishing group. What follows is an exceptional tale of connection and need, of misunderstanding and reconciliation. The two locales are brought vividly to life as are each of the characters, especially the innocent convent-raised Cilia and the more worldly widow, Maria in St. John's who connect through letters on behalf of Bene, the man at their center.

[Lydia Omodara · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the early 1950s, seventeen-year-old Maria Lucilia Da Silva has barely been married three months when her husband, Benedito, is accused of causing the death of a powerful man in their small rural community. Fearful of the retribution the man's family threatens to rain down upon them, Cilia urges Bene to leave town - to ride the train to Lisbon and sign on as a doryman with the White Fleet; she persuades him that committing to a seven year contract on the cod fishing boats of Newfoundland is the only way to quell the Gomes family's thirst for revenge and to keep his own family safe. His heart full of sorrow, Bene leaves.

Cilia is a 'half-widow', existing on the fringes of her community with no husband to speak of, but still bound by the social conventions of the time. She is stuck: she cannot move on but cannot truly be a wife, let alone a mother. She resents Bene for stealing her youth and denying her the marriage she expected, even knowing that they made the right choice. She fears that, when they do meet again, they will barely know each other anymore.

Maria Alvares lives in St John's, Newfoundland year-round. Ten years older than Cilia, she is a true widow since her doryman husband's death some years early. She does not have the social status or security a wife accrues, but she does have a man to warm her bed for six months of the year - Cilia's husband, Bene, who spends the winter months living with her while he is so far from his own wife.

When Benedito asks Maria to pen a letter to his far-off wife, she has the power to write whatever she cares to since Benedito, like many of his colleagues, can write no more than his own name and cannot read at all. Similarly, Cilia could fabricate or falsify Benedito's news if she chose to, as his mother and sister are also illiterate. Each woman is vulnerable in her community but they control Benedito's voice. Before long, the two women have developed their own peculiar friendship, bound by their unique circumstances which no one else can possibly understand.

If the reader is urged to decide which woman has the better deal, there is an interesting counterpoint in Carmela, a St John's woman whose husband, a sealer rather than a doryman, lives with her all year round, and who has her own, perhaps more potent, struggles.

First-time author Jennifer Galvão does a phenomenal job of capturing both time and place in this ambitious historical novel, her prose captures both settings in remarkable detail - the dusty fields of a rural Portuguese summer and the merciless cold and dense, symbolic fog of winter in St John's are both tangible and atmospheric. Maria, Maria

I loved how the strange friendship between the two Marias in a way supersedes their respective relationships with Bene, and the depictions of Cilia's dynamics with Bene's family, with whom she lives, especially his younger brother, Rafael, added depth to her story. Bene himself could have ended up being something of a cypher, his absence affecting the two Marias as much as his presence, but he is a carefully drawn character - tall and strong but quiet and contemplative - who is as interesting in his own right as he is in conjunction with each of the women who love him.

Maria, Maria is a beautiful slow burn of a story, which explores themes of loneliness and longing, love and duty. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’m going to be able do my thoughts justice here on the written page. Much like the Marias, my words are so much clearer in my head, but here goes.

I really came to love this novel as the pages went on and the letters started flinging back and forth between these two incredible women, both of whom love a forlorn, tragic man (Benedito).

Maria Lucilia (Cilia), the loving wife whose happy post-wedding bliss is stolen from her on a fateful night, and Maria Alvares, the so-called other woman, are so well-formed as characters, that despite some of the interesting tropes used for both of them, manage to be incredibly compelling, sympathetic people. I found my heart strings tugged a bit for each of them as they navigated the push-and-pull of their affairs with this man who was ultimately unknowable, and so they have to lean on each other to understand him better, knowing that both of them would end up failing in the end.

Their letters to each other, where they eventually don’t even bother discussing Bene much, are so compelling and thought provoking as a reader, that I kept waiting for the next one to come. Then the fateful phone call happens and they finally talk, and selfishly I wanted more of them, more between them. Having said that, I’m glad the author ended it where she did. I like to think there’s a world out there where Cilia eventually finally leaves Portugal and maybe ends up in St John’s tracing the footsteps of Bene’s secret life, but I’m glad it was left to the imagination.

In the wrong hands, this novel could have been overwrought or gimmicky, but Ms. Galvao’s success here is forming three main characters that you end up having hope for, even if you’re not necessarily always on-board with their decisions, but at the same time also feel very plausible and real.

I’m not doing very much justice to the book here. Once it arrives on bookshelves, pick it up and read it. You won’t be sorry.

***thank you to Goodreads and Random House for selecting me as a winner in the giveaway!***

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really thought I would love this story. Portuguese and my husband born in Newfoundland, I appreciated the premise of this story and the exploration of love, loneliness, and the complicated relationships that can develop when life doesn't go according to plan.

There were some interesting relationships here, particularly the connections between the women and the choices they make.

Unfortunately, I struggled with the pacing. I found myself waiting for the story to pick up and for the characters and their circumstances to draw me in more deeply. I never became as invested in the story as I had hoped.

There is certainly something
thoughtful at the heart of this book, but ultimately it wasn't a story that held my attention. I think it was just a bit too slow for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review

[alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

While admittedly I chose this book for the cover, I loved this tender, tragic, big-hearted novel. Part historical fiction, part epistolary novel. Maria, Maria by Jennifer Galvāo follows two women by the same name who live across the Atlantic from one another but form something like a bond, or at least an understanding of one another, over their love of the same man. What began as an anonymous correspondence, Maria (of Newfoundland) wrote letters for Bene to Maria Lucilia (his wife back home in Portugal). As a seasonal fisherman, his time in Newfoundland was brief and mostly spent out at sea but the portions on which he was in land he was having an affair with on Maria Lucilia with Maria. Although it all sounds very improbable and depressing, Galvāo hooked me from pretty early on in the novel and I was surprised by how much I sympathized with each character, (even the mistress (???)) despite their moralistic shortcomings.

Sadly this is not being published until February, as I feel like it would make the perfect late fall book. St. John, Newfoundland served as a fitting, atmospheric backdrop for a large portion of the novel. The ocean, the port, and the fog itself were each their own character throughout many key scenes, and as the mornings and evenings are growing colder on the coast, it was the perfect read for the season.

I feel like this book was made for me? I don't know how else to explain it. From the reviews I can I am maybe in the minority. Maria, Maria is more of a character driven novel than suspense or plot-driven, and I really liked spending time with the Marias. In every chapter, I could feel how much research went into setting the scene, and even earmarked some of the primary sources listed in the Acknowledgements for future reads. I don't typically with ARCs, but I even pre-ordered a copy to own when it's published in the winter.

While Jennifer Galvāo and the story she's told here are very much unique and their own, I would very much recommend it to fans of An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson,

Thank you to Jennifer Galvāo, Random House, and NetGalley for a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Maria, Maria” by a Jennifer Galvao is a story of love, loneliness, and the complicated relationships that grow out of both. I’m an outlier with this review, as I found the book slow going, although it held my attention enough that I wanted to find out how the story ended.

After killing a powerful man in self defense while the man is attacking his young wife, a Portuguese man flees his homeland to escape retribution. He signs on for a seven year conscription as a cod fisherman in Newfoundland, where he becomes deeply involved with his mistress Maria. Because he can neither read nor write, Maria begins corresponding with his wife on his behalf. Over time, an unexpected relationship slowly develops between the two women.

While the pacing didn’t always work for me, I appreciated the novel’s exploration of love, loneliness, longing and the complicated bond people form when separated by distance and circumstances.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Justine Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate to be allowed an ARC copy of this novel through NetGalley and what a treat it was. This novel was riveting. A story of two women separated by an ocean, but connected through the same man, it lovingly and beautifully draws the parallels and differences between Nova Scotia and Portugal in the 1950s. The two Marias become unlikely penpals, unfolding their deepest hopes and dreams to each other. The man caught in the middle is both flawed, loveable and believable, which makes their dilemma all the more convincing. I could not put this book down - it was mesmerising. For every woman who has ever chased a dream and found it beyond their reach, and then gone on to make the best of their lives regardless of the restrictions, this book is for you. I loved it and highly recommend it.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria, Maria arrived on my virtual doorstep at a time I returned to reading after having a baby. I needed something smooth, ensnaring, female, and full of meaning.
And so, along came Jen Galvão's fitting debut. Maria, Maria is a striking novel about the intricacies of emotion amid life's oft-unforeseen circumstances. The book features the perspectives of three protagonists across different chapters while moving the narrative forward at a relaxed pace. Cilia, Maria and Bene are the holy trinity of the story and with equally interesting supporting characters peppered among them. I hung on every word of the letters shared between the women and basked in the beauty of their unconventional relationship. In life, there are no simple stories, answers or directions. Maria, Maria showcases this in an inviting way; one that carries the reader into the unpredictable sea of relentless human affection, error, loneliness and yearning.

A mesmerizing mélange, Maria, Maria, should be your next read.

[Kate Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite debuts in a long time, I went to see what else she had written and now have to keep an eye out for Jennifer Galvao's name in the future! I enjoyed this story and felt that the characters were human, they weren't perfect or overly flawed, they felt real and made tough decisions in their situations and lives. I saw another review comparing this to Atonement and I would say that's a fair comparison, if you liked Atonement, I recommend you read this when it publishes in February.

It's 1949 and Benedito da Silva is biking home when a drunken stranger stops him and pursues him, attacking Bene's new bride. Bene kills him in self-defense, and while he is not charged, the dead man comes from a powerful family and Bene is forced to flee Portugal to enlist with the White Fleet of cod fishing ships, a seven-year contract in which he works the dangerous Arctic waters and is unable to return home. His wife Maria Lucilia, Cilia to her friends and family, is left behind in Bene's family home, a place she had only recently been introduced to. She had only left the convent of her childhood upon her marriage to Bene and is now tasked with keeping his family's household afloat, with his two younger siblings and his mother to care for.

In St. Johns, the Newfoundland port town where the fisherman spends their offseason, Maria Alvares is a widow running a local shop. Bene's mannerisms catch her off-guard, and before she can stop herself, she finds their lives entangled. He begins to stay with her in the offseason, and she must continuously remind herself she is not his wife, especially when she begins to help the illiterate Bene to write letters home to Cilia. Cilia recognize the penmanship of a woman and expects that there is more to the story than friendship, but must rely on this woman for news of Bene. As the correspondence continues, the women start to have a fraught kinship of their own. But this cannot continue forever, and the women must consider what will happen if Bene is ever able to return home, or what may happen if he succumbs to the Arctic,

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

[Genevieve Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Maria, Maria” by Jennifer Galvao is a beautiful debut. Bene and Maria are newly, expectantly, joyfully married when Bene is accosted by a man on the side of the road. Troubles ensue and Bene is forced to leave his small village in Portugal and join a fleet of fisherman in Newfoundland. He never expects to go home and while in port in St. John’s, he meets another woman. They begin a relationship and, since Bene can neither read nor write, the other woman helps him write to his wife.

This is a book about loneliness and desire, about forgiveness and shame, but most of all it is about the power of being seen and known by another. The relationships in "Maria, Maria" are complex and intertwined. At times they are surprising, but they always ring true. The people in these pages can be brutal. They are willing to wield what power they possess. At the same time, they are vulnerable in ways that made me want to cry.

This is a book about what it means to be human. At times the prose is as hard and cold as the frozen Davis Strait. At other times it holds the rough sunshine of the da Silva’s rural homestead, which exists on a small strip of farmland between the river and the sea. There is always water in the landscape, sometimes in the distance and sometimes all around us. Similarly, we are surrounded by unacknowledged emotions, which drive the actions of the characters and create their fate, as inevitable as the icy fog and the blowing snow that blankets St. Johns.

Jennifer Galvao is a writer to watch. This is a powerful debut by a writer who is willing to fall beneath the surface and look at what it means to be powerful, broken, and fully human.

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for access to ARC. This is my independent and honest review.

[chichi · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

This was one of those books that I forgot where I was and completely lost track of time when reading, it fully drew me in.

It follows the lives of three people; Benedito da Silva who kills a man and is forced to flee Portugal on a cod fishing fleet where he must serve seven years, Maria Alvares who takes Benedito in and finds solace and refuge in his company, and Maria Lucilia, Benedito’s young wife who he was forced to leave behind.

Unable to read or write, Benedito asks Maria Alvares to write letters on his behalf to Maria Lucilia and through their correspondence, the two Marias forge a connection of their own. Tied by loving the same man, they end up being able to share parts of themselves and their lives with each other they have never shared before.

This book centres around the complex and nuanced ways people love each other but it is told in such a way that makes you understand what led them to make the questionable decisions they did. It is an atmospheric gut punch of a book.

My only critique is that I could have done without Benedito’s chapters. I enjoyed learning more about him through the perspectives of the two Marias in their letters and didn’t feel like I needed to hear from him directly.

Definitely one to keep an eye out for!

[Aanchel Shah · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Incredible. This read will stay with me for a very long time. As a personal challenge, I have been trying to read 100 books this year (this was 87!), so it can be hard for something to really stand out as anything special amidst the quantity. This one, however, I already know I will be coming back to over and over again.

All of the characters are flawed, but in the most beautifully human of ways. I had no idea what to expect from this book, but I was so blown away by this author, the plot, the storyline, the prose, everything. If the description has you even the slightest bit intrigued, do yourself a favor and read this. Sometimes you read something and it makes you want to devour every single sentence that author has ever written, and this is one of those instances. Jennifer Galvao, please write a million more books, and I will read every single one of them.

"You don't think of me," she said. "Think of you!" His voice was nearly a shout. "It's all I do. All my time, worrying about you. All my dreams, prayers, misery."

"When people suffer a tragedy, I never know whether to ask questions or leave it. I don't want to seem curious or incurious. Tell me what to ask and I'll ask it."

"Would wanting love ever stop feeling so mad, so predatory. so unforgivable?"

[Linda · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Bravo for Jennifer Galvao! Maria, Maria is original, unique and tender-hearted.
Part historical fiction, part epistolary novel, Maria, Maria follows two women by the same name who live across the Atlantic from one another. One in rural Portugal, the other Newfoundland. They form an understanding of one another over the love of the same man, Benedito (Bene).
In 1949, Bene kills a man in self-defense. The man is from a wealthy family, and this means trouble for Bene and his young wife of three months, Maria Lucilia. Bene must flee the country or be killed. He enlists with the White Fleet of cod fishing where he has been indentured for seven years.
With the White Fleet, Bene is at sea for months and in Newfoundland for short periods. He meets Maria Alveres. Bene is literate and asks his lover, Maria Alveres, to write on his behalf to his wife back in Portugal. Maria writes back to Bene and only Maria can read the letter for him.
What begins as anonymous correspondence, becomes deeper and more honest between the two women. They share their stories, their lives, their longings. The letters are almost poetic. They express love. They express hatred.
I had feelings for both Marias. I couldn’t wait to read their next letters to each other. There is so much more to the Marias’ backstories and to Bene’s family back home that really pulled me in. The writing made me feel like I was there, I could imagine the places. Original.

[Colleen Maclennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded of the song by Mary MacGregor , Torn between two lovers . Newly wed Bene who was exiled from Portugal travels to Newfoundland to escape sudden death . While there he works on a codfish fishing boat and meets the widow Maria who he forms a relationship with . Bene ‘s wife Cilia and Maria begin to write letters in which they express their life ‘s triumphs but mostly woes and also updates on Bene ‘s plight . The book travels back from Portugal to Newfoundland and describes Bene’s life in both places and his feelings about these two women . The book is quite dark with the winter conditions in Newfoundland, the topic of physical abuse , the silent mother in law and the brutal killing at the beginning .

[Sam Scriven · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, and very likeable, with well rounded characters and beautifully vivid detail. It's very immersive and highly original- I don't know of any other book set in both Portugal and Newfoundland.

My main gripe is that it is a VERY slow burn indeed. It moves at glacial pace, until about halfway through, when it changes tack slightly with a long epistolary section of letters between the Marias, but still doesn't move in any particular hurry.

This would make a beautiful film and I hope someone makes it one day. It's a lovely read, if you're ready for a slower pace and beautifully detailed scenes.

With thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristina Nichole]

I bet this will be a celebrity book club pick.
Lucky me with the ARC

[Marsha · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

A lush family story about two women separated by an ocean but connected by the man they both love. This unlikely friendship between the wife in Portugal and the mistress in Newfoundland makes for an unputdownable saga.

[Danna · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Maria, Maria is a slow, slow read. Ultimately, too slow for me. There are two Maria’s, both in love with Benedito. One in rural Portugal and one in New Foundland. The two women become linked by scribing letters for the illiterate Bene, developing their own relationship separate from the one with Bene.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring myself to like or care about any of the characters. There are so many illicit affairs, with so little emotion attached to them, and while there are heavy topics, none of them felt heavy to me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Anne Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s difficult to believe that this polished moving novel was written by a first-time novelist. Jennifer Galvao’s prose is moving, gripping and a veritable travelogue of places and lives I was unfamiliar with. The locations in Portugal and St. John’s Newfoundland became real from the calving of an iceberg to fishing dories and the mother ship of the White Fleet out for cod-fishing in freezing Atlantic waters

That accomplishment alone would have been enough atmosphere, but Galvao gets into the minds and hearts of the two Marias in her story. Maria Lucilia is a young bride (of only 17), stolen from a convent by a young man after plums from the nuns’ trees.

Maria Alvares in St. John’s, is a widow who has lost a young son and runs a small grocery store in St. Joh’s, Newfoundland. How these two disparate women connect through their relationship with Bene is the fascinating part of this tale.

Bene is escaping from Portugal to avoid retribution of a self-defense killing agains t a powerful man in his village. Maria is attracted to him (He is young and handsome) and becomes his mistress as Bene, who is illiterate, serves his seven year term as a cod fisherman. The two Marias begin a correspondence and find that who they love in common allows them to express themselves with candor.

It’s a beautifully written book and I thank Penguin/Random House and Net Gelley for an early copy. These are my honest opinions.

[Kati Berman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maria Maria
Review of advanced copy received from NetGalley.
So many reviewers described the plot of this book, so I am not going to repeat it. I found the book boring, took me two weeks to finish it, kept on putting it down, did not hold my attention. What kept me reading to the end was to find out what happens.
I didn’t like Cilia’s character, I don’t think, she was ever in love with her husband Bene. I found many of her actions selfish, including her affair with the Jeweler’s assistant.
Her correspondence with the other Maria was strange to me, but she didn’t have anyone to confide in around her. Bene carried the guilt of him murdering in self defense, and that affected his entire life afterwards. To me, the only sympathetic character was Maria, who truly loved Bene and worried about his well being. I didn’t like the crass language, it was totally unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the novel. For me, the ending was also strange, like the author didn’t know how to end it.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

[Jackie Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

A violent beginning. Riding his bicycle home late one night Benedito da Silva is challenged by a man in the street who demands he stop riding his bicycle as it is illegal. The man starts attacking Benedito who runs off home. His 17-year old wife, Cilia (Maria Lucilia) of three months is waiting on their doorstep. The man starts beating her with a baseball bat and so Bene attacks and kills him to defend her. Bene is arrested. Unfortunately the dead man has powerful friends. When Bene is found not guilty on the grounds of self defence it is clear he is not safe from the dead man’s friends so he is signed up for a 7 year contract as a doryman aboard a fishing vessel and so he heads off to St John's, in Newfoundland.

In Newfoundland Bene experiences snow for the first time. Each of the men have a small dory boat from which they pile fish catching cod, mackerel. The weather conditions are bleak often too foggy and cold to carry out much productive fishing but some days Bene is fishing for 12 hours straight.

Bene can barely read or write so initially he has to depend on his ship mates to help write letters home for him. In the off season the men are based in St John’s and Bene and the others have to get labouring jobs to survive. While Bene is away Cilia is taking care of his mother (who has taken ill and no longer speaks) and his sister and brother. Bene sends money back home for them.

Bene meets a local widow called Maria Alvares who owns a store in St John’s. They start a relationship and he asks if she will help him write to his wife. So Maria pens Bene’s feelings to his wife hence the double Maria of the novel’s title.

The chapters alternate between Bene, Cilia and Maria.

The first couple of years pass and Bene is generally successful in his work. However, in 1952 Bene leaves his campaign ship early on account of pneumonia. For many weeks he is on a hospital ship and returns to St John’s early. He is ill when he returns to Maria and spends days in a sick bed. Maria feels she must write to Cilia to let her know. When his condition improves she sends another letter. Cilia’s response was probably written before receiving the second. She sends a recipe of his mothers and news that Bene’s recently married sister Nanda (Fernanda) is having a baby. When Bene returns to health his letters become more regular. Cilia and Maria correspond to each other as if in postscript. Maria realises she loves Bene and feels powerful in terms of the letter writing - holding his destiny in her pen so to speak. The women exchange letters on several occasions separate from Bene. They share long-hidden intimacies about their lives to each other.

In essence Cilia has been robbed of her husband of three months through no fault of her own and Maria Alvarez is still experiencing the grief of the loss of her toddler son followed by her husband’s death. The narrative focussed on the interwoven stories of these main characters. The author shows how messy and complicated adult relationships can become without any sense that she is a debut author.

For Cilia: ‘The letters had made everything more meaningful. They’d attuned her to beauty. She’d become a sharper observer of her own motives, her whims and petty spites and little vanities, and she’d been so glad to entrust them to someone else.’

‘With Maria, there had been no obligation to censor or shape herself; they’d known the worst of each other.’

A well-told touching story, of unusual friendships, hardships, loss, grief and resilience. I found the peppering of Portugese a useful introduction to Portugese life, cooking and culture in the post-Second World War context. I would heartily recommend to lovers of contemporary fiction. Four stars.