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Maria, Maria
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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 Galvao’s debut novel is a story of hope and endurance – in which the deepest bonds form not between lovers, but rivals.
'Sweeping yet intimate, heart-breaking yet hopeful, Maria, Maria made me gasp and cry more than once. This is a story to be completely swept up in, with writing so tender it hurts.'
JENNIE GODFREY
Jennifer Galvao 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027
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 Galvao’s debut novel is a story of hope and endurance – in which the deepest bonds form not between lovers, but rivals.
'Sweeping yet intimate, heart-breaking yet hopeful, Maria, Maria made me gasp and cry more than once. This is a story to be completely swept up in, with writing so tender it hurts.'
JENNIE GODFREY
Jennifer Galvao 2027 (P) Penguin Audio 2027
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 2, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 3, 2026
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
August 3, 2026
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was drawn to Jennifer Galvao’s ‘Maria, Maria’ by the synopsis and, particularly, by the promise that it was comparable to the novels by Elena Ferrante. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a massive oversell. ‘Maria, Maria’ just didn’t do it for me; I didn’t connect with the book at all, the set-up felt painfully contrived, and the characters were universally unlikeable, as well as being puppet-like in the way that the author bent their actions, thoughts and words to her preconceived plan.
This is another case where the synopsis seems less like a description of the book that actually exists than an idealised version of what the author hoped to create. And that is a shame, because the novel described by the synopsis sounds genuinely compelling.
The problems begin on the first page, with the event that sets the entire story in motion being so farcical that it initially makes the novel feel like a piece of absurdist comedy. I had the distinct impression that Galvao had a particular backdrop in mind—the exiled husband, the wife and mistress, the correspondence between them—but hadn’t worked out how to get her characters there convincingly, and so ended up throwing anything onto the page.
Once the story gets going, things don’t improve. The characters rarely seem to act from any recognisable internal logic; instead, their thoughts, words and actions feel dictated by whatever the plot requires of them at that particular moment. This was especially difficult to accept in the treatment of one character’s decision to pursue an extramarital relationship with the man who sexually assaulted her. Her immediate shock at the assault is followed remarkably quickly by desire for—and pursuit of—the same man, without enough psychological development to make that transition remotely convincing. Furthermore, the idea that sexual assault is only sexual assault if the victim is married is a concept that didn’t sit right with me. Perhaps there is historical or cultural context that would make this more intelligible, but the novel does nothing to provide it.
The ending suffers from the same problem. Rather than feeling like the natural culmination of everything that has preceded it, it has an arbitrary quality, as though the author had decided where the story needed to end and then simply made the characters and events conform to that decision. It left me with the feeling that I was watching the author tie up a plot rather than witnessing the conclusion of a story that had developed organically.
The characters themselves were another major stumbling block. Infidelity can, of course, make for fascinating fiction, particularly when a novel is interested in the complicated emotions and competing loyalties of everyone involved. But here there was very little with which to sympathise. Bene cheats on his wife by taking a mistress, then seems to expect everyone around him to pity him; worse still, he becomes petulant when his wife and mistress dare to speak of or to one another. The other characters fare no better.
Ultimately, ‘Maria, Maria’ was not the book I was led to believe I was getting, nor the one I wanted it to be. The comparison with Ferrante raised expectations of psychologically rich, emotionally complicated characterisation; what I found instead was a contrived plot populated by characters who too often felt like instruments of the author’s design.
If Ferrante is what you’re after, I’d stick with Ferrante. The comparison does ‘Maria, Maria’ no favours.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer Galvao, and Hutchinson Heinemann for the ARC.
⚠️ Violence, infidelity, animal death, suicide attempt, emesis, alcoholism, domestic violence, death of child, sexual assault, miscarriage
This is another case where the synopsis seems less like a description of the book that actually exists than an idealised version of what the author hoped to create. And that is a shame, because the novel described by the synopsis sounds genuinely compelling.
The problems begin on the first page, with the event that sets the entire story in motion being so farcical that it initially makes the novel feel like a piece of absurdist comedy. I had the distinct impression that Galvao had a particular backdrop in mind—the exiled husband, the wife and mistress, the correspondence between them—but hadn’t worked out how to get her characters there convincingly, and so ended up throwing anything onto the page.
Once the story gets going, things don’t improve. The characters rarely seem to act from any recognisable internal logic; instead, their thoughts, words and actions feel dictated by whatever the plot requires of them at that particular moment. This was especially difficult to accept in the treatment of one character’s decision to pursue an extramarital relationship with the man who sexually assaulted her. Her immediate shock at the assault is followed remarkably quickly by desire for—and pursuit of—the same man, without enough psychological development to make that transition remotely convincing. Furthermore, the idea that sexual assault is only sexual assault if the victim is married is a concept that didn’t sit right with me. Perhaps there is historical or cultural context that would make this more intelligible, but the novel does nothing to provide it.
The ending suffers from the same problem. Rather than feeling like the natural culmination of everything that has preceded it, it has an arbitrary quality, as though the author had decided where the story needed to end and then simply made the characters and events conform to that decision. It left me with the feeling that I was watching the author tie up a plot rather than witnessing the conclusion of a story that had developed organically.
The characters themselves were another major stumbling block. Infidelity can, of course, make for fascinating fiction, particularly when a novel is interested in the complicated emotions and competing loyalties of everyone involved. But here there was very little with which to sympathise. Bene cheats on his wife by taking a mistress, then seems to expect everyone around him to pity him; worse still, he becomes petulant when his wife and mistress dare to speak of or to one another. The other characters fare no better.
Ultimately, ‘Maria, Maria’ was not the book I was led to believe I was getting, nor the one I wanted it to be. The comparison with Ferrante raised expectations of psychologically rich, emotionally complicated characterisation; what I found instead was a contrived plot populated by characters who too often felt like instruments of the author’s design.
If Ferrante is what you’re after, I’d stick with Ferrante. The comparison does ‘Maria, Maria’ no favours.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer Galvao, and Hutchinson Heinemann for the ARC.
⚠️ Violence, infidelity, animal death, suicide attempt, emesis, alcoholism, domestic violence, death of child, sexual assault, miscarriage
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Started off promising but fell away in the middle.
In post World War 1 Portugal. Maria Lucilia and Bene have been married for three months. As a girl bought up in the convent as an orphan, Cilia is still adjusting to life outside of the rhythms of the nuns. She awaits her husband’s return from a day’s work in the fields. Bene is heading home on his bicycle when he is hailed by a man sitting on a fence. Thinking the man needs help, Bene circles back and stops but the man is drunk and intent on causing trouble, first attacking Bene and then following him home as he tries to flee his pursuer. Cilia sees her husband being chased by the man and goes to intervene – however her actions cause the man to attack her, and Bene is forced to defend his wife, killing the man in the process.
Bene is carted off to jail to await trial – which is probably the safest place for him as the dead man’s friends and family haunt Bene’s house waiting for him to come back so they can seek their own retribution. Bene is acquitted but in fear of his life, his mother arranges for him to join the White Fleet – a fleet of fishing vessels that spend the summer months in Newfoundland fishing. In many ways this is a harsher punishment for Bene as the minimum time he can serve the fleet is 7 years and he cannot return home to Portugal during this time for fear of his safety. For Cilia, it is like being widowed without the funeral.
Fast forward two years and Bene has settled into his new life. He spends the summer with his new friends on the fishing boat hoping to catch enough to be the best on board the ship. During the winter months he lives in Newfoundland with the woman who owns the local store and who coincidentally shares the same first name as his wife: Maria. As Bene is illiterate, he asks Maria to write to Cilia for him. Soon Maria and Cilia are exchanging letters and begin sharing their own experiences with Bene.
No matter how hard he tries Bene can’t seem to outrun his past and the shadow that threatens to consume him once again.
I had high hopes for this when I started reading it. The writing is beautifully evocative and created a real sense of place and person. However, the story doesn’t really go anywhere and really sags in the middle. I was longing to skip forward as it all felt like it was just marking time to get to the more exciting ending. The ending felt contrived and all a bit too…neat.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
In post World War 1 Portugal. Maria Lucilia and Bene have been married for three months. As a girl bought up in the convent as an orphan, Cilia is still adjusting to life outside of the rhythms of the nuns. She awaits her husband’s return from a day’s work in the fields. Bene is heading home on his bicycle when he is hailed by a man sitting on a fence. Thinking the man needs help, Bene circles back and stops but the man is drunk and intent on causing trouble, first attacking Bene and then following him home as he tries to flee his pursuer. Cilia sees her husband being chased by the man and goes to intervene – however her actions cause the man to attack her, and Bene is forced to defend his wife, killing the man in the process.
Bene is carted off to jail to await trial – which is probably the safest place for him as the dead man’s friends and family haunt Bene’s house waiting for him to come back so they can seek their own retribution. Bene is acquitted but in fear of his life, his mother arranges for him to join the White Fleet – a fleet of fishing vessels that spend the summer months in Newfoundland fishing. In many ways this is a harsher punishment for Bene as the minimum time he can serve the fleet is 7 years and he cannot return home to Portugal during this time for fear of his safety. For Cilia, it is like being widowed without the funeral.
Fast forward two years and Bene has settled into his new life. He spends the summer with his new friends on the fishing boat hoping to catch enough to be the best on board the ship. During the winter months he lives in Newfoundland with the woman who owns the local store and who coincidentally shares the same first name as his wife: Maria. As Bene is illiterate, he asks Maria to write to Cilia for him. Soon Maria and Cilia are exchanging letters and begin sharing their own experiences with Bene.
No matter how hard he tries Bene can’t seem to outrun his past and the shadow that threatens to consume him once again.
I had high hopes for this when I started reading it. The writing is beautifully evocative and created a real sense of place and person. However, the story doesn’t really go anywhere and really sags in the middle. I was longing to skip forward as it all felt like it was just marking time to get to the more exciting ending. The ending felt contrived and all a bit too…neat.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Story set across Lisbon and Murtosa in the 1950s, Maria, Maria takes a deep look at a marriage on the rocks. After Benedicto commits a high-profile crime against a prominent local figure, he’s forced into exile. Left behind, his wife Cilia starts getting letters from another woman—also named Maria—who turned out to have a surprisingly similar connection to Benedicto. Through their shared correspondence, a quiet, unexpected bond forms between two women connected by the same man.
My "Personal" Thoughts, infidelity in books is usually an immediate turn-off for me, so parts of this were definitely a tough sell. That said, considering the isolation and rigid social rules of the time, the emotional weight of the situation actually land pretty well. While the plot felt a little predictable, the atmosphere and historical detail of 1950s Portugal were top-notch. If you’re going into this expecting a straightforward "women supporting women" anthem, it misses the mark a bit. But if you view it as a quiet, melancholy character study shaped by its time and place, it works really well.
What Really Caught My Attention:
◆ The Social Climate: The harsh stigma attached to both widowhood and non-traditional sexuality, alongside a rigid patriarchal setup where men called the shots and women were expected to comply.
◆ 1950s Realities: People disappearing overnight, strict social codes (dancing with someone other than your husband was cause for scandal), and how rare it was to see a businesswoman.
◆ Heavy Motifs: Longing for family, pressure to live up to expectations, the loneliness of returning home after migrating, and the generational trauma tied to fishing communities.
◆ Dynamic Nuances: That sharp female intuition when something is off with a loved one, contrasted against the classic male desire to constantly be adored.
Oh dear Rafael, the by far the most grounded, rational character in the entire book.
The Story set across Lisbon and Murtosa in the 1950s, Maria, Maria takes a deep look at a marriage on the rocks. After Benedicto commits a high-profile crime against a prominent local figure, he’s forced into exile. Left behind, his wife Cilia starts getting letters from another woman—also named Maria—who turned out to have a surprisingly similar connection to Benedicto. Through their shared correspondence, a quiet, unexpected bond forms between two women connected by the same man.
My "Personal" Thoughts, infidelity in books is usually an immediate turn-off for me, so parts of this were definitely a tough sell. That said, considering the isolation and rigid social rules of the time, the emotional weight of the situation actually land pretty well. While the plot felt a little predictable, the atmosphere and historical detail of 1950s Portugal were top-notch. If you’re going into this expecting a straightforward "women supporting women" anthem, it misses the mark a bit. But if you view it as a quiet, melancholy character study shaped by its time and place, it works really well.
What Really Caught My Attention:
◆ The Social Climate: The harsh stigma attached to both widowhood and non-traditional sexuality, alongside a rigid patriarchal setup where men called the shots and women were expected to comply.
◆ 1950s Realities: People disappearing overnight, strict social codes (dancing with someone other than your husband was cause for scandal), and how rare it was to see a businesswoman.
◆ Heavy Motifs: Longing for family, pressure to live up to expectations, the loneliness of returning home after migrating, and the generational trauma tied to fishing communities.
◆ Dynamic Nuances: That sharp female intuition when something is off with a loved one, contrasted against the classic male desire to constantly be adored.
Oh dear Rafael, the by far the most grounded, rational character in the entire book.
"Cry if you’d like, but don’t be pathetic." — João Santiago
"Who’s to blame for your unhappiness?" — Rafael
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to the author and Hutchinson Heinemann publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t know that this novel was what I was expecting. Maybe it was expecting a literary version of This is How You Lose the Tome War. Or something similar to The Correspondent. And there are elements of both of those novels. But this stands completely on its own.
I really loved the closeness of the story. You really felt grounded in these two very different, yet also very bleak places in the world in the 50’s. The inner workings of the MC’s experiences and thoughts are full and interesting. Galvao does not shy away from female rage or discomfort and certainly demonstrates resistance and resilience.
About 60% in lies the best part of the entire book, a full letter to letter between the Marias. It’s absolutely stunning. And, quite honestly, I wish there had been more of that and maybe less one on one time with each character. That’s not to say those sections were not good, they were. But these letters between them, when you’re fully emerged, they were just gorgeous and I didn’t want them to stop. And perhaps that’s the loss of it and therefore the point.
****spoiler & trigger warning**** (skip the next paragraph if you want to avoid it)
There is a one star decrease on this story, which is primarily because of the situation with Celia on the train. I found myself quite upset that the portrayal was of Celia wanting something that was otherwise so impermissible. Not for her. But I mean for any man who reads this passage and feels vindicated in their advances or feels like a female author is “telling the truth” about what women want and it’s, well, that. That it was at all permissible is very upsetting. I feel the author could have gone about this point, which she needed to make for Celia, could have happened in a way that did not include a what is written as a desired sexual assault.
*****end spoiler****
Ultimately, this is an excellent book which holds your attention and keeps you wondering. The true story, is that of the Marias and I wish we had spent a little more time with them together. That being said, I do think fans of historical fiction will enjoy this a lot.
I don’t know that this novel was what I was expecting. Maybe it was expecting a literary version of This is How You Lose the Tome War. Or something similar to The Correspondent. And there are elements of both of those novels. But this stands completely on its own.
I really loved the closeness of the story. You really felt grounded in these two very different, yet also very bleak places in the world in the 50’s. The inner workings of the MC’s experiences and thoughts are full and interesting. Galvao does not shy away from female rage or discomfort and certainly demonstrates resistance and resilience.
About 60% in lies the best part of the entire book, a full letter to letter between the Marias. It’s absolutely stunning. And, quite honestly, I wish there had been more of that and maybe less one on one time with each character. That’s not to say those sections were not good, they were. But these letters between them, when you’re fully emerged, they were just gorgeous and I didn’t want them to stop. And perhaps that’s the loss of it and therefore the point.
****spoiler & trigger warning**** (skip the next paragraph if you want to avoid it)
There is a one star decrease on this story, which is primarily because of the situation with Celia on the train. I found myself quite upset that the portrayal was of Celia wanting something that was otherwise so impermissible. Not for her. But I mean for any man who reads this passage and feels vindicated in their advances or feels like a female author is “telling the truth” about what women want and it’s, well, that. That it was at all permissible is very upsetting. I feel the author could have gone about this point, which she needed to make for Celia, could have happened in a way that did not include a what is written as a desired sexual assault.
*****end spoiler****
Ultimately, this is an excellent book which holds your attention and keeps you wondering. The true story, is that of the Marias and I wish we had spent a little more time with them together. That being said, I do think fans of historical fiction will enjoy this a lot.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
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.
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.
September 2, 2026
Review of an advance copy received from NetGalley.
I went back and forth on whether this was going to be a four or five star read for me, because there was so much I enjoyed about it. Ultimately, I landed on four stars, but this was such an easy book to get swept up in.
This is a really character-driven story, and I loved becoming immersed in the lives of each of the Marias. There’s something so compelling about the way their lives become intertwined, even when they’re separated by distance, circumstance, and a complicated web of relationships.
I especially loved the exploration of loneliness, love, and the different ways people find connection when the person they want most is out of reach. The relationships felt messy and complicated in a way that made the characters feel very human, and I found myself genuinely invested in what would happen to them.
I also really enjoyed the setting and the historical backdrop. The story moves between Portugal and Newfoundland, and the fishing industry and life at sea added another layer to the novel without overshadowing the characters.
And I flew through this one. Once I got into the story, I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know where these characters were headed next.
My one hesitation was the ending. I finished the book with some questions about what exactly happened and why, and I’m still not sure I completely understand it. That kept me from giving this the full five stars.
Still, I really enjoyed this one. A sweeping, emotional story about love, longing, loneliness, and the unexpected ways people can become connected to one another.
I went back and forth on whether this was going to be a four or five star read for me, because there was so much I enjoyed about it. Ultimately, I landed on four stars, but this was such an easy book to get swept up in.
This is a really character-driven story, and I loved becoming immersed in the lives of each of the Marias. There’s something so compelling about the way their lives become intertwined, even when they’re separated by distance, circumstance, and a complicated web of relationships.
I especially loved the exploration of loneliness, love, and the different ways people find connection when the person they want most is out of reach. The relationships felt messy and complicated in a way that made the characters feel very human, and I found myself genuinely invested in what would happen to them.
I also really enjoyed the setting and the historical backdrop. The story moves between Portugal and Newfoundland, and the fishing industry and life at sea added another layer to the novel without overshadowing the characters.
And I flew through this one. Once I got into the story, I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know where these characters were headed next.
My one hesitation was the ending. I finished the book with some questions about what exactly happened and why, and I’m still not sure I completely understand it. That kept me from giving this the full five stars.
Still, I really enjoyed this one. A sweeping, emotional story about love, longing, loneliness, and the unexpected ways people can become connected to one another.
September 16, 2026
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Maria, Maria is a character-driven novel focusing on two women in very different parts of the world and the man they both come to love.
The two women gradually develop an understanding of each other, sharing news over the years following World War Two. Longing, loneliness, not really belonging to the communities around them and the secrets they both carry create a surprising bond between them. Both describe themselves as being both a wife and a widow, and as when they are separated from Bene “distance becomes death”.
Maria, Bene’s Portuguese wife, is an orphan and has never really overcome the trauma of her past. She sees the absence of her husband almost as a representation of death, which makes her story particularly poignant.
I found the historical side of the book really interesting, especially the connection between the Portuguese dorymen and Newfoundland, which I knew very little about.
It was a slow-burn read, with good character development, and I found myself sympathising with both women and their different situations. I did want to know more about why Bene was subjected to such a violent assault at the beginning of the novel, and as this was something I wanted to know why this had happened and I felt it could have been explained more.
Overall, I enjoyed this debut novel. It is well written, with interesting characters and an unusual historical setting. A slow read, but one I will recommend , and an author I will look out for in the future.
Maria, Maria is a character-driven novel focusing on two women in very different parts of the world and the man they both come to love.
The two women gradually develop an understanding of each other, sharing news over the years following World War Two. Longing, loneliness, not really belonging to the communities around them and the secrets they both carry create a surprising bond between them. Both describe themselves as being both a wife and a widow, and as when they are separated from Bene “distance becomes death”.
Maria, Bene’s Portuguese wife, is an orphan and has never really overcome the trauma of her past. She sees the absence of her husband almost as a representation of death, which makes her story particularly poignant.
I found the historical side of the book really interesting, especially the connection between the Portuguese dorymen and Newfoundland, which I knew very little about.
It was a slow-burn read, with good character development, and I found myself sympathising with both women and their different situations. I did want to know more about why Bene was subjected to such a violent assault at the beginning of the novel, and as this was something I wanted to know why this had happened and I felt it could have been explained more.
Overall, I enjoyed this debut novel. It is well written, with interesting characters and an unusual historical setting. A slow read, but one I will recommend , and an author I will look out for in the future.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.
I got very swept away by this book, and felt like I was stuck inside a time warp as the story unfolded. Maria, Maria starts in 1940's Portugal with a tragic event: Bene da Silva kills a man in self defense one evening on his way home from work. In order to stay safe, he leaves on a fishing boat expedition that will last for seven years. Bene is newly married to Maria Lucilia (Cilia), and this event turns both of their worlds upside down. During the boat's offseason, they dock in St. John's, Newfoundland and while there, Bene meets a single shopkeeper named Maria Alvares and strikes up an affair. While there, he asks Maria to write his wife Cilia to let her know he's safe. This leads to a deep and meaningful pen pal relationship between the two Maria's over the course of many years as Bene moves between the two women (both physically and emotionally.) He loves both women, and the women have to learn to love and appreciate the other one-- for protecting him, but also for the honesty they each provide to each other. As Cilia says "The letters had made everything more meaningful. They'd attuned her to beauty." This was a very moving book and one that makes you question the limits of love and morality. There was a realness to this story and these characters that made it hard for me to put this book down.
I got very swept away by this book, and felt like I was stuck inside a time warp as the story unfolded. Maria, Maria starts in 1940's Portugal with a tragic event: Bene da Silva kills a man in self defense one evening on his way home from work. In order to stay safe, he leaves on a fishing boat expedition that will last for seven years. Bene is newly married to Maria Lucilia (Cilia), and this event turns both of their worlds upside down. During the boat's offseason, they dock in St. John's, Newfoundland and while there, Bene meets a single shopkeeper named Maria Alvares and strikes up an affair. While there, he asks Maria to write his wife Cilia to let her know he's safe. This leads to a deep and meaningful pen pal relationship between the two Maria's over the course of many years as Bene moves between the two women (both physically and emotionally.) He loves both women, and the women have to learn to love and appreciate the other one-- for protecting him, but also for the honesty they each provide to each other. As Cilia says "The letters had made everything more meaningful. They'd attuned her to beauty." This was a very moving book and one that makes you question the limits of love and morality. There was a realness to this story and these characters that made it hard for me to put this book down.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There are two Marias here; Maria Lucilia, wife of Benedito, and Maria Alvares, a single shopkeeper in St. Johns who is Benedito's lover. The story begins when newlywed Beneis riding his bike home from work in the fields. He is happy in his three month marriage with his new wife Cilia. But on the way home he is acosted and chased by an unknown man who follows him home. The stranger proceeds to beat Bene's wife until Bene kills him to protect his wife.
In that place and time, in a Portugal with rich families having all the power and the secret police to enforce their will, Bene is forced to flee and be endentured to a fishing fleet in Newfoundland for seven years to protect himself from the stranger's powerful family.
Unfortunately Bene is illiterate. He is lonely and unable to reach out to his wife until he meets and takes the other Maria as his mistress. Maria 2 has a fine hand and, at his request, writes a love letter to his wife. Now begins the real heart of the story. The two women become penpals of sorts, even though they are both in love with the same man. Their correspondence is what the story is really all about!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.
In that place and time, in a Portugal with rich families having all the power and the secret police to enforce their will, Bene is forced to flee and be endentured to a fishing fleet in Newfoundland for seven years to protect himself from the stranger's powerful family.
Unfortunately Bene is illiterate. He is lonely and unable to reach out to his wife until he meets and takes the other Maria as his mistress. Maria 2 has a fine hand and, at his request, writes a love letter to his wife. Now begins the real heart of the story. The two women become penpals of sorts, even though they are both in love with the same man. Their correspondence is what the story is really all about!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Maria Lucil1a (usually called Cilia) was raised in an orphanage. She married the first man that scaled the wall at a rather young age (17ish). Weeks after being married her husband kills someone (pretty much self-defense, but his family had money), so he commits to a 7 year term on a fishing boat and flees the country. Fishing takes place in Canada (because ... evidently ... there is more fish there than in the waters of Portugal ... shrug emoji). So since hubby can't read, he gets his lover to send his wife letters occasionally.
I find the whole book a little weird. I scrunch up my face and shake my head when I think about this book.
Many thanks to Jennifer Galvão, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Maria, Maria in exchange for an honest review. Approx 320 pages. Estimated publication date is Feb 2027.
A relative married someone born in Portugal. I requested Maria, Maria to get a better understanding of Portugal. A much better book for a flavor of Portugal is The Lost Story of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham. Loved this book!
I find the whole book a little weird. I scrunch up my face and shake my head when I think about this book.
Many thanks to Jennifer Galvão, NetGalley and Random House Publishing for approving my request to read the advance read copy of Maria, Maria in exchange for an honest review. Approx 320 pages. Estimated publication date is Feb 2027.
A relative married someone born in Portugal. I requested Maria, Maria to get a better understanding of Portugal. A much better book for a flavor of Portugal is The Lost Story of Sofia Castello by Siobhan Curham. Loved this book!
August 25, 2026
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A truly lovely read - you are immersed in the characters right away and rooting for them for the entire book. It is strange because while you are hoping Bene will get to go home and be with Cilia and take up his life again, you are also hoping that he can stay with Maria. This story investigates and questions this idea that we are meant for one person to love and to be loved. Bene can love both these women, and these women are able to have a relationship that is all their own without Bene really being a part of it. At first, the women are writing letters to each Bene through each other since he cannot read. But at one point, they are just writing letters to each other, and Bene is no longer a part of it, and in these letters they were both able to open up and be so honest with each other - it was really beautiful. This book was beautifully written and lovely to read. I highly recommend it and give it 4.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Hogarth & Randon House for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Benedito, recently married, is acquitted of murder after killing someone in self-defence but joins the Portuguese fishing fleet in Newfoundland for seven years because his life is threatened by the dead man's powerful family. There he becomes a widow's lover. He is illiterate and persuades his lover to pen letters to his wife. The correspondence between the two women gradually becomes friendly. Both are unfaithful to Benedito in his absence. After a violent episode, the book has a sad ending.
For me the best part of the book was the evocation of the harsh life in the fishing fleet. But overall I was disappointed. I found none of the lead characters sympathetic, some crude language seemed unnecessary, and aspects of the plot seemed to me unbelievable and forced. The ending was rather rushed.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have a complimentary advance copy. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
For me the best part of the book was the evocation of the harsh life in the fishing fleet. But overall I was disappointed. I found none of the lead characters sympathetic, some crude language seemed unnecessary, and aspects of the plot seemed to me unbelievable and forced. The ending was rather rushed.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me have a complimentary advance copy. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
1949 Portugal. A young farmer, Bene, newly married to Maria Lucillia, a 17 year old convent-raised orphan, kills a member of a local influential family as the man is attacking his wife. To avoid reprisal, he flees Portugal and enters a seven year enlistment with a fleet of cod fishing ships which will take him to Newfoundland. While Maria contends with a life with her in-laws, without husband but not widowed, Bene finds comfort in an older Newfoundland shop owner and widow, also named Maria. Bene is illiterate; Maria scribes letters from him to his wife and shares with him the replies. For the next 4 years, the threads of these three lives are woven together by a correspondence and developing relationship between the two women. In elegant prose, Galvao explores the depths of hardship, anger, loneliness and love. A praise-worthy debut novel.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Maria, Maria by Jennifer Galvan was a bit different from the types of books I usually read, but I really enjoyed it.
Set in Portugal in the early 1950s, the story follows Bene Silva, a newly married man whose life takes a tragic turn, leaving him separated from his very young bride for several years. Bene cannot read or write beyond signing his own name, so he turns to his mistress to write letters to his wife for him. This unusual situation creates an interesting—and often heartbreaking—story about love, compassion, loyalty, and the difficult questions surrounding what commitment truly means.
The story really made me think about the choices people make and the ways love can be complicated by circumstances. While this was outside my usual reading comfort zone, I found it to be a touching and thought-provoking story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 out of 5 stars
Set in Portugal in the early 1950s, the story follows Bene Silva, a newly married man whose life takes a tragic turn, leaving him separated from his very young bride for several years. Bene cannot read or write beyond signing his own name, so he turns to his mistress to write letters to his wife for him. This unusual situation creates an interesting—and often heartbreaking—story about love, compassion, loyalty, and the difficult questions surrounding what commitment truly means.
The story really made me think about the choices people make and the ways love can be complicated by circumstances. While this was outside my usual reading comfort zone, I found it to be a touching and thought-provoking story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 out of 5 stars
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
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.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I enjoyed this introspective, psychological novel that makes you think about your own moral code. It’s slow paced and deeply character driven, stirring expectations without setting expectations. Instead, you have space to decide how to judge the three main characters’ relationships with each other. You have the wife, Maria (who goes by Celia), whose husband, Bene, is banished from their Portuguese town after an incident. Then you have Maria who lives in the port where Bene spends his time between fishing expeditions. Bene is not literate, so the two women end up writing to one another about Bene and then share more of themselves. I first heard about this one on Book Riot podcast, Deals, Deals and received an ebook ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest revuew.
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July 19, 2026I want to thank Net Galley and Penguin Random House for allowing me to read and review the ARC of Maria, Maria by author Jennifer Galveo.
Some strange words, percarity and rictus!
A death that needn’t have happened starts off a chain of events! Bene is forced to leave his new wife, Maria, and the town where he grew up! And then, where he has a contract as a fisherman he becomes involved with another Maria! The story begins in 1949 and the chapters go back and forth between the two women until the end in 1955. It’s important to note that Bene never learned to read or write and is dependent on someone else to read the letters sent by the two Maria’s!
Left me with a lot of questions. Too many!
This is a woman’s book.
Maria, Maria is scheduled for publication 02/02/2027.
Some strange words, percarity and rictus!
A death that needn’t have happened starts off a chain of events! Bene is forced to leave his new wife, Maria, and the town where he grew up! And then, where he has a contract as a fisherman he becomes involved with another Maria! The story begins in 1949 and the chapters go back and forth between the two women until the end in 1955. It’s important to note that Bene never learned to read or write and is dependent on someone else to read the letters sent by the two Maria’s!
Left me with a lot of questions. Too many!
This is a woman’s book.
Maria, Maria is scheduled for publication 02/02/2027.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was pleased when I was asked to review this novel.
The story is set in the 50s in Lisbon and Murtosa. Maria's marriage is in severe difficulties. Benedicto comits a crime that he has to go into exile.
his wife Maria Lucilia begins to get letters from another Maria and there is a connection with Benedicto. They write to each other and thus begins a bond between the two women.
There is thousands of miles between the Maria's, but there is something that brings them together, but there are secrets, fears and hopes that neither have said.
This was such an intriguing story
I really enjoyed reading this.
Due for publication March 4th 2027, so will be ideal for the Easter holidays.
The story is set in the 50s in Lisbon and Murtosa. Maria's marriage is in severe difficulties. Benedicto comits a crime that he has to go into exile.
his wife Maria Lucilia begins to get letters from another Maria and there is a connection with Benedicto. They write to each other and thus begins a bond between the two women.
There is thousands of miles between the Maria's, but there is something that brings them together, but there are secrets, fears and hopes that neither have said.
This was such an intriguing story
I really enjoyed reading this.
Due for publication March 4th 2027, so will be ideal for the Easter holidays.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
This book definitely shines in terms of its reflective tone and in-depth character portrayals. The exploration of the complex relationship between Maria Alvares (Bene's lover) and Maria Lucilia (Bene's wife) was very well executed, as well as the relationships with other side characters such as Rafael and Camila. That being said, I unfortunately did not really connect with the characters and some of the plot points felt overly dramatic compared to the otherwise quiet tone of the book. Further, the ending was extremely disappointing and felt rushed.
This book definitely shines in terms of its reflective tone and in-depth character portrayals. The exploration of the complex relationship between Maria Alvares (Bene's lover) and Maria Lucilia (Bene's wife) was very well executed, as well as the relationships with other side characters such as Rafael and Camila. That being said, I unfortunately did not really connect with the characters and some of the plot points felt overly dramatic compared to the otherwise quiet tone of the book. Further, the ending was extremely disappointing and felt rushed.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As a fellow Maria, I had to read a book called Maria Maria!
Maria Maria is a very slow burn with a predictable ending. But it really makes you think about life, marriage, family, infidelity, loneliness, and guilt.
Bene is a newly married young man, who gets into trouble le protecting his wife Maria C. He gets banished for 7 years, and develops a second life away from his home...with another Maria A. Due to his illiteracy the 2 Maria's end up corresponding via mail, and a unique interpersona relationship begins between the 3.
While reading the book felt laborious, the story stuck with me after the last page.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.
Maria Maria is a very slow burn with a predictable ending. But it really makes you think about life, marriage, family, infidelity, loneliness, and guilt.
Bene is a newly married young man, who gets into trouble le protecting his wife Maria C. He gets banished for 7 years, and develops a second life away from his home...with another Maria A. Due to his illiteracy the 2 Maria's end up corresponding via mail, and a unique interpersona relationship begins between the 3.
While reading the book felt laborious, the story stuck with me after the last page.
Thank you, Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.
August 31, 2026
First thank you NetGalley & Random House for the ARC of Maria Maria. The blurbs got me to read this book so I started it immediately. Bene is newly married to Celia (Maria #1) and kills a man who began attacking him for no reason.Footnote: we never find out why Gomes targeted Bene & his young wife). Bene is sent to Newfoundland to work 7 tours of cod fishing. He meets Maria #2 and they begin an affair. Bene can’t read or write so the two Maria’s begin to correspond. For me none of the characters are likable. Whoever blurbed it was as good as Elena Ferrante better reread Elena Ferrante. 2 1/4 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I devoured this book in two days. So compelling and intelligent. Every time I put the book down, I found myself desperate to find out what would happen next to these wonderful women, never sure who I preferred or who I was rooting for. The research into the Newfoundland cod trade was fascinating and I’ve been inspired to book a holiday to Portugal. I have already raved about the book to my friends (even when I was halfway through reading it) and I’ll be gifting it and pressing it upon everyone I’ve ever met once it is published! There is something joyful and heartbreaking in this book for everybody.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Maria, Maria is a soap opera in writing. The novel is replete with murders, wife beating, sibling rivalry, affairs and unfaithfulness, a mother refusing to speak, a boat marooned in ice, etc. A portion of the story is told through letters between a wife and a mistress. Despite all of this, the reader becomes involved with the characters and is forced to continue reading to a somewhat unexpected conclusion.
I thank NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to its publication.
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