Maria And Donato by Vitrina Norte Hardcover Reviews

 In her most recent novel entitled Tears in the Garden, award-winning author, Vitrina Norte, injects much needed flavor into what would otherwise be a dry, straight-forward love story. In fact, this book is so captivating that I really wanted to put it down until I actually finished reading it. In the end, I was actually glad that I didn't just pull it off; once I got past the first couple pages, I lost myself in the story. The novel isn't for the easily bored, it will take its time and dig for those engrossing and captivating moments.

Ms. Norte does an excellent job of creating the character of Donato, a middle-aged, retired detective, and his complicated relationship with his current partner, Corrine. It took me a while to actually connect with Donato, as he presented such a stark contrast to my own beliefs about relationships lavitrinanorte. This is especially true in the second act, when Donato fully reveals his true nature to Corrine. Although I do think Donato goes a bit overboard at times, the character made me feel like I was right there in the middle of the partnership, experiencing all the highs and lows.

Donato is the quintessential Italian detective. He's a devoted father and husband, but he's also quick to anger and to lose his temper. It takes the better part of the first half of the book to unravel the mystery of how and why Donato cheated on his wife. The reader learns a lot about how he thinks, as well as why he acts the way he does.

The romantic relationship between Corrine and Donato quickly falls apart, however, and in the final pages we're introduced to another potential love interest for Corrine - her best friend, Patrik. Even though I personally don't think that the two should ever have gotten married in the first place, they do in the book. I liked watching them interact. It became clear to me early on that there were things that separated them in their perceptions of the world and of each other. Theirs was a relationship filled with lies and betrayal and Donato always seemed to win.

As the relationship between the mother and daughter comes to an end, we're presented with another kind of intense familial love. When we meet Maria, she's working hard to raise her daughter with the help of her older sister. Everything happens so fast, however, that Maria starts to wonder whether or not her mother is being too controlling. Maria and Corrine are close, and they discuss the fact that they will be parents to their twelve-year old daughter, Antonia.

It doesn't take long for us to realize that the Norte brothers aren't done creating characters that we'll want to follow around. In Red, Donato introduces us to some new characters that help to expand the plot of the book. In Green, Donato introduces us to an entirely new angle of the story and a whole new cast of characters. All of these additions are very good, and definitely help to make the book even better than it could have been.