Lemon Blossoms

Romano’s (The Secret Language of Women) ode to motherhood, set in late 19th-century Italy, is both beautifully detailed and maddeningly disjointed. This second book in her Wayfarer trilogy follows Angelica, the oldest daughter of a Sicilian family; she is the child of a prosperous farmer and a midwife. At 14, an accident during her aunt’s pregnancy sets Angelica on a path of self-discovery as she considers whether she should assume a traditional role within the family or give herself over to a convent. Told in vignettes beginning during Angelica’s childhood, the story chronicles her path to adulthood as seen through her eyes and those of her mother. Lovingly detailed scenes of the Italian countryside are, unfortunately, not enough to balance the slow-paced psychological wrangling and occasionally confusing succession of scenes. The rocky narrative stutters between the eloquently philosophical and the patently unbelievable. Emotional and poignant moments of discovery are frequently overshadowed by seemingly random leaps between narrators and an exaggerated focus on minor details. (Feb.)