Thank you to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the advanced copy! All thoughts are my own:

a very good portrait of a family from poverty and the effects of that poverty in their relationships among themselves and peers.

An English-language debut, it was written quite well and flowed nicely. I thought the novel captured the essence of a lifestyle of poverty pretty well and. the emotions that come with that.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced netgalley copy

The Lakes Water is Never Sweet is an Italian coming of age story that takes place in the 90s and the aughts. It follows a young girl growing up impoverished in Rome with a mother who's determined to help her family prosper despite her husband's disability and their poverty.

They move to a rural lakeside town where most of the story takes place, and we follow our main character as she learns about life, violence, friendships, family and disappointments. The writing in this book is beautiful and you can really imagine yourself as an Italian teenager spending your summer at the lake and riding mopeds in the dark. There is a lot of pain and sadness but also a lot of hope and resilience. I'm happy I got a chance to read this and hoping more of the author's books will be translated to English!

“In her English-language debut, award-winning Italian novelist Giulia Caminito follows a teenage girl as her family transitions from Rome’s impoverished outskirts to a fraught new beginning in a tranquil lakeside town, capturing the disillusionment, loneliness, and rage that defined a generation..”

Four stars

I found this book quite sad. Gaia grows up in poverty with her family, first in Rome, then moving to a town in the suburbs where her mother Antonia hopes they will have a better life. The family is ruled by Antonia, who does everything she can to improve their lives, but doesn't show any love or affection towards her children. This is the story of Gaia's teenage years, her friendships, and her unrelenting studying to try and improve her future and please her mother.
It's grim, but the writing and desciptions are excellent, which kept me reading.

does Giulia know how to write, yes indeed she does. her words filled the pages and filled my mind and heart. it took me in. it could have been writing a shopping list and i think she could somehow of made it sound better! how she writes the snippets in time of this group of characters is just stunning.
its one of those books where you want to highlight things and then create a forever highlight tab in your brain so you can flick and save such powerful and thoughtful lines that are so often written in books. this books has so many of those lines. those you want to save for your heart for later. those lines that make you think. those lines that you wonder what type of mind could come up with such beautiful words and just end up feel lucky we have such people writing books.
i fell for this family and these characters.i fell for them even if i didn't like them always. but there were fierce and brilliant and fantastic characters that grip your heart and mind throughout. they are strong, they are vivid, they are brightness itself.
i loved reading this timeline of their life. this coming of age and more.
a wonderful book. so unique to others. it stand alone it really does.

I loved the writing of this book so much. Since it’s translated from Italian, it definitely feels deeper and more creative in English than maybe an originally English book. At times, the story felt a little bit slow, but I was interested the whole way through regardless. Overall, I would call this and enjoyable read that felt different than something. I would usually pick up.

This was not an easy novel. It is Gaia's, a young girls coming-of-age in a poverty stricken area of Rome where one must relentlessly fight to survive. Her mother is an Amazon of a woman who single handedly raised Gaia and her three brothers on a maids salary all the while caring for her disabled husband. It is also the story of female friendship, the good, the bad and the ugly. I liked the writing, I liked Gaia but I was dismayed how harsh life was for her and how difficult it was for her to not just survive but never really be able to get ahead. Brutally honest, but in an artistic, beautiful and truthful way. Recommended. 4 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher Spiegel & Grau for a chance to read an ARC version of this book.

The Lake’s Water Is Never Sweet is a bleak, quietly furious coming-of-age novel that left me conflicted. Not because it isn’t good—it’s beautifully written—but because it sits so deeply in discomfort that reading it felt, at times, like wading through silt.

Gaia lives a poverty-stricken life with her domineering mother, her disabled father, an older brother drawn to anarchist politics, and near-silent twin brothers on the outskirts of Rome. When the family gets a rare opportunity to move to a lakeside town, it’s meant to signal a step up. But the truth is, little changes. The poverty just wears a different face. Gaia, surrounded by classmates with money, freedom, and futures, finishes school under the weight of everything she doesn’t have.

Her relationships are brittle, uncertain. There’s vulnerability in them, but also jealousy, resentment, shifting allegiances. Gaia herself is hard to warm to: bitter, defensive, sharp-edged. She’s quick to blame, slow to trust, and seems to carry a deep belief that the world owes her—and that it will never pay up. I couldn’t shake the sense that she didn’t feel hope was for someone like her.

It’s a novel more concerned with atmosphere than plot—voice, memory, mood. The prose is often lyrical without being overwrought, and many will (rightly) compare it to Ferrante. But while there are clear echoes—working-class girls, social immobility, female rage—Caminito’s world feels even darker. Where Ferrante’s Naples is almost operatic in its intensity, The Lake’s Water… is colder, more airless. Her lake is lovely on the surface, but offers no escape. It makes Ferrante’s Napoli seem positively opulent.

I admired the craft here—the restraint, the control—but I didn’t always love the reading experience. The emotional tone so heavy, the characters often feel like they’re slipping through fog. Gaia’s unrelenting despair weighs everything down. It’s effective, but at times exhausting.

That said, the final chapter worked for me. It has a softness, a sense of reflection and distance that offered a bit of light after so much bleakness. Others may feel differently, but I found it quietly moving.

It’s not an easy novel, but, sure, a raw and unflinching look at social inequality was never meant to be.

Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy via NetGalley; as always, this is an honest review.

I think something was lost in translation for me, as I had a really hard time following this and connecting to it. It may also be cultural.

I was excited to read this award-winning Italian novel, and having read quite a few Italian novels in translation there's some distinctive characteristics I noticed in this novel -- namely the character-driven plot. It also touches on the "ugly" reality of Italy -- public housing, poverty, difficulty in advancing your socio-economic class. Unfortunately for me the way the book was written just didn't work for me. I wasn't compelled to turn the pages and the main character, Gaia, was unlikeable in her (at times) cruelty, and lack of gumption. Perhaps that's what the book's really about? Gaia was given opportunity but ultimately she just sort of succumbed to her situation. Her malaise just sort of oozes out of the book, and it seems like she's just quick to blame everyone else but not turn a mirror on herself. The book doesn't have a distinctive cohesive plot, and is mainly focused on the teenage years of the main character, but time jumps ahead unevenly in the course of the novel. The characters of her young brothers are almost afterthoughts in the plot, and her father is there but not really there at the same time. In the end it just wasn't a book for me. The lack of plot and unlikeable characters made this a hard one (for me) to want to pick up and read.

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑳𝑨𝑲𝑬𝑺 𝑾𝑨𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑰𝑺 𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑾𝑬𝑬𝑻 𝒃𝒚 𝑮𝒊𝒖𝒍𝒊𝒂 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒐 was #gifted to me via @NetGalley and will be out from @spiegelandgrau on July 8th.

This is an English language debut from an author who has captured an emotional story of a young girl on the impoverished outsides of Italian society.

The unnamed narrator of this tale, at least until the very end, takes us through her fraught relationship with her mother that leaves her feeling frustrated with the rest of her family to put it lightly. It is a complicated family with a disabled father growing more despondent, an older brother who leaves, and two young boys to watch.

Her home life cannot but affect her friendships, with all the angst of adolescent coming-of-age. She is consistently insecure, and not without reason as people all around her seem dismissive or mean, and she begins to rely on only herself, while pining for connection. As more and more aspects of her world seem to unravel, she grabs hold of the anger inside.

I was really torn when reading this novel. It felt like a crash from which I could not look away. The protagonist was so hardened, yet it become too clear why and that gave me more understanding. It was a harsh look at what being dismissed by society as well as family can do. I was riveted the entire time, yet felt sad throughout. I think it may be the point. It also has not left me, as I finished this a week or two ago and just wanted to process it more.

This would make a fantastic bookclub choice for anyone wanting a deeper summer read, but still maintaining a summer-esque setting.

I think it deserves a good look for family drama fans, but just be ready for a rocky road.

gorgeous work. the writing is lyrical and impeccable, the plotting is perfect and filled with intense moments, and the overall story is great. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Like many other reviewers have pointed out, this novel is definitely reminiscent of Elena Ferrante's brilliant Neapolitan novels. It's written with the same sense of rage and urgency, and paints a vivid portrait a society where poor people--especially women--have to work every minute to claw themselves out of poverty and then fight to maintain whatever gains they've managed to achieve. If you're a fan of Lila and Lenu, add this one to your to-read list.

Thanks to NetGalley and Spiegel & Grau for the advanced reader copy.

I was curious about this literary novel, especially since it was comped to Emma Cline's THE GIRLS, but I think it's other comp, to Ottesa Mosfegh is more apt, in the style of writing---and I'm not a fan of Mosfegh's work. This one just didn't do it for me. Had to DNF.

Gaia lives a poverty stricken life with her domineering mother, disabled father, older brother who is embracing Anarchism, and younger twin brothers in Rome. An opportunity arises for the family to move to a lake community where Gaia completes her schooling. The family struggles financially and Gaia never has the material goods or opportunities of many of her peers. Her vulnerable relationships with female and male friends are fraught with self doubt, resentments, changing loyalties.

Beautifully written, the prose is almost lyrical at times. Many will find this reminiscent of a Ferrante novel; I thought it darker. Caminito paints a bleak picture of those at the bottom of the social/financial ladder. Coming of age in the 1990s, Gaia is filled with insecurity. sadness, fear, anger, rage at times. I really didn’t get the sense that she felt any hope for her future.

People will have differing reactions to the final chapter. I liked it. I enjoyed the evocative reminiscence.

Thanks to #NetGalley and @spiegelandgrau for the DRC.

This novel really impressed me. I enjoyed the author’s style; the writing is very straightforward yet at the same time rich with meaning, and leaves space for some ambiguity that makes you stop and think. Sometimes you can tell that you’re reading a translation but that isn’t the case here. If you like bildungsromans and metaphorically rich novels, I think you will enjoy this. The short introduction likens it to Moshfegh, Euphoria, and Parasite, but I can say gladly that I disagree with this.

Overall, it surprised me in its depth. As the narrative went on, I found that it made me reconsider previous chapters and imagery. Caminito has woven social commentary, class commentary, the growing pains of young girlhood, and lore. I will say that the last two chapters threw me for a loop and I wish there were more English reviews here so that I could see how others interpreted them. They were very unexpected and I’m not sure how to make sense of them; they almost seem out of place and disjointed but I think that’s simply my lack of understanding and not the author’s shortcoming.


I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beautiful prose, and wonderful depiction of coming of age and the fragility of friendships between young women.

Really enjoyed this story. Started a little slow for me but then I really got into the story mid way through. I really enjoyed the main character and her mother. The mother was such an interesting character. I grew up in the 90s and it made me reminiscent of that time period. Excellent book.

‘The Lake’s Water is Never Sweet’ felt so reminiscent of Elena Ferrante in the best way. This is a gorgeous coming-of-age story where Gaia navigates a society that just wants to keep pushing her down. The dynamics that Caminito depicts feel so expertly done, both believable and heart wrenching in equal measure. I felt like the setting and the depth of character combine throughout the novel to give the story a richness that kept me turning the pages. I got so invested in Gaia’s full spectrum of emotions and it is definitely a novel that will stay with me for a long while to come.

*The Lake's Water is Never Sweet* by Giulia Caminito is a hauntingly beautiful coming-of-age novel that really makes you feel. The story dives deep into the complexities of family, love, and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of a stunning yet harsh landscape. Caminito’s writing is vivid and evocative, making the emotions of the characters hit you hard. At times, the pacing felt a little slow, but the raw honesty of the story kept me hooked. If you enjoy books that are emotional, thought-provoking, and full of rich, complex characters, *The Lake's Water is Never Sweet* is definitely worth checking out!