“In all these years, it never failed to amaze him, this magnificent dappled sea of bone marrow, ever regenerating and replenishing itself in an ongoing cycle that made life possible.”

The first half of the book engaged me. I cared about the characters and wondered what would happen to the sick boy and his grandparents. The second half of the book fell flat. I just wanted to get through. Faith interweaves with superstition and prejudice, childhood cancer is devastating, bone marrow transplants are relatively new. Medical story, WWII story, Jewish story, family – it was like the author, a doctor in his other life, lost the story arc.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I FINALLY got around to reading this wonderful book and even though it is far past pub day, I wanted to leave my thoughts. Quite simply: read this! You will be deeply moved by the tenderness of this story.

I had a really hard time with this one, the book was divided wierdly and it was hard to connect with any of the characters. Things happened fast, and sometimes too fast. I just sadly didn`t feel anything for the book, as i had hoped, i was just really bored.

With thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This story, written by an American Doctor, tells of the cross relations between a child in need of a bone marrow transplant in Italy, and a seemingly unlikely donor in America. I didn’t initially realise it was written by a Doctor until I looked it up part way through - the details and the approach of the author made me suspicious as a Doctor myself. The author cleverly intertwines the complexities of normal life with the medical details of the transplant process and I very much enjoyed the observations he made. However, I am looking at this from a fellow professional’s point of view and I’m not sure how accessible this complex aspect of medicine is to the majority of the population. I very much feel the latter part of the story is the most compassionate, observant and thought progressive, with some exquisite observations and inferences. The first part reads a little like a case study and whilst informative isn’t especially ground breaking.

I admire the attempt this Doctor has made at trying to share his unique experiences and understanding with readers from all walks of life, it’s just a shame he doesn’t quite make it. I’m not sure if that’s his writing or the context in general, I’ve not yet read anything that successfully portrays the subtle yet significant intricacies of the Doctor’s viewpoint on society created through such emotionally intimate patient relationships. I think this story is made all the more complex by the Italian sayings and Jewish interrelationships, all a bit too much in one novel. That said I would read other works written by this author given the opportunity and applaud him for his valiant attempts at expressing in words something all Doctors struggle to write down.

I feel this would appeal most to fellow medical professionals and some other allied health workers, readers of Jewish history and those with interest in the war.

Filled with emotion from start to finish! This is one book that will stay with me long after I have finished it.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

The novel starts with a very intriguing character, a nurse and her special story. And when her affair with a doctor she works with is discovered publicly, the attention of the reader is immediately caught.
The mix of cultures is a strong point for this novel and can definitely help to travel while reading.

How the plot develops, however, is huge flow of elements and other characters that honestly were too much for me. I think that the novel would have benefited from a clearer plot and fewer cultural stereotypes.

It definitely is a light read, probably a great choice for vacation-readers.

In 1992, Luca Taviano lives with his grandparents Letizia and Giovanni “in Favola, a tiny, out-of-the-way town in the hills of Piedmont – a town of fewer than three hundred people.” He is diagnosed with leukemia which does not respond to conventional treatment. A nurse, Nina Vocelli, becomes very attached to the spirited 9-year-old boy and risks her job to seek out other medical options for him. When a bone marrow transplant is recommended, it is discovered that Luca’s genes are typically found in Ashkenazi Jews. In fact, a possible donor is found in Brooklyn, but Rabbi Joseph Neiman’s wife objects to her husband donating his bone marrow to an Italian; during World War II, her father was held in an Italian detention camp and her grandparents were shipped to Auschwitz because an Italian woman identified them as Jewish. What is the connection between an Italian Catholic boy and an American Jewish man?

The theme of the novel is that we are all connected. Its title refers to the “magnificent dappled sea of bone marrow.” After the transplant, Luca "felt like his marrow donor was living inside him, that all his blood donors were living inside him.” But of course Luca is also connected to many others with whom he shares no genes. Rabbi Joseph, who works with a priest and an imam to build bridges between religions, decides, “Even if he weren’t directly related to Luca Taviano – or the relatedness went too far back to track or even if there was never one at all and the genetic similarities happened by pure chance – they were still related. The Catholic boy in Favola and the Jewish rabbi in Brooklyn shared important genes, and now they shared the same blood. They might not be members of the same tribe as defined by today’s sectarian standards, but they were members of the same tribe on a more fundamental level. Here was the perfect example of the blurring of boundaries that separated people: we are all connected.”

Pacing is a bit of an issue, and there are gaps in plotting. At times the plot moves very slowly as even minor events are described in detail. Later, major events are merely mentioned and their impact on Luca left unexplored. At the beginning, there is a great deal of focus on Nina’s affair with the married Dr. Matteo Crespi; later, we are told that Nina “moved in with Matteo” with no explanation of what happened to his wife. One minute Rabbi Joseph’s son is behaving criminally and the next minute he undergoes a transformation? Characters that feature fairly prominently just disappear from the plot. And at least two characters manage to convince authorities to “make an exception” and “bend the rules”?

It is obvious that the book was written by a doctor. Who else would write passages like “An assistant cleaned the skin with iodine and handed the surgeon a fifty-cubic-centimeter syringe fitted with a long, large-bore needle” and the bone marrow “contained stem cells – large, purple spheres with thin blue rims that didn’t look much different from Luca’s malignant lymphoblasts” and “the blood cells began to materialize, red and blue and shades in between, different shapes and sizes, representing distinct lineages and stages of development.” At times the tone is rather didactic: “But on the spectrum of human sbagli [mistakes], there was a lot worse than Nina’s recklessness. There were husbands who beat their wives, like Zev Saferstein; men who killed other men, like the Mafiosi who murdered the brave judges in Sicily; the old Italian woman who sold out Sarah Neiman’s grandparents for a few thousand lira; the Italian Fascists who worked with the Nazis, rounding up Jews and sending them to concentration camps.”

The novel tells an interesting story, but it would benefit from revision to tighten the plot. More focus on only what is most important to the main narrative would strengthen the book’s impact.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book by David Biro explores relationships, family ties, religious roots, adolescence, adoption, abortion, terminal illness, and racial atrocities. Despite spanning continents and decades and touching upon historical events, such as the WWII Jewish Holocaust and the September 11 attacks, it is credible and realistic.
The descriptions of the lives of the people of the small town of Favola, as well as the rabbi’s life in Brooklyn, are vibrant. Biro has crafted some wonderful characters whose interactions evolve seamlessly over time. The book is enriched by the relationship between Luca, his friends, and the imaginary character Orlando; the friendship between Samuel and Emily; and the respect that Rabbi Neiman, Father Lazzaro, and Imam Hussein share.
Biro’s profession as a dermatologist has certainly helped in writing a well-researched medical tale. The medical terminology was not overwhelming and the historical storyline was quite interesting.
The end is not satisfactory in that Luca does not feel a sense of belonging anywhere. I was also left wanting more information about Nina and Samuel, who I think changed the most during the story.
One of the most interesting things about this book is its title. I initially thought it referred to the sea that separated Luca and the Rabbi. However, it does not. It refers to Dr Matteo Crispi’s thoughts:
"In all these years, it never failed to amaze him, this magnificent dappled sea of bone marrow, ever regenerating and replenishing itself in an ongoing cycle that made life possible---red cells that carried oxygen to the tissues, white cells that fought off infection, and platelets that made the blood clot."

Note:

I downloaded a free copy, in exchange for an honest review, from NetGalley when publicist Jennifer Musico brought it to my notice. Thanks to NetGalley and Musico.

Lovely novel. Family secrets, sick kids, determined medical personnel and a big heart made this a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a poignant, moving, heart rendering book about family and the decisions we make when faced with uncharted territory.

It is a story about the results of those decisions we make, under the best of intentions or not, and what those consequences can lead to.

Finally, it’s a story about love and sacrifice, of who we really are and the enduring legacy of the human spirit. We are more alike than we know.

Enjoy!

4.5 stars

This was such a heartwarming story and truly embraced the ties that bind us.

While a young boy named Luca is battling leukemia in Italy, a rabbi across the ocean in New York is fighting to find a donor for a local little girl. To his surprise, Joseph finds that he is a match but not for the little girl. It continues to eat him up inside that he is not able to help her, but to make matters worse, Joseph’s wife forbids him to donate to the little boy that he is a match for because of what the Italians had done to her Jewish family during the war.

When family secrets are later revealed, some have an easier time accepting them than others, but the connections that bring them together ultimately could save a life.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I especially loved Nina Vocelli. She was a spitfire nurse with a great sense of humor, and she bent over backward to ensure that Luca would get the treatment he needed so badly, even if that meant going behind the back of her superior. The world definitely needs more nurses like her! Highly recommend!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3639014697

Linage and heritage are explored in this magnificently written story about a young Italian boy who is diagnosed with leukemia. His nurse Nina uncovers his family’s hidden past as she searches for his blood relatives when he needs a bone marrow transplant. His only match is a Rabbi from New York, an ocean away.

The author does a fantastic job of exploring the effect Nazi Germany had on Italy during World War II. It was interesting to read about the Italians who defied their government to save as many Jews as possible, and the Italians that sold out those looking for asylum in return for money. I haven’t read much fiction that centres around Italy’s involvement in the war, so it was captivating (and equally devastating) to read about in this story.

As an Italian who has never been to Italy, I loved the descriptions of the Italian town and the Italian words sprinkled throughout were wonderful to read and made the characters come to life on the page. The writing was great, the story was intense and sometimes quite emotional, and I was emotionally invested in the characters. The death of Giovanni (who reminded me of my own Nonno) absolutely gutted me.

The only downfall was that I felt the ending was a little scattered.

I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review;.

This Magnificent Dappled Sea is such a beautiful piece of writing. Every word is selected so perfectly in this beautiful, heart warming and heart breaking story. This book was definitely a slow burner but it worked so well for the subject of the story, This moving tale tells the story of Luca Taviano at various stages in his life, from being nine years old and contracting an aggressive form of leukaemia which leaves him requiring a bone marrow transplant, to his young adulthood, pursuing a career in something he truly passionately believes in.

This story takes place from 2003, up until 2017 with some hints and memories told about what happened in the past, during the world war, the holocaust and Italy's history with the mafia. All of which I thought were told so well and I really enjoyed this addition.

Do secrets ever really stay buried? There are some in Favola, a tiny, out-of-the-way town in the hills of Piedmont – a town of fewer than 300 people – who would like to hope the past stays buried. David Biro’s recently published, and beautifully penned, debut novel, “This Magnificent Dappled Sea,” challenges the idea of identity and the ties that bind us together.

Luca Taviano’s life turned upside down for the second time in nine years. Shortly after his birth, his parents died in a car accident, leaving his grandparents, Letizia and Giovanni, to raise him. Now Mario Severese, his third-grade classmate, has shared his cold and infected most of the class. This normally wouldn’t have been a problem, but as the Taviano family is about to discover, Luca is diagnosed with leukemia. Unable to fight the infection, Luca’s condition worsens, leaving doctors at Santa Cristina hospital scouring the donor list for compatible bone marrow. Finally, a match is found. There’s a problem. The wife of the potential donor won’t let her husband, a 52-year-old Jewish Rabi, go through with the procedure when she discovers that her husband will be saving the life of an Italian. Will these two strangers, linked by a past neither knows anything about, be able to save each other?

Biro, a doctor and writer, weaves a story using threads of love, loss, forgiveness and wraps it up in a beautiful, poignant rendered tale of a little boy’s battle with leukemia. I appreciated the medical knowledge Biro brought to his writing and found myself completely absorbed as I read about the procedure from a medical point of view. His characters are lovable, his historical storyline well researched and his message to us is clear; we are all connected. I love his reminder, “What a shame we need the extraordinary circumstance of a bone marrow transplant to see this.” A Catholic boy in Favola and a Jewish rabbi in Brooklyn share important genes and now share the same blood; what a rich example of humanity and inherent connectedness. I was raised with the belief that if there is anything I can do to help another human being, it behooves me to do so and, therefore, this story resonated with me.

Can inheritance be transcended by accidents of love?

Thank you to David Biro, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The plot outline was interesting but the pacing was not the best.
I like the writing and the characters but it took so much time to things to start happening that the book was in some parts boring.
But overall it was a nice writing book, the if you like this concept , I think you may enjoy it.