BookLife Rates "Road to Moresco" 9.25

• The complex mother-daughter relationship ..parallels.. the struggles of society

• Well-researched and grounded by genuine context

• A lavish story... events that are rendered with vivid imagery

• Characters are dynamic and well-developed

  
  

Title: The Road to Moresco

Author: Mark Jamilkowski

Genre: Fiction/General Fiction (including literary and historical)

Audience: Adult

Word Count: 60000

Assessment:

Plot/Idea: Jamilkowski tells a lavish story steeped in family history, following an Italian family making their way from Italy to America over a span of 150 years. Using true historic events as the backdrop, the novel is well-researched and grounded by genuine context, as Jamilkowski sweeps readers into the story of Maria-Luisa Moresco and her daughter, Chiara. The women face uncertainty, adversity, and lifetimes of pain, but their resilience gives birth to reinventions that are absorbing to watch.

Prose: Jamilkowski’s lyrical writing unwinds the central family's experiences set against historical events that are rendered with vivid imagery. He draws a parallel between the complex mother-daughter relationship and the struggles of society, as war and political strife shape an increasingly unsettled world. Jamilkowski smartly propels the novel forward without getting bogged down in the more minute details, though his style spends more time informing than building tension.

Originality: The sheer span of this novel's timeline, paired with Jamilkowski’s unique ability to root his characters in arresting historical detail, demonstrates an impressive creative reach.

Character/Execution: Jamilkowski’s female characters are dynamic and well-developed, with their resolve and ability to adapt—during a time in history when women were not granted many opportunities—on full display. Each character stands out in their own right, often emerging from the background of Jamilkowski's vibrantly executed settings and cast interactions, with individual stories that are just as riveting as the novel's general thrust.

Score:

• Plot/Idea: 9

• Originality: 9

• Prose: 10

• Character/Execution: 9

• Overall: 9.25

Report Submitted: June 15, 2025