I revisited this book for class, and while the language and visceral imagery remained the same this time as it did on my first read, I was struck this time by just how much the theme of education ran through this story. For a general recapping of the story, here’s the amazon blurb: “Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its protagonists, the fiery and unforgettable Lila, and the […]
Re-reading Elena Ferrante Part 1
I will write up one review for the whole series. It’s not really a winter break kind of set of books because it takes place in southern Italy, but I was able to get the audiobooks from Overdrive and felt like I had it in me to reread this series. This is narrated by the same reader who narrated Elena Ferrante’s nonfiction collection Frantumaglia which means fragments (kind of) and that collection is just a brilliant set of interviews (questions sent; answers sent back) and a […]
An impressive depiction of a complex friendship spanning decades
I’m going to begin by including a brief summary of each of the individual books in the series, before reviewing all books as a whole, as I don’t think it’s possible for me to talk about my reading experience and impression of these books individually. My Brilliant Friend We are introduced to the two protagonists of the series, in our narrator Elena Greco (also sometimes called Lenuccia or Lenu) and her best friend Raffaela (called Lena by most people, but Lila by Elena). As with […]
Fact or Fiction?
I do like that my MFA forces me to read books I wouldn’t normally pick up. While it’s not always a sure-fire way to a favorite read, “My Brilliant Friend” makes my top 10 for ‘required reading.’ A note of caution, this is a long book and is followed up by four subsequent sequels that will totally suck you in, so unless you’re willing to devote a copious slot of time to this story, beware! I was only mildly enjoying the read and thought […]