My Brilliant Friend

“I turned the word over and over in my head, Communist, a word that was meaningless to me, but which the teacher had immediately branded with negativity. Communist, Communist, Communist. It captivated me. Communist and son of a murderer.”

I recognized myself too much in this book, to the point that when I was done reading, I just stared at the last page, thinking about the “alienness” I used to feel as well.

gutting and honest portrayal of intense, homoerotic codependent female friendships. two young girls clinging to eachother trying to survive in an oppressive patriarchal society

[DNF: 29%]

Little Women, it is not. 

Mooi beeld van Napels in de jaren 50. Benieuwd of het vier boeken lang gaat blijven boeien...

DNF @40% kinda boring

Part of what I love so much about this book is how clearly we are in Elena’s head. The way Ferrante describes Elena’s world for us, these tiny, banal, and domestic parts of life take on a million meanings, social meanings, economic meetings, political meanings. And you can also see that part of what Elena likes/envies/loves about Lila is her ability to do this same thing. To uncover the hidden world within the one we inhabit.

It reminds me of why I love talking to my mom so much :)

Honestly reading this while being in southern Italy was life changing. Such a captivating book.

The main character, Elena, who is now in her 60s, recounts a childhood spent growing up with her best friend Lina in Italy. The pair are both from poor(er) families, but do well in school. They end up leading diverging lives as their individual circumstances change. The story and characters are vividly written and I read the entire book in one sitting.

There's a 1 chapter setup for the book in present time, before a 50 year jump back in time for the rest of the book. The story ends on an abrupt cliffhanger. At first I thought this was some sort of literary technique to make you go and reread the first chapter to piece together what happens, but no this is actually just the setup for the next book (lol).

I mean I miiiight go read the second, and I am sort of curious about the HBO series although unfortunately I'm not sure where to view it in my country!

3.5⭐️

Well I can see why this is popular. When you so perfectly combine lifelong friendship and post-war Italy you can't miss.

Does everyone have the brilliant friend? The friend who you share a unique understanding of the world with that no one else seems to grasp? The friend that makes you feel both less and more than what you are?

That's nice to know, it's a friendship you don't see in literature enough.

Also, surely I'm not the only one that absolutely loved when Ferrante did that thing that some novels do, where it turns out the brilliant friend in the title wasn't who you expected. As the Elena of my duo, I appreciated the ego stroke.

Enjoyed it but a bit slow at end

Si dalguien me pidiere la definición d'un bildungsroman, enseñaría-y esta novela, y atrévome a dicir, el restu d'esta saga.
Sigue la vida de dos neñes, Elena Greco y Raffaela “Lila” Cerullo, nun barriu baxu nel Nápoles de los años 50. Amuesa la la probitú, violencia y miseria (tos temes recurrentes) que les rodea y forma les sos vides ensin dáse cuenta elles.

Son una narrativa y estructura simples, lliniales pasáu-presente-futuru. Un estilu simple, direutu, ensin tapuxos. Que dalgo seya simple nun quier dicir que seya malo o mediocre. La escritura tien qu'adaptase a les necesidaes de la hestoria y/o del xéneru. Esti tipu de novela requier una escritura específica, y considero que l'autora consiguió esto maxistralmente. Ye simple y sofisticao, pulío. Ye quien a amosar los recovecos del mundiu interior d'una adolescente ensin sonar infantil. Paezme una gran narradora.

Elena, o Lenù, crez na solombra de la so meyor amiga, Lila, perspicaz, pícara, ocurrente y, descrita d'esta miente por otros personaxes, mala. La so dinámica básase na competitividá silenciosa y secreta por parte d'Elena, superándose constantemente pa sorprender a Lila, solo pa dáse cuenta que los sos esfuercios son en vanu. Lila ye brillante ensin estudiar, valiente ensin pénsar o preparase... Ye una guaḥa peculiar y particular pa lo bono y pa lo malo. Ye la so seña d'identidá. Vien d'una familia probe que nun la dexa estudiar tanto pola precaria situación económica como pol machismu de la época. Esto, que sólo Elena pudiere continuar los sos estudios de les dos, aun siendo Lila brillante, ye una de les munches victories vacíes que conformen el filu narrativu.

Pero, anque Lila nun siga estudiando y tea obligada a trabayar na zapatería familiar, Elena sigue viéndose superada por ella. Si Elena entama a deprender griegu antiguu, Lila ya deprendiere l'alfabetu y traduxere dalgo por cuenta suya. La educación d'Elena piende constantemente d'un filu. La so familia fai esfuercios pa poder pagala y sólo alcedieron a ellos tras les súpliques de la mayestra Oliviero. Tien que ser la meyor en tou, siente la presión per toes partes.

Esta primera entrada de la tetraloxía va dende la infancia hasta l'adolescencia; los años mozos y formativos. Dambes vides siguen el mesmu camín, pero al llegar la pubertá hai una bifurcación inevitable que les separa y les une a lo llargo del trayectu.

Otros personaxes importante son los collacios, los demás neños del barriu: Stefano, Enzo, Pasquale, Antonio, Alfonso, Michele, Marcello, Ada, Carmela, Gigiola, Nino...

Un tema mui importante nel llibru ye la herencia de los traumes y problemes familiares, una especie de fatum. Siempre pensamos que vamos ser diferentes que los nuesos pas, que vamos saber superalos y nun caer nos mesmos errores. Fala de la hostia que supón date cuenta que ca día t'asemeyes más a ellos inadvertentemente. Fala tamién de la sensación de sintir a una persona cercana como dalguien desconocío.

No plot, just vibes. Llibru que lleería mio ma.

Two girls, both clever, both poor, grow up together in Naples, Italy, amid chaotic family situations, with neighbors who deal with problems by using violence. The two girls become friends, very close at times, sometimes estranged, but eventually becoming close again. The two find ways to go to school even when their parents want to dissuade them from doing so. Both girls learn ways to handle boys they don't like who like them as well as boys they like who don't like them.

The stories feel very, very real and the setting feels authentic. The characters are a realistic mix of likable and unlikeable qualities that made me enjoy watching them grow and develop.

Lovely musical prose. The author gives a lot of weight and respect to capturing the intricacies of female feelings & thoughts from a young age.

It did not really end, nor did it really begin. It was more like a visit through a time machine even if i believe 50s Naples to have been severely exaggerated and made more mean than reality. Still a good visit.

”

Thought the start dragged a bit but deffo liked the development of the two main characters to understand their relationship. Relate to their relationship in some ways and love how the book has high and lows for both elenas and linas characters. I liked how youre on a journey w elena and see how her thought process develops, how she learns new things like sex and love etc. thought the ending was good and deffo wanna read the next one. Started out hating elena and liking lina but now liking elena and understanding more of lina's flaws and how she isn't perfect as elena first perceived when they wete young

When I started reading the book, I assumed the brilliant friend is Lila but as I slowly went through, I realized it is, in fact, Elena.

This book had awakened something in me, offered me epiphanies and what not about my friendship as similar as of Lila and Elena's. The book at first was a slow burn, but it came through at the end, I became intrigued by it, I began to flip pages as quickly as possible to get to the next moment, the next scene, what would the outcome be, what will Lila do now, what will happen to Elena?

I absolutely loved this book.

5 stars

I've read a few of the one star or none reviews, I'm sorry for you, maybe it's the translation to English that makes it imposible to achieve the profound impact it has on Italian, Spanish or Portuguese readers. I was reading in Spanish Pride and Prejudice, it just isn't the same book, the marvelous humor and sarcasm of Elizabeth Bennet is totally lost, I guess it the same here.

Personagens irritantes mas muito humanos e a escrita da Elena Ferrante é muito boa.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when I first came across it; I don't tend to like back/forth storylines however the writing blew my mind. Every page is as enticing and gripping as the previous one. A truly addictive read.

One sentence synopsis... The obsessions and rivalries of two friends growing up in post-war Naples as they mature from violent, underprivileged children to competitive adolescents. .

Read it if you liked... Little Women or other immersive epics of female relationships gleaned from the most destitute of circumstances. .

Dream casting... HBO already did a great job casting it. No notes.

Reread this for the Book Riot Challenge category of “a book with a cover you hate.” In this case, the publisher seems to argue that the cover was made intentionally vulgar to make a point (https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/07/elena-ferrante-covers-bad-no-good/488732/). Maybe, but still, I hate it. I also noticed that the blurb on the cover refers to the book as being “amiably peopled.” “Amiable” is about the last thing any of these characters are.

Still one of my favorite books ever, and 2018 challenge complete.

The first 100 pages or so were a test for me but after that ... yeah.

I don't know where the rest of the story will lead but I'm quite enjoying this unique portrayal of female friendship. It's honest. Even the ugly parts. I'm on board with that.

It's also interesting to see a portrayal of post-war Italy from the view point of children. It reminded me of movies like “Rocco and His Brothers”.

I'll surely continue with this series.

Because of the book's popularity, I felt obligated to read it, but I'm not sure I feel obligated to read further in the series. On the other hand, my main disappointment in the novel was that it focused on the friendship of two young girls, which didn't interest me much, although the environment of their friendship–working-class Naples of a much earlier time–was quite interesting. The writing is fine, although repetitive.

The narration of the audiobook is very slooow. Eventually, I switched to the Kindle version so I get through it faster. I can't say that it brought me more enjoyment, however.