Reviews

De vuxnas lögnaktiga liv by Elena Ferrante

jupitervivienne's review against another edition

Elena Ferrante is so highly praised and recommended, so I was looking forward to finally coming around to one of her books. Maybe this just wasn’t the best work of hers to start with, but I’m pretty disappointed. The first part of this book leading up meeting Vittoria felt raw and exciting, but as it went on I felt like it was almost becoming a parody of itself. Vittoria is set up as an incredibly interesting character but Ferrante doesn’t go deep enough with her. Her exploration of Giovanna sort of tells me she might not have been capable of what I wanted from Vittoria. I fought to keep going with this book, holding out hope it might get better (and maybe it does), but just had to eventually give up. I’m sure the bad audio narration didn’t help. 2/5 stars

carms123's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

apollonium's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

annasorr's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I devoured this book in airplanes and trains on my way to Italy. I loved Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels and went into this novel (perhaps unfairly) hoping to capture some of the same feelings I had while reading that series. Ferrante’s prose is quick and cutting, and I loved the entire setup of the novel— meeting Vittoria, learning more about the family’s secrets, diving deep into a large community of characters. I was so invested in the novel until it reached its ending, which, while powerful, felt like another beginning rather than a completed story. 

jess271201's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

meepmoop27's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

would give it five million stars

andotherworlds's review against another edition

4.0

3.75 // pre review - ferrante stan arc continues

thureris's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

pagesintranslation's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

robyn1998's review against another edition

reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 I wasn't particularly keen on this. The family was almost unbelievably melodramatic and there were lots of repetitive ruminations on things that seemingly didn't matter at all. I usually like how Elena Ferrante uses motifs, like the shoes in My Brilliant Friend, but every time the bracelet was mentioned here I wanted to roll my eyes. It's still a passable book but I just expected more from Elena Ferrante. 
 Also, I found Marisa Tomei's narration intensely irritating and overblown which probably detracted from my enjoyment.