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dafni's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, and Child death
aliciae08's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The writing style of Ferrante is detailed and can be rich. However, it just went on.
There were really tragic parts that you could feel:
- Tina
- Elena’s mother and their growing relationship
- Dede and Elsa’a clear neglect
But overall, I couldn’t stand Elena. I found her to be such an unreliable narrator so self-absorbed and playing the victim in the same way she attributes Nino to doing.
There is also no clear resolution in
Moderate: Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Physical abuse
nreyno's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
lindseyhall44's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
For myself, reading the story of Elena Greco feels like looking into a mirror. Her depiction of female friendship is so honest that it intertwines closely with mine and many others. The jealousy, vindictiveness, and other negative emotions that we struggle to put into words, both from embarrassment and denial, are candidly laid bare into the page for one last look into the city of Naples and a friendship that withstood the test of time. Thank you Elena and Lila for all that you have taught me, and for all that you have shown me I still need to learn.
Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Child death
Moderate: Fatphobia
yumaa's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Suicide, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness, Kidnapping, and Child death
radfordmanor's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Grief, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
issyd23's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Child death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Kidnapping, and Sexual assault
astridrc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexism, Grief, Kidnapping, Transphobia, and Violence
sjanke2's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
quickermorequickly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ferrante does unsettling very, very well. Reading this series (as well as The Days of Abandonment) is like taking stiff shots of very different, equally strong emotions, and then realizing you're drunk, and stumbling through a sinister amusement park. In a good way, I swear!
I found Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and The Story of the Lost Child to be less enchanting than the earlier installments of the series, if only because I haven't yet been through most of those life stages yet and so the pings of deep recognition or identification were less frequent. But I think the more time I spend on this planet seeing sad and strange things happen, the more I will recognize.
Hats off to Ann Goldstein for this very long project of translation.
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Toxic friendship, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Blood, Violence, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Terminal illness
Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Outing