Reviews

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

maria_rosa's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

4.25

kirsten0929's review against another edition

3.0

[2012] Translated from Italian. Notes to self…Usually it’s the writing and characters that keep me engaged in a book but here it’s the the story and the setting that keep me going. The HBO series has helped to create the mood for this book in a way that the book couldn’t and I have actually used that to shape my reading. The ongoing push/pull of the friendship, the addictive, almost toxic nature of it, is more interesting here as it is more traditionally explored in romantic relationships than in friendships. I do, however, find myself making excuses for some things that would have ordinarily turned me off, the soapy qualities, the melodrama, the cliches, so that I can just enjoy it for what it is, a story about a small community of characters living lives.

cartogram's review against another edition

dark reflective sad medium-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

4.5

husseinfaour's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

banopi's review against another edition

reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

This book caused me more grief than the first, which is why it took longer for me to finish. The characters have only become more flawed as they grow up, but it makes them no less endearing to me. (Elena, in particular, is very close to my heart.)

So many things happened in this second book, but I just want to note that I appreciate the glimpses we get into Elena's relationship with her mother. It's a side note compared to her friendship with Lila, but I like it more.

As always, Elena Ferrante's writing is beautiful without seeming pretentious. She portrays the narrator's turmoil, joy, envy, shame, carefully manufactured nonchalance—everything—so well that it makes me feel like I'm living through her experiences and having her thoughts.

The cliffhanger though. God save us from pretentious men who think with their dicks but insist on knowing better than most people.

laurbergo's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

4.75

pansadita's review against another edition

4.0

★★★★½

quero nino sarratore na cadeia esse esquerdomacho do diabo

mtstellens's review against another edition

4.0

I’m loving this series. Books about long running (toxic) female friendships are my catnip. Nothing much really happens, this book spans a much shorter time period than the first book, but I never felt bored or uninterested. The academic anxiety that Elena has and the way she compares herself to her friend, Lila, hit home for me. The loss of independence and identity that Lila goes through as she becomes a wife and mother and the lengths she goes to to regain that independence. The disillusionment of her marriage and the ever-forking paths the two friends (frenemies?) go down. I’m already ready for the next one.

dinosun's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

tatianasb's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0