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deadhouseplant's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I read the Neapolitan novels a few summers ago and wanted to read another Ferrante book. While this one captures the same tensions of class, religion, sex/love, and growing up, I had a hard time rooting for the protagonist or understanding her motives.
shalise's review against another edition
funny
reflective
tense
medium-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
boutainajt's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.5
peaknit's review against another edition
I can’t rate this book just yet, I need to digest what I read but I was thankful it was over.
honnari_hannya's review against another edition
4.0
My first Elena Ferrante book, and I was very impressed. This novel follows a handful of years in the girlhood of Giovanna, and while nothing very much happens but boy, do the characters go through it.
There is obviously an element of melodrama in Giovanna's story: she starts off as a young girl who, after she overhears her father compare her to an "ugly" aunt, spirals into the start of her very turbulent adolescence. She has never met any of her father's relatives but has heard stories about how awful, manipulative, ignorant, and in general, terrible they are. Especially compared to her parents, who are in Giovanna's eyes, perfect: part of the upper-crust, intellectual elite of Naples. Her curiosity leads her to the doorstep of her aunt, Vittoria, who she becomes enamoured with—she is a woman unlike anyone Giovanna has met, full of volatile passions. As she becomes more involved with Vittoria and her world, Giovanna becomes more and more aware of the kinds of lies that prop up the beautiful existence she is so familiar with—the truth, and the ugliness that comes with it, becomes something that she craves.
I appreciate how well Ferrante writes complicated women and complicated relationships between women, in a way that really subjects men to the margins even if they are feature characters in these women's lives. There is an overarching concern in this novel about legacies—particularly the awful kind we inherit from our families, and sometimes might feel like we are doomed to repeat—and the tension of whether or not one is obligated to accept such a double-edged gift.
There is obviously an element of melodrama in Giovanna's story: she starts off as a young girl who, after she overhears her father compare her to an "ugly" aunt, spirals into the start of her very turbulent adolescence. She has never met any of her father's relatives but has heard stories about how awful, manipulative, ignorant, and in general, terrible they are. Especially compared to her parents, who are in Giovanna's eyes, perfect: part of the upper-crust, intellectual elite of Naples. Her curiosity leads her to the doorstep of her aunt, Vittoria, who she becomes enamoured with—she is a woman unlike anyone Giovanna has met, full of volatile passions. As she becomes more involved with Vittoria and her world, Giovanna becomes more and more aware of the kinds of lies that prop up the beautiful existence she is so familiar with—the truth, and the ugliness that comes with it, becomes something that she craves.
I appreciate how well Ferrante writes complicated women and complicated relationships between women, in a way that really subjects men to the margins even if they are feature characters in these women's lives. There is an overarching concern in this novel about legacies—particularly the awful kind we inherit from our families, and sometimes might feel like we are doomed to repeat—and the tension of whether or not one is obligated to accept such a double-edged gift.
Spoiler
My only real quibble comes at the end, when Giovanna has that sexual encounter with Rosario. I don't know that it added anything to the arc of Giovanna's understanding of herself, her family, or truth and beauty—it felt like it was there for the shock value of a kind of gross sexual encounter, as her friend suggests she experience in order to "grow up."aurorasandsadnovels's review
challenging
dark
reflective
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
laurikas's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
OMG I love Elena Ferrante. I can read anything, ANYTHING she writes and I hope she still has plenty to show us and delight us.
However, I bloody HATED the ending of this book. I could not believe it was gonna leave me in such a cliff hanger. I went ranting to anyone that would listen days after I finished.
And yet, here goes 5 stars.
However, I bloody HATED the ending of this book. I could not believe it was gonna leave me in such a cliff hanger. I went ranting to anyone that would listen days after I finished.
And yet, here goes 5 stars.
azimhol's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 rounded up, sadly. I loved the MBF series so much, but this fell flat often.
feralpenguin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
alexgoan's review against another edition
Want to read it in the summer or when on holiday in Italy