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whatsbookinjenni's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
"That was the last stage of the long crisis in my house and, at the same time, an important moment in my arduous approach to the adult world. I learned...that it was impossible to stop growing up."
The Neapolitan quartet are some of my favorites in terms of capturing the nuances of growing up as a young woman. I do think perhaps Ferrante excels most at the longer narrative arc, as there were elements of the characters here that could be explored more, but I also found Giovanna both more relatable than either Elena or Lila from the quartet.
The Neapolitan quartet are some of my favorites in terms of capturing the nuances of growing up as a young woman. I do think perhaps Ferrante excels most at the longer narrative arc, as there were elements of the characters here that could be explored more, but I also found Giovanna both more relatable than either Elena or Lila from the quartet.
jhyde154's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
annettefunnycello's review against another edition
5.0
annoying at first but soon realized from the first-person-voice telling the tale (that of a teenager), the book evolves as the narrator grows up. Brilliant.
raquelmarimo's review against another edition
Really great, got busy with school. Will pick up again soon!
rausku's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm, mitäköhän tästä voisi sanoa? Alussa olin innoissani, sillä potentiaalia oli paljon ja alku setting vaikutti lupaavalta. Premissi oli mielenkiintoinen ja juoni vaikutti ns. selkeältä. Keskivaiheilla juoni kuitenkin "sumeni" ja siitä eteenpäin oli tietyllä tapaa epäselvää, mikä se keskeinen konflikti oikein oli ja mitä tarinalla haluttiin saavuttaa tai saada ilmi. Mielestäni juoni lähti vähän turhille sivuraiteille, jotka eivät kuitenkaan antaneet tarinalle tarvittua syvyyttä. Loppua kohden tylsistyin ja vaikka jännittäviäkin käänteitä tapahtui, eivät ne tuntuneet merkityksellisiltä. Loppu oli suoraan sanottuna hämmentävä, eikä se vastannut kaikkiin kysymyksiini.
Giovanna tietysti muuttui tarinan aikana, ja kuten Ferrantelle on tyypillistä, ei kehitys aina mene siihen suuntaan, mihin toivoisi. Silti pidän Giovannan muutosta epäjohdonmukaisena, sillä en tässäkään oikein ymmärtänyt, mihin suuntaan häntä haluttiin viedä. Voihan se olla, ettei tarkkaa suuntaa ollutkaan. Vittoria kiinnosti alussa todella paljon ja olisinkin toivonut, että häntä oltaisiin kehitetty enemmän tarinan aikana, sillä nyt hän jäi melko latteaksi. Lisäksi koen, että loppua kohden "turhille" sivuhahmoille annettiin liikaa huomiota. Oikeastaan ainoa hahmo, josta pidin melko mutkattomasti, oli Ida.
Mielestäni tarina olisi myös voinut olla moniulotteisempi ja viedä lukijan laajemmalle "alueelle". Jotenkin odotin sitä ja silloin lopputulos jäi melko latteaksi. Vaikkei tämä ei kuulukaan suosikkeihini Ferrantelta, on pakko sanoa, että kirjoitustyyli on aina yhtä mukaansatempaava ja saa innostumaan kirjallisuudesta yleiselläkin tasolla. Plot twistit olivat yllättäviä ja hahmot käyttäytyivät niin odottamattomilla tavoilla, että heistä olisi halunnut tietää jatkuvasti vain lisää.
Giovanna tietysti muuttui tarinan aikana, ja kuten Ferrantelle on tyypillistä, ei kehitys aina mene siihen suuntaan, mihin toivoisi. Silti pidän Giovannan muutosta epäjohdonmukaisena, sillä en tässäkään oikein ymmärtänyt, mihin suuntaan häntä haluttiin viedä. Voihan se olla, ettei tarkkaa suuntaa ollutkaan. Vittoria kiinnosti alussa todella paljon ja olisinkin toivonut, että häntä oltaisiin kehitetty enemmän tarinan aikana, sillä nyt hän jäi melko latteaksi. Lisäksi koen, että loppua kohden "turhille" sivuhahmoille annettiin liikaa huomiota. Oikeastaan ainoa hahmo, josta pidin melko mutkattomasti, oli Ida.
Mielestäni tarina olisi myös voinut olla moniulotteisempi ja viedä lukijan laajemmalle "alueelle". Jotenkin odotin sitä ja silloin lopputulos jäi melko latteaksi. Vaikkei tämä ei kuulukaan suosikkeihini Ferrantelta, on pakko sanoa, että kirjoitustyyli on aina yhtä mukaansatempaava ja saa innostumaan kirjallisuudesta yleiselläkin tasolla. Plot twistit olivat yllättäviä ja hahmot käyttäytyivät niin odottamattomilla tavoilla, että heistä olisi halunnut tietää jatkuvasti vain lisää.
ashmb's review against another edition
3.0
I think I am so used to 'high action' fantasy books, that the thought of a book where nothing much happens except the everyday occurance of life, is still foreign to me.
The book was written in a way that was easy to digest. From the perspective of a girl navigtating the world from child to teenager and learning and unlearning all the things her family has taught her both proactively and simply by being human.
She has such a good grasp of people and seemed to notice and piece together seemingly small things in a very mature and experienced way. Sometimes that felt at odds with the fact this was meant to be a story of a 13-15 year old, told from the memories of that person now grown-up.
I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more than the beginning. The way the bracelet weaved itself through the story to show the lies adults tell others and themselves was interesting.
The book was written in a way that was easy to digest. From the perspective of a girl navigtating the world from child to teenager and learning and unlearning all the things her family has taught her both proactively and simply by being human.
She has such a good grasp of people and seemed to notice and piece together seemingly small things in a very mature and experienced way. Sometimes that felt at odds with the fact this was meant to be a story of a 13-15 year old, told from the memories of that person now grown-up.
I enjoyed the second half of the book a lot more than the beginning. The way the bracelet weaved itself through the story to show the lies adults tell others and themselves was interesting.
erine's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like this book. I did not enjoy living in the mind of a fifteen year old, wallowing in the mire of adolescence, self-doubt, destructive decisions, awkward experimentation, and strange pressures from all sides. And then the idea that the end of adolescence is .
That being said, however, there were parts within the whole that I really liked. Giovanna gets swept up with this idea of ugliness -- but it's not just a physical ugliness that bothers her, it's the idea that her soul and entire being are ugly. This concept carries throughout the book, popping up in her interactions with her estranged Aunt Vittoria and elsewhere. Behavior is as ugly as physical appearance.
Relationships are also heavily explored -- between parent and child, between siblings, between widow and mistress, between friends. How these webs of relationships catch other people unawares and have far-reaching impact. And (relating back to the whole idea of what makes someone ugly) the way that different people perceive a single person and how that affects their relationship. Vittoria is a polarizing figure, and opinions on her differ greatly in the beginning, but as the story continues, a single narrative begins to coalesce around her. Compare that to Giovanna and how different people (including herself) see her throughout the book. How she sees herself always in relation to how others see her.
So yeah, I did not like this book. And yet somehow I still enjoyed it. Both of those things are true because somehow Ferrante captures a fifteen-year-old girl's mind well enough to make this story relatable and revealing, and yet not a place I ever really wanted to go back to.
Spoiler
as simple as losing one's virginity is just... well... it's as irritating as the idea that as a woman your happy ending was getting marriedThat being said, however, there were parts within the whole that I really liked. Giovanna gets swept up with this idea of ugliness -- but it's not just a physical ugliness that bothers her, it's the idea that her soul and entire being are ugly. This concept carries throughout the book, popping up in her interactions with her estranged Aunt Vittoria and elsewhere. Behavior is as ugly as physical appearance.
Relationships are also heavily explored -- between parent and child, between siblings, between widow and mistress, between friends. How these webs of relationships catch other people unawares and have far-reaching impact. And (relating back to the whole idea of what makes someone ugly) the way that different people perceive a single person and how that affects their relationship. Vittoria is a polarizing figure, and opinions on her differ greatly in the beginning, but as the story continues, a single narrative begins to coalesce around her. Compare that to Giovanna and how different people (including herself) see her throughout the book. How she sees herself always in relation to how others see her.
So yeah, I did not like this book. And yet somehow I still enjoyed it. Both of those things are true because somehow Ferrante captures a fifteen-year-old girl's mind well enough to make this story relatable and revealing, and yet not a place I ever really wanted to go back to.
lesafiesa's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
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
4.75
mpham's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
3.5