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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
I'm on the verge of getting all evangelical about Elena Ferrante now. I loved "My Brilliant Friend," but this, its sequel, added new layers of complexity to the central friendship, and developed supporting characters into a fully fledged universe of working class Naples. We learned about the political disagreements, the place's history, its economic functions, and the fragile family alliances through marriage that rival any Game of Thrones episode. As the central characters--Lenu and Lila-- enter their 20s, we see how their romantic, career, and education choices propel them into new futures, precarious new lives that are continually threatened by generational poverty, violence, and pervasive sexism. This is probably one of the greatest showcases of "The personal is political" in novel form.
Be prepared: this is the author I'm going to be pushing on all of my friends for at least the next year.
Be prepared: this is the author I'm going to be pushing on all of my friends for at least the next year.
I honestly wasn't very excited for this. 471 pages seemed very long. I'd forgotten the complex set of characters and families that this story revolves around. I remembered the first novel as less good than I reviewed it.
But it was in fact another stunner from Ferrante. Gripping narrative and style. It had the same kind of compulsive interpersonal intrigue that Sally Rooney's novels have, but somehow seemed more richly textured than hers.
The relationship between Lila and Elena really does drive this book. It's complex and intriguing and has banal details that give it the ring of truth. The frustrations of both sides of the relationship I think are very sympathetically portrayed.
If I were to criticise I'd say that outside Lila and Elena, the secondary characters are a little flat. Their contribution to the novel seems to be little more than what is needed to further the Lila-Elena drama; their emotional range limited to violent rage bordering on hysteria (most of the young women), to apathy (Enzo) or bland contentment (most of the older women).
However, so engrossing is the Lila-Elena dynamic that we don't miss the secondary characters overly. In fact I wonder whether their blandness is a deliberate strategy to cast the protagonists' relationship into even greater relief. The overwhelming web of characters (thank goodness she has a character list) adds to this effect.
Ferrante is a master of creating opacities in characters, which become intriguing for the reader. I will be continuing the quartet before too long.
But it was in fact another stunner from Ferrante. Gripping narrative and style. It had the same kind of compulsive interpersonal intrigue that Sally Rooney's novels have, but somehow seemed more richly textured than hers.
The relationship between Lila and Elena really does drive this book. It's complex and intriguing and has banal details that give it the ring of truth. The frustrations of both sides of the relationship I think are very sympathetically portrayed.
If I were to criticise I'd say that outside Lila and Elena, the secondary characters are a little flat. Their contribution to the novel seems to be little more than what is needed to further the Lila-Elena drama; their emotional range limited to violent rage bordering on hysteria (most of the young women), to apathy (Enzo) or bland contentment (most of the older women).
However, so engrossing is the Lila-Elena dynamic that we don't miss the secondary characters overly. In fact I wonder whether their blandness is a deliberate strategy to cast the protagonists' relationship into even greater relief. The overwhelming web of characters (thank goodness she has a character list) adds to this effect.
Ferrante is a master of creating opacities in characters, which become intriguing for the reader. I will be continuing the quartet before too long.
This is the second of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels, and in my view the best of the three so far published. The book continues to follow Lenu and Lina through their teens and early 20's, and gives a very powerful account of the ins and outs of enduring female friendship. The book also allows space for many of the other characters to develop, leading to a story that is both complex and spell binding. Highly recommended.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Ooooh, no nyt aloin saada kiinni mistä tässä koko sarjassa oikein on kysymys! Ehkä samastun vaan nuoruuden Elenaan ja Lilaan enemmän. Nyt tässä oli siihen aikuisuuden kynnykselle kamalan kasvun ja päätösten ajanjaksoon sijoittuvaa sydäntäsärkevää kipuilua, jonka lukemisesta nautin. Tätä lisää, kiitos!
I couldn't put this book down and became completely engrossed with it. I read the first book in this series a few years ago and enjoyed it, especially the last half of it, but not to the extent that I enjoyed this book.
This is a story of Lila and Lenu, two girls who grow up in an impoverished apartment complex in Naples, Italy during the 1950's. They are both highly intelligent, but Lenu is the only one who can continue on to middle and high school, while Lila is forced to work. This was all in book one. In book two, it picks up with Lila married at 16, while Lenu is still in high school. It describes in great detail how their lives are diverging and how their friendship is splintering as well because of this divergence. I was struck by the raw emotions and at times violence within this book. I have so many questions on Nino from this book that I would love to discuss with fellow readers.
A highly recommended series--I already started the third book in this series of four.
This is a story of Lila and Lenu, two girls who grow up in an impoverished apartment complex in Naples, Italy during the 1950's. They are both highly intelligent, but Lenu is the only one who can continue on to middle and high school, while Lila is forced to work. This was all in book one. In book two, it picks up with Lila married at 16, while Lenu is still in high school. It describes in great detail how their lives are diverging and how their friendship is splintering as well because of this divergence. I was struck by the raw emotions and at times violence within this book. I have so many questions on Nino from this book that I would love to discuss with fellow readers.
A highly recommended series--I already started the third book in this series of four.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced