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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved the story! Even though Lila is outwardly a terrible friend, and that serves as the central theme between the two women, I find myself understanding of Elena's continued friendship/competition. In fact I identified a lot with Elena's character - not the having a terrible best friend part because I have an amazing best friend from childhood (hi, Kate!) - but how she thinks and feels about what happens around her. And it made me think about how much I appreciate my best friend! I did get a little tired of how irresistible Lila is to all men ever, but I think it served to emphasize how vulnerable she is being a young woman, uneducated, single, and caring for a young child; and how dependent that makes her on men in her culture. The characters and plot and narration and setting were all amazing.
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"I am what I am and I have to accept myself; I was born like this, in this city, with this dialect, without money; I will give what I can give, I will take what I can take, I will endure what has to be endured."
Five stars doesn’t do this book justice and Elena Ferrante is the queen of literary fiction
Fascinating, sad, and a bit soapy. I think we all have a friend that we compete with a little bit, but Ferrante turns that up to 11 to give us the story of Elena and Lila's friendship. I relate most to Elena, of course. Despite the fact that I found Lila so unlikable much of the time, I did feel bad that she was, essentially, trapped. She seems like a cat, though: able to land on her feet.
I'll be interested to see what the next chapter of their story brings.
I'll be interested to see what the next chapter of their story brings.
After a long pause, I finally finished! I definitely think that this one is stronger than the first, and plan to continue (and hopefully finish!) the series this year.
la dinguerie que je viens de lire, je m’en remettrai jamais