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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
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
A rivalidade não-declarada entre as duas amigas inseparáveis continua neste livro, mas de forma muito mais arreabatadora e surpreendente. Se o primeiro volume me agradou pela visão inocente e a linguagem dos sonhos a serem dilacerados pela realidade, este livro fá-lo de forma muito mais cruel e violenta, que vai acompanhando a chegada à idade adulta. As duas personagens principais continuam a surgir muito bem construídas: tal como as pessoas são contraditórias, pouco lineares, mentem, iludem-se e iludem os outros, têm pensamentos e atos dos quais não se orgulham. É uma leitura viciante que nos envolve na história daquelas duas crianças que entretanto se tornaram mulheres. As descrições do bairro, os destinos de pobreza e as desgraças constantes deixam o leitor claustrofóbico, como se também ele estivesse em Nápoles. Parto para o terceiro volume com muito mais vontade e curiosidade do que quando comecei o segundo.
It took me a long time to read this, but it was not a slog. Rather, it is such a densely detailed story of two women growing up with entwined lives, it was almost like I physically couldn't read it quickly. So the story of Elena and Lila continues, with Elena continuing on the path to education and the intellectual life, and Lila settling into the life of a married woman. Sometimes I had to pause and remind myself that these are the lives of teenagers! Neither Elena nor Lila has an easy path. Elena is constantly wracked with self doubt, and Lila's pervasive and somehow seemingly misplaced arrogance, maybe a sense of entitlement, sets her ultimately down a path that leads somewhere other than into happiness. By the end of the volume each woman seems to have found an uneasy peace, yet if history serves, their lives and their relationship will hold many more twists and turns in the future.
I had a hard time making it through the first book in the series, but its twist ending really intrigued me. This book, the second in the series, was much more engaging, perhaps because the main characters were older and more relatable. I really appreciate the way that the author depicts the complexity of relationships with one's friends. Looking forward to reading book 3.
Not exactly a review, but I won't be moving on to book three in the series at this time. Maybe it's because I'm male, but I really don't get this supposed friendship -- at times they cling to each other, two people who have nothing but love for one another, and five minutes later they are bitching and sniping endlessly, jealously, over nothing. Following this they won't see each other for months. Then the cycle starts all over. This seems more like masochism than friendship. That said, I'll probably pick up book three some time.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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:
Complicated
One of my favorite novels of all time. I will be reading this series again