Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
excited to unpack this book in therapy tomorrow and excited to also read more ferrante
adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When I saw that Ferrante had three books on the NYT list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st C (so far), I secured this book on Libby. I didn't realize that I was confusing "The Lost Daughter" with "The Story of the Lost Child," but I was hooked after reading the first few chapters, so I finished it.
(I was horrified to see that I only read 11.5 of the 100 books on that list, so I am going to finish Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo and then read at least 20 more from that list so that I can rescue my identity of "voracious reader" including reading literary fiction and quality nonfiction. But I digress.)
Oh, this book was PAINFUL for me. I am a college teacher. I am in midlife. I have two children. I have regrets about how I was too detached from parenting because I spent a lot of my time and attention pursuing my own passions and interests. I have trouble watching younger women parenting in public because I have complex emotions about my own parenting.
GAH!
This story is about a college teacher named Leda who is taking a vacation (and bringing some reading and writing for her to do for her work). She's in Greece, where she observes an extended family (who are described as "bad people" aka the mob?) which includes a young mother and her three-year old daughter. Leda herself has two (now grown) daughters in their 20s, but observing this young mother becomes a catalyst for a review and evaluation of her own mothering when her children were young.
Can you see why I was left writhing while reading this novella?
However, Ferrante creates a story with such great detail, complexity, and nuance that I couldn't look away. She reminds me of Austen in the sense that she can describe both a person's interior life and their social significance with great detail and insight. Her writing is an act of meditation--very philosophical and transformative. She flays open a person with such surgical precision. She's scary smart about it.
I am looking forward to reading more of her works.
Also, I recommend the TV adaptation of this book starring Olivia Coleman. It's powerful (but read the book; the film cannot convey all of the internal dialogue
(I was horrified to see that I only read 11.5 of the 100 books on that list, so I am going to finish Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo and then read at least 20 more from that list so that I can rescue my identity of "voracious reader" including reading literary fiction and quality nonfiction. But I digress.)
Oh, this book was PAINFUL for me. I am a college teacher. I am in midlife. I have two children. I have regrets about how I was too detached from parenting because I spent a lot of my time and attention pursuing my own passions and interests. I have trouble watching younger women parenting in public because I have complex emotions about my own parenting.
GAH!
This story is about a college teacher named Leda who is taking a vacation (and bringing some reading and writing for her to do for her work). She's in Greece, where she observes an extended family (who are described as "bad people" aka the mob?) which includes a young mother and her three-year old daughter. Leda herself has two (now grown) daughters in their 20s, but observing this young mother becomes a catalyst for a review and evaluation of her own mothering when her children were young.
Can you see why I was left writhing while reading this novella?
However, Ferrante creates a story with such great detail, complexity, and nuance that I couldn't look away. She reminds me of Austen in the sense that she can describe both a person's interior life and their social significance with great detail and insight. Her writing is an act of meditation--very philosophical and transformative. She flays open a person with such surgical precision. She's scary smart about it.
I am looking forward to reading more of her works.
Also, I recommend the TV adaptation of this book starring Olivia Coleman. It's powerful (but read the book; the film cannot convey all of the internal dialogue
Très rigolo de lire l'histoire d'une meuf obsessed par la famille a côté d'elle a la plage en étant moi même a la plage en train d'étudier les familles voisines.
Bien et captivant au début mais ça manque qlqc... Juste j'ai envie de trouver des sources pour sombrer dans le rabbit hole sur Elena ferrante et les liens entre l'auteur et les livres.
Ça m'a rappelé Mauriac (les pins, la plage, la famille étouffante)
Bien et captivant au début mais ça manque qlqc... Juste j'ai envie de trouver des sources pour sombrer dans le rabbit hole sur Elena ferrante et les liens entre l'auteur et les livres.
Ça m'a rappelé Mauriac (les pins, la plage, la famille étouffante)
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes