Reviews

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

ebonyj's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

4.0

devin_reads_books's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

kimandowl's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

boomerlusink's review against another edition

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3.0

Some excellent writing here, especially on adolescent politics and class conflict. Mostly I just found the biographical tone of the book uncompelling for the most part- only hints of a beginning, middle, and end. It just sort of... goes. And while the writing is poignant and brutal in a way I enjoyed on a moment to moment basis, I just wasn't ever excited to pick up the book. I was never curious about what would happen next or to whom, and moments of excitement and strong meaning were infrequent and passed quickly. Mostly it reads like a novelization of unedited or un-curated musings on childhood. Great pieces, underwhelming whole.

ppotochevska's review against another edition

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slow-paced

3.25

aleks_png's review against another edition

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4.0

It's definitely good, but dragged quite a lot in parts I found not so interesting (my fault though, reading about adolence isn't my fav). I may get to the next books where it's adulthood, but we'll see...

saramedici's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad fast-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? No

3.5

zach_off's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

arlocke's review against another edition

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emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

soapfaced's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5