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sam_uelrobinson's review against another edition
4.0
All consuming family drama, the Neapolitan eastenders
carolin_wendt's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
alicelovesreadingnow's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fabulous, defo in my top ever books. The sensitivity, the descriptions, the evolution of the characters. I am obsessed with everything love love love
rubenfdez21's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
larrrn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
skeetergal's review against another edition
4.0
Compelling but at times the story seemed a bit repetitive. Nevertheless I imagine I will get to the second book (of the quartet), at least. (If only to work out what that cliffhanger was all about!!)
marumari's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
soccer8s's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
3.5
This kept my interest all the way to the end.
marc129's review against another edition
3.0
Normally, I am not a fan of coming-of-age novels: books like "Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain or "Le Grand Meaulnes" by Alain-Tournier did not captivate me. Maybe I read them when I was too old, although they eminently exude a nostalgic atmosphere, typical of the midlife period. Actually, "My brilliant friend" of Ferrante is also such a coming-of-age book: it brings the story of the close bond between the childhood friends Elena 'Linu' Greco and Rafaella 'Lila' Cerullo, from their 6th to 16th birthday. They both grow up in a shabby suburb of Naples, where poverty, rivalry between families, gratuitous violence and the shadow (and sometimes tangible reality) of the camorra mafia were facts of daily life. And each in their own way the two main characters tried to wrestle out of that hopeless situation. That sounds incredibly cliché, as if you ended up in a naturalistic novel of the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century. And yet it appealed to me.
For starters: girls and not boys are the protagonists (that is very rare in coming-of-age-novels), and the story is told by Linu, one of them, much later, when Lila suddenly – at the age of 66 – dissapears, and Lena knows very well what is going on and is very angry about it (an element of suspense that - I suspect - will only be clarified at the end of the cycle). The social theme (the poverty, the violence, and the attempts to get out of it) are also applied dynamically: the story plays in the years 1950-1960, and with many small details is sketched the transition to the 'more modern' consumer society (the first cars, televisions, rock-and-roll-music, holidays, etc.); so, the story does not play in a static context, a weakness many naturalistic novels suffer from.
But the great thing about this novel is the outline of that very intimate and at the same time very ambiguous relationship between Lena and Lila: there is a constant, intense alternation of attraction and repulsion. For Lena, the hard, stubborn and hyper-intelligent Lila is definitely a model she wants to follow, but at the same time she very hard tries to distance herself from her. The way in which Ferrante paints the character of Lila is incredibly intriguing: she remains constantly elusive, not only for Lena, but also for us as readers, and we too fall under the spell of those feelings of attraction and repulsion. At the same time, Ferrante focuses on how Lena, in tiny steps, builds up her own, very different identity as the opposite of Lila, based on mixed feelings of admiration and love, her own inferiority, and also outright jealousy and resentment. The two girls each go their own way, but remain closely connected like twins, and it is that continuous interaction that gives this coming-of-age story such an intense dynamic.
Ferrante also writes in a pleasant, simple style that deceptively conceals the complexity of the story (the title alone appears misleading). This is best illustrated at the end of this book, when during the wedding feast of Lila (she is barely 16) something happens that at first sight hardly represents anything, but that - if you have followed the emotional charge of the story well – must have enormous consequences. With that cliffhanger Ferrante also indicates that this first part is only a beginning. I immediately started reading the sequel. Rating 3.5 stars.
For starters: girls and not boys are the protagonists (that is very rare in coming-of-age-novels), and the story is told by Linu, one of them, much later, when Lila suddenly – at the age of 66 – dissapears, and Lena knows very well what is going on and is very angry about it (an element of suspense that - I suspect - will only be clarified at the end of the cycle). The social theme (the poverty, the violence, and the attempts to get out of it) are also applied dynamically: the story plays in the years 1950-1960, and with many small details is sketched the transition to the 'more modern' consumer society (the first cars, televisions, rock-and-roll-music, holidays, etc.); so, the story does not play in a static context, a weakness many naturalistic novels suffer from.
But the great thing about this novel is the outline of that very intimate and at the same time very ambiguous relationship between Lena and Lila: there is a constant, intense alternation of attraction and repulsion. For Lena, the hard, stubborn and hyper-intelligent Lila is definitely a model she wants to follow, but at the same time she very hard tries to distance herself from her. The way in which Ferrante paints the character of Lila is incredibly intriguing: she remains constantly elusive, not only for Lena, but also for us as readers, and we too fall under the spell of those feelings of attraction and repulsion. At the same time, Ferrante focuses on how Lena, in tiny steps, builds up her own, very different identity as the opposite of Lila, based on mixed feelings of admiration and love, her own inferiority, and also outright jealousy and resentment. The two girls each go their own way, but remain closely connected like twins, and it is that continuous interaction that gives this coming-of-age story such an intense dynamic.
Ferrante also writes in a pleasant, simple style that deceptively conceals the complexity of the story (the title alone appears misleading). This is best illustrated at the end of this book, when during the wedding feast of Lila (she is barely 16) something happens that at first sight hardly represents anything, but that - if you have followed the emotional charge of the story well – must have enormous consequences. With that cliffhanger Ferrante also indicates that this first part is only a beginning. I immediately started reading the sequel. Rating 3.5 stars.
marlonaustin's review against another edition
5.0
great book its like a tolstoy but for italian girls instead of russian noblemen