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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not light hearted. While the Neapolitan novels span the lifetime of a friendship, this novella spans the months following a divorce- centering on the wife’s spiral inwards. The emotion and imagery are incredibly strong.
Not that I should be comparing the books, but I like the Neapolitan novels more than this short read. Maybe this read was made harder by my own anxieties and worries, and whenever I read this book I felt worse about myself... not something I was looking for at the time. But goes to show that Ferrante is good at creating an emotion when you're reading her books (it reminds me of contemporary art, when you engage with it you may not feel relaxed, peaceful, or happy, but its aim may be to provoke negative emotions: annoyance, distress. Regardless, I think if I were in another state of mind and re-read this book, I would find it more profound.
Beautiful, beautiful book. Takes over my emotions in full force. I dove too deep into the character, so the gut wrenching feelings she goes through pass through me in a way where I did not want to continue with the book. One day I hope to finish.
This is one long (gritty, harsh, pain-fueled) scream.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A subject so frightfully commonplace, made so incredibly real and compelling. All the vertigo, all the feelings, all the madness: this author is wonderful, and I can't wait to read her other work.
emotional
reflective
sad
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
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
after i lowkey hated troubling love i was a little scared to start a new elena ferrante. fortunately this one didn't disappoint, probably partly because i had lower expectations this time around and/or knew better what to expect. one thing about elena ferrante is she knows how to write from the pov of women whose lives are unraveling in such a realistic way that it feels like it's you who are experiencing these things yourself. can see why not everyone would enjoy that but as a girlie whose life is also kind of falling apart rn i could appreciate the drama and chaos of it all. i just wish she didn't get together with that man at the end though