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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
To say this is a difficult read feels like a massive understatement, an author who is able to evoke such strong feelings clearly has talent so I am certainly intrigued about reading some more of Ferrante’s work. I couldn’t say I love this short novel, the main character is thoroughly unlikeable for 90% of the book instead of feeling empathy for what is clearly a traumatic experience I felt exasperated and irritated with her. Not only for referring to themselves in the third person but for having their entire being defined as the wife of an unfaithful/unreliable man. The minute she is abandoned she in turn abandons her responsibilities- becoming neglectful and abusive towards her children and her pets. I had such a physical response towards this and I’m always amazed how authors can accomplish such feeling in so few pages.
Once the wave of madness has been ridden and she emerges from this the reader experiences a huge relief and I’m grateful for that satisfying and calm ending after what felt like pages upon pages of raw anger and grief.
Once the wave of madness has been ridden and she emerges from this the reader experiences a huge relief and I’m grateful for that satisfying and calm ending after what felt like pages upon pages of raw anger and grief.
I might need to reread this 10-15 years down the road for it to really click
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
my life will be know as bda (before days of abandonment) and ada (after days of abandonment)…..
to preface, I will say that some parts of this book made me raise an eyebrow like girly does talk about some gritty stuff. however, ferrite's writing is astonishing I constantly was amazed at the imagery she imbues her work with like I genuinely haven't been as in awe of an author's work since kaveh akbar.
I love that it's sort of broken up into multiple short vignettes and I thoroughly enjoyed reveling in the changing seasons of an Italian city.
I seriously think that every woman in their twenties should read this book, and I was left constantly finding myself in Olga, despite the fact that I am not a recently abandoned Italian middle-aged wife with two children to look after in a small town in Italy in the early 2000's. This is why I love literature and why I can't get the image of the poverella out of my head...
to preface, I will say that some parts of this book made me raise an eyebrow like girly does talk about some gritty stuff. however, ferrite's writing is astonishing I constantly was amazed at the imagery she imbues her work with like I genuinely haven't been as in awe of an author's work since kaveh akbar.
I love that it's sort of broken up into multiple short vignettes and I thoroughly enjoyed reveling in the changing seasons of an Italian city.
I seriously think that every woman in their twenties should read this book, and I was left constantly finding myself in Olga, despite the fact that I am not a recently abandoned Italian middle-aged wife with two children to look after in a small town in Italy in the early 2000's. This is why I love literature and why I can't get the image of the poverella out of my head...
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Toxic relationship, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Slice every thought into its constituents until it becomes unrecognizable.
"From the moment I fell in love with Mario, I began to fear that he would be repelled by me. Wash the body, scent it, eliminate all unpleasant traces of physiology. To levitate. I wanted to detach myself from the earth, I wanted him to see me hovering on high, the way wholly good things do. I never left the bathroom until every bad smell had vanished, I turned on the taps so he wouldn't hear the rush of urine. I rubbed myself, curried myself, washed my hair every two days. I thought of beauty as of a constant effort to eliminate corporeality. I wanted him to love my body forgetful of what one knows of bodies. Beauty, I thought anxiously, is this forgetfulness."
emotional
hopeful
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
This book follows Olga's stream of consciousness as she is faced with the sudden demise of her marriage but also struggling to maintain stability for her kids and for herself. As expected, readers find themselves getting lost in a sea of emotions that are all intense and demanding to be felt -- there were moments of sadness, outbursts of anger, layers of bitterness and resentment, questioning but also trying to understand, and at times flat out unhinged -- the author did an amazing job of confronting the reader with such raw emotions that made this book gripping and relatable.
While this is centered on the Olga and Mario's divorce (and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as the consequences that follow), Elena Ferrante is very intentional in exploring how culture's toxic masculinity strongly shaped and influenced people's views on women (especially during this time), even when the oppressed party was the woman. Olga's initial spirals revolved around how the world expects her to keep moving forward in spite of her loss, and that includes staying strong for the kids, making the effort to dress well and put on make-up, and to remain calm, civil, and gracious towards her ex-husband.
"I decided, enough pain. I wasn't the woman whose happiness I would attach to revenge. I was not the woman who broke under the blows of abandonment."
In spite of the world's impossible standards set for women and her ex-husband's cruelty towards her, I admire the depth and character growth that Olga showed throughout the book, especially towards the end (in her conversation with Mario); I most especially liked how the theme of advocating for yourself and choosing to grow through what you go through was illustrated in this book, and how the arc of our redemption also depends on how we choose to work on ourselves, shift our mindsets, and keep taking steps forward (even if they are small).
"Mario took everything. but not me. not my person. Only a few fragments had splintered off, for the rest I was well. I was whole, and whole I will remain."
While this is centered on the Olga and Mario's divorce (and the circumstances surrounding it, as well as the consequences that follow), Elena Ferrante is very intentional in exploring how culture's toxic masculinity strongly shaped and influenced people's views on women (especially during this time), even when the oppressed party was the woman. Olga's initial spirals revolved around how the world expects her to keep moving forward in spite of her loss, and that includes staying strong for the kids, making the effort to dress well and put on make-up, and to remain calm, civil, and gracious towards her ex-husband.
"I decided, enough pain. I wasn't the woman whose happiness I would attach to revenge. I was not the woman who broke under the blows of abandonment."
In spite of the world's impossible standards set for women and her ex-husband's cruelty towards her, I admire the depth and character growth that Olga showed throughout the book, especially towards the end (in her conversation with Mario); I most especially liked how the theme of advocating for yourself and choosing to grow through what you go through was illustrated in this book, and how the arc of our redemption also depends on how we choose to work on ourselves, shift our mindsets, and keep taking steps forward (even if they are small).
"Mario took everything. but not me. not my person. Only a few fragments had splintered off, for the rest I was well. I was whole, and whole I will remain."
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent in its distressing, quick pace. The mental breakdown of a woman left behind, juggling the mental and emotional labor of her family while desperately trying to cling to her own sense of self. The craft is strong; the only thing to dislike is how visceral it is. An uncomfortable read that so clearly underlines a specific type of despair that I think only a woman could know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Excrement, Vomit
Moderate: Pedophilia
Okay, I get it. Sometimes, we lose ourselves to the person we love. Also, the children deserve to be slapped at least ONCE. Omg.