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flucillie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it touched a layer of my heart and gave a name to feelings i labelled as mundane but controlled my life so much. it felt so real and each character was fleshed out so well.
there’s so much nuance and no one was truly the villain. everyone had their own faults and did not necessarily (ish) want to cause harm. it’s a rollercoaster of emotions: trust, betrayal, and hope.
it follows a point in our lives when all we talk about is marriage, and then babies, and then the accomplishments and failures of our children, and then deaths.
ferrante intertwined the personal and the public so intricately. clearly, the external stressors forced the characters to act the way they did and believe the ideologies they had.
what really shined in this book was the complex female friendships. its sad but we end up competing with other women (whether deliberate or as a consequence) to gain some crumbs of rewards from this patriarchal society. despite the competition, we still find some comfort and solidarity in one another. ferrante illustrated so painfully realistically well the desperation to be desired by men. i felt so disgusted in my own skin knowing i pulled shit like that just to get attention and affection from men i barely burned for. it’s even more barf barf barf how at every turn, men will disappoint you and weaponize their incompetence and violent masculinity against you. it’s not surprising anymore (seeing this depicted in so many media and played out in my own life) but i’m still here hoping someone will prove me wrong wRONG ??!? 🫢
some people found the ending lackluster and vague. i think it was perfect for this story. life is exactly like that, vague. we will never get a definite answer from elena, our narrator, as she has finally decided to stop thinking about lila, the subject of the entire series, and has no more words left to immortalize her.
there’s so much nuance and no one was truly the villain. everyone had their own faults and did not necessarily (ish) want to cause harm. it’s a rollercoaster of emotions: trust, betrayal, and hope.
it follows a point in our lives when all we talk about is marriage, and then babies, and then the accomplishments and failures of our children, and then deaths.
ferrante intertwined the personal and the public so intricately. clearly, the external stressors forced the characters to act the way they did and believe the ideologies they had.
what really shined in this book was the complex female friendships. its sad but we end up competing with other women (whether deliberate or as a consequence) to gain some crumbs of rewards from this patriarchal society. despite the competition, we still find some comfort and solidarity in one another. ferrante illustrated so painfully realistically well the desperation to be desired by men. i felt so disgusted in my own skin knowing i pulled shit like that just to get attention and affection from men i barely burned for. it’s even more barf barf barf how at every turn, men will disappoint you and weaponize their incompetence and violent masculinity against you. it’s not surprising anymore (seeing this depicted in so many media and played out in my own life) but i’m still here hoping someone will prove me wrong wRONG ??!? 🫢
some people found the ending lackluster and vague. i think it was perfect for this story. life is exactly like that, vague. we will never get a definite answer from elena, our narrator, as she has finally decided to stop thinking about lila, the subject of the entire series, and has no more words left to immortalize her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Child death and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence and Homophobia
zezeki's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Infidelity, and Murder
Moderate: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Terminal illness
libbyhb's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
THIS BOOK. Wow. Absolutely loved it, definitely lived up to my expectations for the finale of this series. I liked how messy everything was in this installment - Elena's romantic relationships, her relationship with Lila as neighbors, her mother, the Solaras, etc. Having Elena and Lila live together and intertwine their lives again was a perfect way to bring this full circle to the first book, and I loved that whole section. I don't know what else I can say, this series made such an impact on me and I'm so so glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia and Drug use
cassreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
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
5.0
After finishing the Neapolitan quartet, I feel that strange emptiness that comes from exiting a literary world that has become almost more real than your own. These books, especially this last one, are philosophical, concerned with the boundaries of selfhood and identity, with violence, passion, politics, and the meaning of the written word, without being overbearing the way a lot of literary fiction is. That's because the whole epic is really driven by Elena and Lila, two amazingly fleshed out and dynamic characters who have such a rich, complex (toxic?) relationship. Their lives are so wonderfully and horribly intertwined, and reading about them is a really incredible experience. I loved these books, and I could gush about them all day long.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Homophobia, and Hate crime
aegireads's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Child death, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, and Suicide
Moderate: Homophobia
lena04's review against another edition
reflective
relaxing
tense
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Kidnapping
Minor: Infidelity, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Death of parent, and Homophobia
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