A review by brigittesbookshelf
La frantumaglia by Elena Ferrante

4.0

I love learning about the creative writing process, and as an ardent fan of the Neapolitan Quartet, Ferrante’s commentary on her characters, setting, and methodology is engrossing and provocative. The only Ferrante I’ve yet to read is Troubling Love, and Frantumaglia has reinforced the former’s place at the top of my list. This book’s format, a collection of interviews, can be repetitive, as Ferrante repeatedly answers the same questions from different journalists. Ferrante comes off at times as rather eccentric, with a dissonant interplay of egotism and (sometimes performative?) modesty. Nevertheless, there are nuggets of gold to be found within her musings, and to glean anything more of the elusive Ferrante is a delight to this devoted fan.