A review by klor
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

adventurous emotional reflective fast-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

3.0

The perspective of class, female friendships, and girlhood was so on point and portrayed as honest as they can be. It's sometimes violent, and petty, and vicious but it's also full of pent up emotion, and love, and devotion that makes it dynamic and complex. Ferrante's writing and imagery was gorgeous despite the very melodramatic plotline. This reminded me a lot of the telenovelas I've read growing up. While this book is highly regarded as one of the best novels/series of all time, I can't quite find anything too special in the plotline other than the instances I've mentioned. I got annoyed with like, 90% of the characters the more I progressed through the book, especially with our narrator. The pace picked back up again as the book came into a close. I'd love to check out Ferrante's other works but might take a bit before I come back to the series.
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