A review by whatpageareyouon
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante

5.0

Initially, I had given this 4 stars. Yet as I’ve been thinking about it more, that’s the exact reason why I can’t help but give this 5: I’ve been thinking about this since finishing it. While the beginning half seems to take some time to find its footing with how Elena positions herself in this third installment in the series, the second half put me in a trance, tearful at times as I realize how much Elena has grown as a character. There are callbacks to events of books 1 & 2, but presented with a faint grip on nostalgia, as Elena finds herself both rational and a romantic at the same time. I’m sad to only have one book left in this series.