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A review by joannemae
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I genuinely can't tell if I liked or hated this book. As queen Charli once said, girl, SO confusing!
The problem with writing about real life and creating incredibly realistic characters is that real life is so boring. I appreciate a slice-of-life, lit fic-- it's my preferred genre-- but this was too much. It has all the makings of a book I normally would love (who DOESN'T love a book centered around fraught, complex girlhood friendships... again, girl, SOOOO confusing!!!).
I waited and waited and waited and waited for it to get good enough to warrant the #1 spot on the NYT 100 Books list and, while it did get there (eventually) it didn't make up for the agony the first 80% of the book put me through.
The last 20% was wonderful to read. It was devastating to see the girlies step into adulthood and lose their future as reality steps all over them in Italian leather shoes. In fact, the last couple of lines were so good, I'm genuinely considering reading the second book.
The problem with writing about real life and creating incredibly realistic characters is that real life is so boring. I appreciate a slice-of-life, lit fic-- it's my preferred genre-- but this was too much. It has all the makings of a book I normally would love (who DOESN'T love a book centered around fraught, complex girlhood friendships... again, girl, SOOOO confusing!!!).
I waited and waited and waited and waited for it to get good enough to warrant the #1 spot on the NYT 100 Books list and, while it did get there (eventually) it didn't make up for the agony the first 80% of the book put me through.
The last 20% was wonderful to read. It was devastating to see the girlies step into adulthood and lose their future as reality steps all over them in Italian leather shoes. In fact, the last couple of lines were so good, I'm genuinely considering reading the second book.