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A review by stavoosh
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What can I say? This book definitely lived up to the hype. I've spent the year trying to read more classics and I feel that this story had the aura of a classic with language digestible for the modern reader. Ferrante (a pen name) has compact, tell-it-like-it-is writing that I love most. She manages to weave in colorful explanations with just the right words that have a movie unfolding in your mind as you read.
The story is told from the perspective of Elena telling about her early life in a Naples neighborhood in relation to her best friend/foil/manic pixie dream girl/rival, Lila. the two girls grow up amidst poverty and violence. Their tumultuous relationship portrays the story of every young friendship- peer pressure, competition, devotion, and love- as it changes through the years due to the violent circumstances of poverty.
I had difficulty remembering all the different characters in the beginning and tracking all the timelines but Ferrante does an excellent job in characterization AND plot. This makes each character and timeline settle comfortably in your head. The protagonist, Elena who holds the same name as the author, tells us her life story while holding Lila as some sort of unreachable person who is ultimately impossible to understand to Elena. Throughout the story, Elena navigates life and strives to outgrow the neighborhood and even best Lila.
There were lots of things about this book that left me thinking long after:
- which girl is the brilliant friend?
- the mystery of Lila in the beginning, which we later learn is very fitting of her personality
- the last sentence that showed the reader only knows as much as the narrator knows, leaving Elena still a huge mystery
- themes that permeate the book of knowledge (is it superior through education or natural talent?), violence (permeates almost every relationship), etc.
Excited to read the next one and watch the show!
The story is told from the perspective of Elena telling about her early life in a Naples neighborhood in relation to her best friend/foil/manic pixie dream girl/rival, Lila. the two girls grow up amidst poverty and violence. Their tumultuous relationship portrays the story of every young friendship- peer pressure, competition, devotion, and love- as it changes through the years due to the violent circumstances of poverty.
I had difficulty remembering all the different characters in the beginning and tracking all the timelines but Ferrante does an excellent job in characterization AND plot. This makes each character and timeline settle comfortably in your head. The protagonist, Elena who holds the same name as the author, tells us her life story while holding Lila as some sort of unreachable person who is ultimately impossible to understand to Elena. Throughout the story, Elena navigates life and strives to outgrow the neighborhood and even best Lila.
There were lots of things about this book that left me thinking long after:
- which girl is the brilliant friend?
- the mystery of Lila in the beginning, which we later learn is very fitting of her personality
- the last sentence that showed the reader only knows as much as the narrator knows, leaving Elena still a huge mystery
- themes that permeate the book of knowledge (is it superior through education or natural talent?), violence (permeates almost every relationship), etc.
Excited to read the next one and watch the show!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Sexual assault