My Brilliant Friend

Locations
Call Number: Large Print Fiction / Ferrante, Elena, Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Large Print Fiction / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Large Print / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Translation of: L'amica geniale.
"Book one : childhood, adolescence."
Prologue : eliminating all the traces -- Childhood : the story of Don Achille -- Adolescence : the story of the shoes.
Beginning in the 1950s Elena and Lila grow up in Naples, Italy, mirroring two different aspects of their nation.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Immensely popular, but I remain skeptical submitted by mariekakaye on August 20, 2018, 11:41am While this book came highly recommended to me by several friends whose opinions I respect, and I did finish the book, I remain skeptical. I found the two main characters compelling enough to keep reading, but they are incredibly self-centered and unlikable. Even with many flaws, I can usually become attached to a character enough to feel invested in how their "life" will turn out, but I can't really find that in these characters. Despite their hard lives, which should inspire sympathy, I ended up constantly annoyed with them. I was interested in enough elements of the plot to move on to the second book in the series, but find myself unable to finish it. The writing is good, but I also wonder if much is lost in translation from the original Italian. I see why people love this series, but frustratingly it doesn't sit well with me.