My Brilliant Friend

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena, Fiction / Ferrante, Elena
On Shelf At: Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	Due 05-03-2024
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	Due 05-14-2024
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	Due 04-05-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Ferrante, Elena	4-week checkout	Due 04-06-2024

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

Perfect Book submitted by priya3311 on December 29, 2015, 5:18am Another brilliant book by Elena. Love you!



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Italian Teenage Girl Angst submitted by ekjensen on August 6, 2016, 2:00pm It you enjoy tween girl anxiety, and her trials and tribulations of a small minded emotional family life and neighborhood in the middle school and high school years in Naples you will like this book. This reader found it tedious and difficult for a male perspective.

Insights into relationships submitted by alotofaxolotl on June 19, 2017, 8:54pm The first time I tried to read this novel, I was discouraged by the style. But I gave it a second chance, mainly because my book club chose it. And I got sucked in. The narrator is a teen girl growing up in a working class, gritty Neapolitan neighborhood. She struggles to keep up with her best friend and to define herself on her own terms. Her friend, Lila, oscillates between being caring and cruel. Reading this made me reflect about my own friendships, mainly some who have lasted years and have been by rivalries.

Difficult characters submitted by mariekakaye on August 14, 2017, 8:25am Everyone just raves about this series, and it sounded like something I'd get into. Although aspects of the story are definitely intriguing, I find the two main characters incredibly difficult to get attached to - they are both so incredibly self-absorbed and unlikable! Even though I feel we should at least be aligning ourselves with the narrator, she gets very little sympathy from me. In spite of this, I have moved on to the second book in the series. I'm finding it hard to continue though, and may give up altogether. I keep waiting for some redeeming moment to show that these characters grow beyond their narcissism.

Hard to get through submitted by dailyreader on June 13, 2020, 2:58pm I found this hard to get through the pages. I liked the story, but there was so much detail and what seemed to be such a slow pace, I struggled to finish.

Finally a book about female friendship submitted by hjshill on July 23, 2021, 6:51pm I really treasure this series for its ability to portray the complex relationship between Lenu, Lila, and their neighborhood. This book captures the depth and flaws of its characters and thoughtfully explores ideas about memory and history.

Such a treasure submitted by mpeecook on July 13, 2022, 8:56am The depth and understanding of female friendships in this series!

Meh...did not live up to the hype submitted by zixyxuan on August 23, 2022, 10:16am I picked this book up upon hearing all of the raving reviews about the most popular Italian author of our time. Even though I enjoyed the premise, setting, and complex relationship between Elena and Lila, I couldn't help feeling that almost nothing happened (very slice-of-life vibes). I think I might still end up reading the next couple of books in the series because Book 1 ended on a massive cliffhanger (that's how they get you!). But overall, I felt pretty meh towards this book.

Overall rating: 3 / 5 Stars

A gem, translation is a bit clunky at times submitted by chelseaohayer on August 2, 2023, 10:18pm This novel perfectly captures Naples and the tumult of female friendships. The translation is a bit clunky at times but stick with it. I tore through the first three books very quickly once I got into it.

Great Story submitted by norakerkez on August 15, 2023, 8:54pm Loved the historic elements and the look at evolving female friendships.