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My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels, #1)

Elena Ferrante

Start date: July 1, 2019

Finish date: July 30, 2019

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: July Bonus Read- International Day of Friendship

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
[close] July Bonus Read- International Day of Friendship

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

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What Members Thought

Sep 22, 2019 Melania 🍒 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-books

4.5|5

7 likes · Like · see review

Oct 21, 2020 Michaela rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: italy

Slow burn and quite sad, but keeping up a bit in the end.

4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2019 Marcela rated it really liked it

Shelves: coming-of-age, fiction

This is my first book by Elena Ferrante, and definitely not my last. Ferrante is actually a pseudonymous Italian novelist, which is a bit intriguing to me. Nonetheless, what a talented author! My Brilliant Friend is the story of Elena and Lila growing up in a modest neighborhood in Naples, Italy during the 50s. This book felt like a journey with no definite structure in the plot. It was confusing at first when I kept wondering about the storyline and making sure I was keeping track of the multip ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2017 Nooilforpacifists rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: italian-fiction

A good book-swapping friend recommended this famous series; she said she just had re-read them with great pleasure.

Why?

The writing is painfully contorted. And there wasn't a single character to whom I could relate--or even I thought vaguely nice. Plus the author never connected the (interesting) opening framing with the novel's ending.

Perhaps it's me, but I'm not reading the sequels. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 23, 2016 Nanci rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, series

I tried really hard to like this book. Ferrante is considered a wonder by so many, but I just couldn't get into this book. I would have abandoned it, but it was for a RL book group choice, and I always finish those. There were times I felt like sticking pins in my eyes would be more enjoyable than having to read this book! Seriously. I would make myself read a few pages and then think, "I can't do this anymore!" and toss it down, while looking longingly at my stack of books that I couldn't wait ...more

2 likes · Like · see review