My Brilliant Friend (My Brilliant Friend, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Sep 01, 2015 Mary rated it really liked it

Shelves: re-reads, format-audio, format-paper, bookclub-fiction-matters, 2024-shelf

Re-read (again!) in 2024 for Fiction Matters August bookclub ... I really loved it! I read a paper copy (and did need that Cast of Characters throughout the book), but this time I "got" the story AND fell in love with Lila and Lena and can't wait to read the next one in the series!

and 2016: this title was available for immediate download on Overdrive and I wondered if listening to it might help. At least I finished it, but I still was really confused about who was who. And now that I've read it ...more

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Apr 05, 2017 s_evan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-version, fiction, book-group-books

Once I got over the hump of getting into the book (on the second try, this one for reading group), and switched to the audible version, I really enjoyed it and could finally see what the fuss is about. I don't recall reading a book where a friendship - and the competition, adoration, dislike that comes along with a strong friendship - is so throughly explored, all while set in 1950s Naples. I couldn't bring myself to give this 4 stars, as the book does not fully stand on its own; it is clearly p ...more

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Oct 25, 2017 Denise Cormaney rated it liked it

Shelves: audio-books

This may be a case of unrealistic expectations for me; because this book kept appearing on lists of reader favorites, I expected to like it more. And while it was probably in keeping with the time period (1950s Italy), I had a hard time with the casual sexism and domestic violence. I don’t think I’ll read the rest of the series.

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Apr 23, 2015 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, 2015

Holy crap. This is what literature looks like. It took me a long time to read, but not for lack of interest -- it was so hard to stop at the end of each short segment. Ferrante's style is so forthright and original. What a treasure. ...more

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