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

Dec 07, 2015 Jenni rated it liked it

Shelves: read-finished-in-2016

I have to admit I was underwhelmed by this book. It definitely had moments where I was invested in the story and there was certainly a lot of push and pull in the tension throughout the book, but over all I just found that it felt like one mundane antidote after another.

I found myself constantly annoyed with the characters and their decisions. The narrator is so focused on how she isn't Lila, that she misses the fact that Lila would kill for the opportunities she has. I just kind of wanted to sh ...more

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Jun 21, 2016 Mycala rated it it was amazing

Shelves: made-me-think, sucked-me-in, who-needs-sleep

I read this book within a 24 hour period and I fell in love with Ferrante. I should mention that I rarely read fiction -- I would say maybe 15% of my regular reading diet is fiction -- but this one hooked me immediately. I think perhaps the reason I don't read more fiction is because in good fiction (this qualifies) I become so emotionally involved in the characters that it can affect my mood for days afterwards. This is just who I am, so I only read fiction at certain times. I'm so glad I grabb I read this book within a 24 hour period and I fell in love with Ferrante. I should mention that I rarely read fiction -- I would say maybe 15% of my regular reading diet is fiction -- but this one hooked me immediately. I think perhaps the reason I don't read more fiction is because in good fiction (this qualifies) I become so emotionally involved in the characters that it can affect my mood for days afterwards. This is just who I am, so I only read fiction at certain times. I'm so glad I grabbed this one -- and that it is a series so that I can read more!

Elena Ferrante's work has been likened to that of Jane Austen. I can see that. Not literally, in the way the story is written, but more in the biting commentary on social norms and hierarchies, what is accepted without question by some and rebelled against by others. Yes, it is a different time and location than Austen, but I think there is no question that Ferrante just as skillfully sums up her society in her day. I said no because if my father found out that I had gone in that car, even though he was a good and loving man, even though he loved me very much, he would have beat me to death, while at the same time my little brothers, Peppe and Gianni, young as they were, would feel obliged, now, and in the future, to try to kill the Solara brothers. There were no written rules, everyone knew that was how it was. The Solaras knew it, too, since they had been polite, and had merely invited me to get in. This was simultaneously funny and sad.

I was hooked early on when she described how her friendship with Lila began: But in a confused way I felt that if I ran away with the others I would leave with her something of mine that she would never give back.

If you are the least bit invested in the story, this does not work as a standalone novel. The last paragraph will hit you like a punch to the gut, leave you scratching your head thinking, "What the...!? But why?" and like me you will be at the library in no time waiting to pick up the next book in the series. ...more

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Apr 13, 2021 Jill rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I first heard about this series on NPR, and my expectations were high considering the rave reviews. At first, I wasn't sure about this....but after getting deeper into the story, I started to see why this stands out while still being a story of friendship. The way the author sets the scenes paints a very detailed and realistic picture of the world in which these ladies grow up.

Being inside the head of a pre-teen girl seems oddly familiar, even with her growing up many years before I did, and in ...more

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Jan 30, 2024 Crystal rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: woebegone-literary-society, 2024, january-2024

3 1/2 stars

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Jun 16, 2016 Astrid Lim rated it really liked it

Shelves: series, europe, culture, women, book-club

At first, this book is pretty slow- i was wondering what made it such a favorite all over the world. But along the way, the life of Lena and Lila in poor neighborhood in Naples around the 50s started to capture my heart. I care about them, I can connect with them and I feel them. The story flew quickly til the end and now I want to read the second book badly! I want to know all about the juicy life, gossips, envy, jealousy, love, and self discovery that both characters go through in the next sta ...more

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Jun 05, 2016 Molly rated it it was ok

Shelves: literary

2.5 stars. I feel I'm in the minority with this rating, but for whatever reason, I feel so-so about this one. It was hard for me to keep the characters straight at times. (Admittedly, I didn't reference back to the Index of Characters at the beginning, so that may be my own fault.)

Sometimes I found the writing lovely and captivating and other times I found it laborious. It may have been just the wrong time to read it, but I do not plan on continuing the series. ...more

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Jan 02, 2018 Jen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I heard so much about how great this series is so I finally decided to read it. At first I wasn't sure what all the fuss was about but then I got to the "Adolescence" section and I got it completely. It captures a time and a place and it very much captures what it feels like to be insecure and growing up and not sure of who you are and what you want. I can't wait to read the rest! ...more

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