The Story of a New Name (Neapolitan Novels, #2) in Around the World in 80 Books

Sep 28, 2015 Elizabeth rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo are back, now in their late teens and as fiercely competitive as they were as children in the first book. At first I found the constant, not to mention repetitive, competition between them somewhat disturbing and I just couldn't see how these two could reasonably be considered as friends. Where were the joyful moments? Why is the friendship always so serious, turbulent and rife with feelings of inadequacy and jealousy? But I think sometimes we fool ourselves about th Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo are back, now in their late teens and as fiercely competitive as they were as children in the first book. At first I found the constant, not to mention repetitive, competition between them somewhat disturbing and I just couldn't see how these two could reasonably be considered as friends. Where were the joyful moments? Why is the friendship always so serious, turbulent and rife with feelings of inadequacy and jealousy? But I think sometimes we fool ourselves about the true nature of our feelings toward our friends. Ferrante's portrayal of the dynamics of a friendship, especially one that has such power over both involved, is unflinching and unsentimental.

Lila now has the "new name" of Signora Carraci, after marrying the grocer's son, but almost immediately she realizes she has made a mistake and no longer wants to be married to this man. Despite early on seeing the corruption of the families that control the neighborhood, she is on the path, it seems, toward being further entangled in the local traditions of the poor neighborhood she grew up in, and maybe even becoming a master of its rules. Elena is still in school and is trying to make her mark without a push from her greatest rival, Lila. She eventually succeeds on this path I think, by excelling so well academically that she is accepted to a tuition-free university in Pisa, which serves as a ticket out of the poor neighborhood she and Lila grew up in. We watch her slowly adjusting, trying to become as sophisticated as her middle class and rich classmates -- the descriptions of how she does this is is one of the best parts of this book.

I also found the portrayal of what men do to women in this post-war, mid-century time in Italy, to be amazing as well. You see this especially in Lila's struggles as a married woman, and then for Elena during her encounter with a neighbor's father, which occurred at a low point in her life.

This and the previous book were not entertaining to read. It doesn't really try very hard to charm, pander or even liven things up for the reader. The plot twists in these books are internal and the subtlest actions have emotional, rather than physical impact. We often think that drama comes from the grand sweep of history or from not-be-believed tales of adventure -- but this story is about women who's lives are controlled or bouyed by tradition, society and history. They reflect different, but conjoined stories of how navigate, fight against or come to accept these forces.

I sometimes wondered while reading this, why Ferrante didn't make the plot lines more original, why she didn't make her characters say more charming things, but I think ultimately, the appeal is that this is a very real book. The characters are imperfect in ways that real people are imperfect. I sometimes wonder about the lives of my grandparents and my parents as they were growing up during what in retrospect seem like turbulent changes of history. And I think maybe this book answers some of those questions -- it describes in almost minute detail the day-today internal and emotional adjustments they make as they try to master their lives as best they could. It is written in such an intimate way that I feel like their lives are occurring right now, and in the same realm or level as my current feelings about my own life.

I guess there are some seductive, unreal qualities in this book for me. I think that comes from the fact that both Elena and Lila are incredibly smart. That might be the least "real" part of their characters, and it creates the most dramatic tension -- their intellect is so great that it conflicts with the sexism, classism, provincialism and poverty that seeks to limit them. I think I want to see them succeed and to fight against all this, and that's what drives the story forward for me. ...more

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Mar 31, 2016 Natasha rated it it was amazing

This one was hard to put down. It moved at a faster pace than the first one. Ferrente is the master of making you live the scenes and feel what the narrator is feeling. It's a sad story that is beautifully told with so many rich details. Lila continues to amaze with her erratic behavior while Elena continues to observe from afar. I have been living and breathing with these characters for the past two months. I would definitely feel a void after I finish the series. They will be truly missed. ...more

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Apr 03, 2016 Lara rated it it was amazing

It's a truly stunning book. The writing is so simple and yet somehow everything Ferrante says is completely new, rageful and incendiary but also familiar (despite not thinking I feel much rage). Reading them is an intense experience and I understand why some don't want to but the book is also an incredibly pleasant read and surprisingly, a page-turner ...more

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Feb 22, 2019 Sylvie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tome 1 ne m'avait pas emballé mais j'ai beaucoup aimé ce deuxième tome, même si je crois qu'on aurait très bien pu y couper une centaine de pages.

Ce tome vise la tranche 16-24 du roman. C'est ce qui arrive quand ta vie d'adulte commence à 16 ans ... on dirait que Lila est rendue à 38 ans !

Je vais lire le 3 ... ...more

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Dec 27, 2015 Kay Green rated it really liked it

I started the first book in this series and could not get into it. But I kept seeing all 4 on the best seller list, so I thought I would try the second. Now I have to go back and read the first. The book to me was so unusual. Set in Naples and Pisa in the 1960s, it was a new culture, geography and certainly a very male dominated culture. The options for Lila and Elena were very limited. But their inner thoughts and hopes and reactions were so beautifully expressed and they felt so real and famil ...more

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