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tina_perseveres's review against another edition
2.0
The hype preceding this book had me very excited to read it. Upon finishing the book, I think the hype was overdone. The heart of the book focuses on two girls, their friendship & the paths they choose. The friendship did not strike me as the type I would cherish. A sour relationship is not something I would recommend to others. I don't think this book even made for a good tragedy; it was plain sad. I won't continue with series.
milenah's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
callareads69's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kelsieann27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bookhussy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jasmin_carrington's review against another edition
DNF at 50% - sadly. I really want to like this book and lose myself into a friendship/family saga but this book wasn’t it. Too many characters & too slow moving. Yes there is a character index at the start but reading on the kindle makes the character index hard to use. I was torn whether to finish it since I read half already but I have too many other books waiting for me and I can watch the HBO series for this book to find out how the series continues
jaybeebee's review against another edition
4.0
More like a 3.75. It was good, but I'm unlikely to read the rest in the series.
bk_gjendem's review against another edition
4.0
Just like Elena had a love/hate relationship with her brilliant friend, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. Oh, the meandering sentences that turned into paragraphs and almost full pages. (Oh, my inner copy editor was screaming! Even the part that loves Italy and wants to give her, her translator &/or her editor a pass. Screaming, I tell you. Screaming.) Oh, the wondering what will happen next. Oh, the unanswered questions.
Yes, I want to know more, but I'll wait until we find out who this elusive writer is. What if it's James Patterson?
Yes, I want to know more, but I'll wait until we find out who this elusive writer is. What if it's James Patterson?
bbtamagotchi's review against another edition
5.0
[Review for all 4 books]
For some of the most gripping, visceral books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, I’m bummed that the covers are god awful. I mean these things are… they are not good. But I guess it’s hard to get inspiration for a book that takes place in NAPLES, ITALY near the AMALFI COAST.
Here's the run down:
Follows the life of two girls in Naples from children to gram-gram’s, post WW2 and on. They live and grow up in a poor neighborhood, where getting out is only possible by cultivating intelligence, which is at odds with the norm of the neighborhood where most only have an elementary education.
You got your bildungsroman, your feminine friendship rife with hormonal maliciousness, love and outside forces pushing and pushing and pushing on them. It's violent and incredibly raw, in a prose that is really calm, simple and unadorned. The author's writes almost somehow while shrugging, as if to say, "Meh. It's just how it was."
You got your low level mafia, your labor party, your civilians caught in between. Your student riots, your workers rights, your education and your children’s education hanging in the balance of what was and what is and what is expected of you when the city seems to expect only chaos.
I can't even do these books justice and hate that I'm reviewing it, except for the fact that I can't... not. I've shown you some bad covers and laundry list of vague themes. But if you get the time, you'll fall in. When it's over you'll feel so sad to leave Naples, that you'll google Naples, and you’ll look to see if there's an air inclusive Groupon getaway.
*some kind of parting phrase in Italian*
For some of the most gripping, visceral books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, I’m bummed that the covers are god awful. I mean these things are… they are not good. But I guess it’s hard to get inspiration for a book that takes place in NAPLES, ITALY near the AMALFI COAST.
Here's the run down:
Follows the life of two girls in Naples from children to gram-gram’s, post WW2 and on. They live and grow up in a poor neighborhood, where getting out is only possible by cultivating intelligence, which is at odds with the norm of the neighborhood where most only have an elementary education.
You got your bildungsroman, your feminine friendship rife with hormonal maliciousness, love and outside forces pushing and pushing and pushing on them. It's violent and incredibly raw, in a prose that is really calm, simple and unadorned. The author's writes almost somehow while shrugging, as if to say, "Meh. It's just how it was."
You got your low level mafia, your labor party, your civilians caught in between. Your student riots, your workers rights, your education and your children’s education hanging in the balance of what was and what is and what is expected of you when the city seems to expect only chaos.
I can't even do these books justice and hate that I'm reviewing it, except for the fact that I can't... not. I've shown you some bad covers and laundry list of vague themes. But if you get the time, you'll fall in. When it's over you'll feel so sad to leave Naples, that you'll google Naples, and you’ll look to see if there's an air inclusive Groupon getaway.
*some kind of parting phrase in Italian*