Reviews

In the Margins: On the Pleasures of Reading and Writing by Elena Ferrante

kalypsos_bookclub's review against another edition

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3.0

I am a fan of Ferrante's writing so I naturally wanted to read her latest publication but I am sad to say that this did not stand out to me and I couldn't relate to what she was saying.

niclow_'s review against another edition

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informative slow-paced

2.0

claraoakt's review against another edition

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informative inspiring fast-paced

4.0

rixy94's review against another edition

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4.0

“Chiunque abbia ambizioni letterarie sa bene che è dalla “vita vera” che vengono le piccole e grandi ragioni che spingono la mano a scrivere: la smania di dire la pena d’amore, la pena di vivere, l’angoscia della morte; il bisogno di raddrizzare il mondo che è tutto storto; la ricerca di un nuovo ethos che ci rimodelli; l’urgenza di dar voce agli ultimi, di denudare il potere e le sue atrocità; la necessità di profetizzare sventure ma anche di architettare mondi felici di là da venire.”

Una breve antologia composta da 4 lezioni magistrali scritte da Elena Ferrante sulla lettura e sull’avventura dello scrivere.

I primi 3 testi - focalizzati sulle gioie e i dolori della scrittura, il rapporto che l’autrice ha con il suo mestiere e diverse riflessioni sulla lingua - sono state presentate nell’autunno del 2021 a Bologna in occasione delle Umberto Eco Lectures; il 4, invece, è un breve saggio su Dante e le sue opere realizzato per il convegno degli italianisti dal titolo “Dante e Gli Altri Classici”.

Un volume breve e scorrevole che offre ai lettori che seguono la scrittrice un’occasione per approfondire la sua conoscenza e scoprire le esperienze, le letture e i ragionamenti che hanno portato alla creazione dei suoi celebri romanzi.

evelyn_parkhouse_reads's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

Wonderfully written but just not the book for me. Very ‘English lit’ major in its subject matter, so felt lost a lot. Beautiful prose and great analysis, I just didn’t have the background education to make it as compelling as I’m sure others would. 

buzzabelle's review

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

zoolmcg's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

I'd read the Histories, I section of this independent to the collection earlier this year, and decided it was time to check out the rest to see if I could glean some more research from them. I've never read any of Ferrante's fiction yet, and this collection offered a fascinating perspective on her poetics and influences even to someone without the context of her work.

Aquamarine and Histories, I stand out to me as the strongest of the five, mainly because I relate to them to most as a writer. Childhood memories and impactful media bleed into the stories we ourselves create,a nd the succinct and analytical approach Ferrante offered was fascinating. I'll be revising these two the most when it comes to research of my own essay.

I'll keep this review short, because there were other parts I lacked the context and patience for (Dante), but all in all I'd say it's one of the better writer introspective I've read, and I'd certainly recommend it if it's in your perview of interest.

forever_rain's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

3.0

noahd's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.5

sjfrancis's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

4.0