A review by beforeyouandidie
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i bought a copy of my brilliant friend in my first year of undergrad and only got around to reading it now, in the summer of my first year of grad school. so grateful for taking a chance on it and keeping it with me all these years (it survived quite a few moves!).

i loved this book so so much. the prose is fantastic, with quotes that left me wanting to pick up a pen and underline them (and i normally don’t write in my books). girlhood and female friendship is portrayed so realistically and beautifully that i don’t even care if elena ferrante is secretly a man writing under a woman’s pseudonym (which i highly doubt). also sapphic undertones? count me in.