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A review by nothingforpomegranted
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This first book of the Neapolitan Novels series pulled me in completely, and I was so disappointed not to have the second book immediately available when I reached the last paragraph. I was engrossed by Lenu and Lina, and I cannot wait to continue reading their story.
The book is told from Lenu's perspective, reflecting on her childhood and adolescent friendship with Lina Cerullo, a remarkable, fearless young girl whose intelligence both impresses and intimidates her classmates, perhaps Lenu most of all. Their relationship is often one-side, bordering on obsession as Lenu pursues friendship with Lina, always acquiescing to her requests, and defining her own identity in contrast with Lina's.
As for the story, there isn't much of one. This is a portrait of childhood, a difficult, violent, complicated one in impoverished Naples. Nonetheless, the book was captivating. At times frustrated and disturbed by Lenu's dependence on her friend for affirmation, I also pitied Lina for all that she lost--the books, the dreams, the brotherly love. Who, in the end, is the brilliant friend and what does it mean to have her in your life?
More than one review has commented on the way that Ferrante's writing flouts everything that we learn. Indeed, the narration relies on telling rather than showing, rarely making use of flowery language or metaphor and instead using long sentences with many clauses to summarize a long childhood in a neighborhood with a long history; and every page is beautiful.
Much like Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird, the children in My Brilliant Friend are permitted to play, imagine, and adventure, their relative freedom made evident in the writing as much as in the plotline, without even an Atticus to supervise and course-correct. Our heroines determine their own moral guidelines as they grow, consulting with each other, their friends in the neighborhood, and the books they read on their own, rarely with the adults in their lives, dispelling their to the periphery despite their undeniable physical proximity.
Simultaneously slow-paced and unputdownable, My Brilliant Friend is a stunning reflection on the pursuit of independence and the influence of friendship.
The book is told from Lenu's perspective, reflecting on her childhood and adolescent friendship with Lina Cerullo, a remarkable, fearless young girl whose intelligence both impresses and intimidates her classmates, perhaps Lenu most of all. Their relationship is often one-side, bordering on obsession as Lenu pursues friendship with Lina, always acquiescing to her requests, and defining her own identity in contrast with Lina's.
As for the story, there isn't much of one. This is a portrait of childhood, a difficult, violent, complicated one in impoverished Naples. Nonetheless, the book was captivating. At times frustrated and disturbed by Lenu's dependence on her friend for affirmation, I also pitied Lina for all that she lost--the books, the dreams, the brotherly love. Who, in the end, is the brilliant friend and what does it mean to have her in your life?
More than one review has commented on the way that Ferrante's writing flouts everything that we learn. Indeed, the narration relies on telling rather than showing, rarely making use of flowery language or metaphor and instead using long sentences with many clauses to summarize a long childhood in a neighborhood with a long history; and every page is beautiful.
Much like Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird, the children in My Brilliant Friend are permitted to play, imagine, and adventure, their relative freedom made evident in the writing as much as in the plotline, without even an Atticus to supervise and course-correct. Our heroines determine their own moral guidelines as they grow, consulting with each other, their friends in the neighborhood, and the books they read on their own, rarely with the adults in their lives, dispelling their to the periphery despite their undeniable physical proximity.
Simultaneously slow-paced and unputdownable, My Brilliant Friend is a stunning reflection on the pursuit of independence and the influence of friendship.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Grief