A review by printempsdesens
L'amica geniale by Elena Ferrante

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Once you start this book series, it’s over. This is the first time since a lot that I couldn’t put down a book, I just wanted to keep reading and reading even if my eyes hurt and I was tired.

The story (a bildungsroman) covers in its 4 books 60 years of life of two girls born in a poor suburb in Naples (Italy) around the 1950.

This first book explores Lila and Lenu’s childhood and teenagerhood, the two little girls always look at each other from afar when one day they share an event and .. 

At the fourth flight Lila did something unexpected. She stopped to wait for me, and when I reached her she gave me her hand. This gesture changed everything between us forever.

Since then they live a life in two, connected by an invisible string they always find a way to come back at each other despite the events of life that try to separate them. 

What‘s interesting is their characterization cause they are one the opposite of the other, Lila is passionate, bold, fascinating and “brilliant” but she calls Lenu (remissive, shy) her brilliant friend and she projects in her all her expectations.

It’s not like you can root for one of them only cause like the sides of the same coin they are complementary, without one of them something will probably go missing so yeah their friendship grows to be complicated and full of events that pulls them back and forth but the affection that links the two of them is truly sincere and pure.

Ferrante is an excellent storyteller, the rhythm of her words is capitative and you never find yourself bored by what’s happening. It is indeed inevitable to not get struck into characters, places, events that take place and leaving this book without feeling any trace of its reading in you is impossible.

Not to talk about how well she balances the plot with themes such as classism, feminism, machismo, a critique to the academic world, the need for male validation and so on…

I don’t know if the fact of having it set into my home country played a role into making me fond to this book series but I loved it and I can’t wait to start the 2nd chapter “story of the new name”