A review by renjamin
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I love books from the perspective of children, so I felt like this was right up my alley. I really like that the kids in this book are horrible because sometimes, in real life, kids are horrible. I think it's so interesting to hear their innocent and ignorant viewpoints whilst copying the violent and cruel behaviour of their parents. I thought that the class commentary was interesting and well thought out. I loved the contrast between Linu and Lilas stories and how we were able to see stories from a variety of different perspectives through Linu. Like everyone else has said, this book is very slow, almost painfully at times but, I think it is worth it in the end. I think listening to the audiobook greatly enhanced my experience of this book, I don't think I would've enjoyed this half as much in physical form. The audiobook is so well narrated and the characters have such distinct voices.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings