Scan barcode
A review by emmaisnotavampire
L'amica geniale by Elena Ferrante
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
I'm gonna start with a premise, which I'll keep throughout my reviews of the whole saga, which I have just finished in its entirety: I could talk about this forever, and yet making sense of all of the thoughts I have is so difficult that I can't find the words. So I'll keep this minimal.
I have never felt as understood as I do by the character of Elena Greco. In the first book, we explore her symbiotic relationship and everlasting competition with her childhood friend Lila, which strongly reminded me of both my best friend and, earlier on in my life, my sister. Those long-lasting and, for the most part, ongoing comparisons heavily influenced me growing up, therefore I truly understand Elena's sense of inferiority and inadequacy, which I think is one of the predominant themes of the first novel; people like us always do anything they can to shine, to be great, to not feel invisible, yet we always end up in the shadow of our "rival", no matter how rationally "inferior" they should be, and the people we were supposed to love we grow to hate because of that, because of how they limit us without even knowing.
This book hit a bit too close to home, and it's not even the worst in the saga.
I have never felt as understood as I do by the character of Elena Greco. In the first book, we explore her symbiotic relationship and everlasting competition with her childhood friend Lila, which strongly reminded me of both my best friend and, earlier on in my life, my sister. Those long-lasting and, for the most part, ongoing comparisons heavily influenced me growing up, therefore I truly understand Elena's sense of inferiority and inadequacy, which I think is one of the predominant themes of the first novel; people like us always do anything they can to shine, to be great, to not feel invisible, yet we always end up in the shadow of our "rival", no matter how rationally "inferior" they should be, and the people we were supposed to love we grow to hate because of that, because of how they limit us without even knowing.
This book hit a bit too close to home, and it's not even the worst in the saga.