This is the first of 4 books following the lives of 2 girls - this one is based in Naples in the 1950‘s - I loved it , it captures all the drama, grittiness and glamour of Italian life in Naples as 2 young girls evolve into women .
This is the first of 4 books following the lives of 2 girls - this one is based in Naples in the 1950‘s - I loved it , it captures all the drama, grittiness and glamour of Italian life in Naples as 2 young girls evolve into women .
Just in case you haven't had enough of me going on about Italy, here is 20 mins of RAE IN ITALY CONTENT.
https://youtu.be/UYysTjNgmY8?feature=shared
Badly spliced holiday footage? YES
Dreadful holiday apartment audio? YES
Book ranting? YES
Excessively large notebook shopping? YES
This video has it all.
The last 5 mins is me reviewing My Brilliant Friend and The Enchanted April. #booktube
This was fantastic, but doesn't stand alone. Finishing it feels only like finishing the end of a chapter.
My Brilliant Friend is about two girls growing up in a neighbourhood in Naples. It rings true in a way that is either very clever, or based largely on the author's own personal experiences. Essentially, it has a biographical feel to it.
I will reserve final judgement until I've completed the quartet, but this book was immensely readable.
Next up. My husband got me the Neapolitan novels for my birthday cos we're hoping to go to Naples this year.
Aw. Andy got me the Neapolitan novels as pre holiday reading for my birthday.
#ItTakesAllKinds Day 21: These Elena Ferrante novels are #WithEyes. Found in a bookstore in Bologna.
I enjoyed this first book in an Italian series about friendship.
1. Can I celebrate Galentine's Day instead? Lol. But I will always take chocolate
2. Tagged - I really enjoyed that series
Thanks @Kshakal @TheSpineView #two4Tuesday
1. The hubs and I don't participate in Valentine's Day, but I *do* love Galentine's Day! And I would love to get a book or bookish accessory for Galentine's Day. (I'm giving bookmarks with my little bundles!) 😍
2. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is an excellent example of platonic love between 2 friends. The book is just a great read, as well.
Happy Tuesday!
#LuckyInLove
Day 1: holding hands
👰🤝🤵 This is the first cover that has come to my mind, even though we can't see the hands clearly behind the veil..
@Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
A coming of age story about two young girls in Naples and a social commentary on masculinity & social dynamics of the working class in the 1960s. The writing is rich and characters beautifully crafted. Lots to think about. I immediately bought the next book in the series.
Upsides of work travel are kindle dates with myself 💯
I loved this novel. I found it subtle and beautiful; I missed it when it wasn't in my hands.
I've been worse 😉
#MayMontage Day 9: #InvolvesAWedding - my friend took this photo of tagged book I gifted to her while she was in Brussels. Bought it for her when we spent a week together in Madrid since she was dating an Italian-American guy at the time - now the father of her child. 💕
#TemptingTitles #WithMeOrMy I have read the first two of four …. #badatseries 🙄😁
March #BookSpinBingo 🙌 Am not thinking strategically enough to get a line clearly😂 I read the #DoubleSpin for the month too - N. P. 🌟
Just about to write my list for April!!😁 Of course won't look at the bingo board until I have written my list
@TheAromaofBooks
The relationship between the 2 mains in this is fascinating and I'm very much intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the series. Quite repetitive to me in parts but on the whole p good!
I reread this old favourite partly as a distraction from masters work and partly because my friend @moll just started reading it for the first time and I wanted a refresher. I might have loved it even more than ever. I don‘t normally think of books as relatable for me or even want them to be, but Lenu is the one exception to that. I ache for her so hard I feel like she IS me. I was worried rereading that I‘d feel it less but I think I felt it more
#WeekendReads
1. Listening to tagged and reading an ARC of The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart
2. Nora Roberts, R.F. Kuang, Robin Hobb, Rebecca Roanhorse, Patricia Briggs to name just a few!
3. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - fascinating and heartbreaking
Thank you my dear #litsylove friends dls the book mail surprise and the holiday cards. I haven‘t been on as lots of family things going on. 🙁 but things are slowly getting better. Thanks for thinking of me. @LitsyLove
Oh, yeah - I forgot I got these as well. My "mini" #BookHaul looking less mini now ?
I first heard about My Brilliant Friend on Richard E. Grant's travel/book show and was intrigued, then saw how popular it is and wondered how it had passed me by ?
Similarly, Dream Story is an Austrian decadent book I'm surprised not to have previously noticed. Damn it! How many more books are there for me to read? ?
A classic and, I‘m sure, a popular choice for the #Friendship prompt for #NovemberNarrative
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
For much of the book, I didn't get what all the hype was about. It wasn't a bad read, I just put the book down in between chapters and then didn't feel like continuing that much. However, the last 30 pages or so were great and I started to see how everything that had been told earlier was necessary and valuable. ⬇️
Third time reading this and it‘s still just as beautiful.
#unpopularopinion
Actually, I knew this was no book for me. But what all does one read for a challenge? I was surprised, finding out that I liked the beginning of the book. Their childhood friendship was interesting and fascinating to read.
But then puberty hits again, and there I was dragging myself through a book that didn't catch me the slightest. I don't care about Lenu, her school, her lovelife. I care even less for her brilliant friend ⬇
I have finished 2 / 4 of the Neapolitan Quartet by #ElenaFerrante and I really like it. I like that the narrative clearly takes its time and that we get to know our two main characters, Lenu & Lila, very intimately. Yesterday, book 3 & 4 arrived, so I‘m fully stacked now!
#MyBrilliantFriend
Kid protagonists are so boring!
It‘s nuts to me that I gave this book three stars when I first read it—THREE STARS—when now, after reading it a second time, it‘s an easy five.
The obvious explanation is that I‘m invested in the story and characters from the start, which makes the narrative way more entertaining the entire time. I guess that‘s a major part of what brings so much pleasure in rereading.
I plan to keep going with the series, so more on this later.
I‘ve heard about Ferrante‘s writing prowess for a long time, and this offering did not disappoint. Two very different girls in a small Italian village become friends, with the adventurous and mercurial Lila pushing, defining, & challenging our reminiscing narrator, Lenú. I became immersed in the world of their childhood & adolescence each time I picked up the book, so rich is Ferrante‘s storytelling & character development. It‘s a rewarding book.
Took a while to get invested, but then devoured this one. How did I not know it was a series? Just started the second book.
Extremely late to the party but already glad to be finally here - thanks for sending me this, Lee @LeeRHarry 😘
I‘ve tried very hard to like this novel, tried to wear Lena‘s shoes while she tells her story about her friendship with Lila and her little misadventures in her small town. Finally finished this book just to know how it ends but there‘s a slight cliff hanger so would have to read book 2. Maybe not. This is my pick for June‘s #bookspin #bookspinspingo @TheAromaofBooks
The fact that Ferrante is likely a man bothers me more than I care to admit. I feel the impetus to finish the Neapolitan series just draining away...
https://lithub.com/have-italian-scholars-figured-out-the-identity-of-elena-ferra...
Finishing this book up on vacation in Florida today since it‘s threatening rain here. I‘m hoping for a nice big thunderstorm because I miss those. One thing I don‘t miss is the mosquitoes! So itchy!
An engaging coming-of-age novel set in 1950s Naples. I loved the gritty characters and neighborhood descriptions and the friendships between the characters. 3.5 ⭐️