My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante [Novel Review]

Diksia.com - Are you looking for a novel that explores the friendship, rivalry, and history of two girls growing up in a poor neighborhood in Italy? If so, you might want to check out My Brilliant Friend, the first of a quartet of Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, a celebrated Italian author.

In this article, I will give you an overview of this novel, its details, synopsis, and where you can read it. I will also share my opinion on why this novel is a modern masterpiece and a captivating and hopeful story.

My Brilliant Friend is a novel by Elena Ferrante, first published in Italian in 2011. It is the first book in the Neapolitan Novels series, which follows the lives of two friends, Elena and Lila, from their childhood in Naples in the 1950s to their adulthood.

The novel has been praised for its complex and nuanced portrayal of female friendship, as well as its vivid depiction of life in Naples. It has also been a commercial success, selling over 10 million copies worldwide.

Novel Details

• Title: My Brilliant Friend
• Author: Elena Ferrante
• Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Italy, Italian Literature, Literary Fiction, Contemporary
• Chapters: 62
• Language: Italian (translated by Ann Goldstein)
• Publisher: Europa Editions/ Edizioni e/o
• Rating: 4.2/5 stars on Goodreads

Synopsis

My Brilliant Friend tells the story of Elena and Lila, two friends who grow up in a poor and violent neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples in the 1950s. They learn to rely on each other and discover that their destinies are bound up in the intensity of their relationship.

Elena is the narrator of the novel, and she recounts her childhood and adolescence with Lila, who is brilliant, rebellious, and mysterious. They both have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to escape their harsh reality, but they face different obstacles and choices that shape their lives.

Ferrante’s novel is also the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country that undergoes social and political transformations that affect the lives of the characters. It is also a meditation on the nature of friendship, love, loyalty, jealousy, and identity.

Overview

My Brilliant Friend is a novel that I loved reading for many reasons. First of all, Ferrante’s writing style is unflinching and insightful. She does not shy away from depicting the harshness and complexity of life in post-war Italy, but she also infuses her prose with beauty and emotion.