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.

She creates vivid and realistic characters that are flawed but relatable. She also explores themes that are universal and timeless, such as friendship, family, education, gender, class, violence, and power.

Secondly, Ferrante’s novel is a character-driven book that focuses on the development of Elena and Lila as individuals and as friends. Their friendship is the core of the novel, and it is fascinating to see how it evolves over time.

They have a bond that is both strong and fragile, supportive and competitive, intimate and distant. They influence each other in positive and negative ways. They challenge each other to grow and change. They also have secrets and conflicts that test their loyalty and trust.

Thirdly, Ferrante’s novel is a historical fiction book that immerses the reader in the culture and history of Italy in the 1950s and 1960s. She portrays the social and political context of the time with accuracy and detail.

She shows how the characters are affected by events such as the economic boom, the rise of communism, the mafia wars, the student protests, and the feminist movement. She also depicts the customs, traditions, values, and beliefs of the people in the neighborhood with authenticity and nuance.

Where To Read Novel My Brilliant Friend

If you are interested in reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, you have several options. You can buy or borrow a physical copy or an ebook from your local bookstore or library.

My Brilliant Friend is available to read in English in both print and ebook formats. You can purchase it from a variety of retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop or other platforms.

Alternatively, you can watch the TV adaptation of My Brilliant Friend by HBO. The TV series follows the novel closely and captures its essence and atmosphere. It is also filmed in Italian with subtitles, which adds to its realism and charm.

Conclusion

My Brilliant Friend is a novel that I highly recommend to anyone who loves character-driven books set in Italy that explore friendship, rivalry, and history. It is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story that will make you think and feel deeply.

It is also the first of a quartet of Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante that continues with The Story of a New Name (2012), Those Who Leave And Those Who Stay (2013), And The Story Of The Lost Child (2014). If you enjoy My Brilliant Friend , you will want to read them all.