Author: Elena Ferrante
# of Pages: 331 (paperback)
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Synopsis: A modern masterpiece from one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense and generous hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante's inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her two protagonists.
Review: This slice-of-life style story was hard to get through. I read it on and off over the course of several months (starting in March) and just barely was able to finish it today.
I not a huge fan of slice-of-life stories in general since the pacing is usually slower and the plot is aimless. My Brilliant Friend was no exception. I found myself picking up this book and getting through a page or two at most before becoming bored and moving onto a more interesting activity. It wasn't until the last quarter of the book where I became more invested in the characters because it felt more like I knew - there are a lot of characters, and it was difficult to figure out who was going to stick around and who is unimportant.
While this novel is written almost poetically, the words didn't flow as well as I hoped it would. This however might be in part because it was translated from Italian; if I read this book in its original language, perhaps I would have enjoyed the writing style more.
Overall, a very slow read, and not worth it for the story that was told. There are some aspects that are confusing as well in terms of actions that happen outside of our protagonist Elena's knowledge that are explain in latter books; books that I more than likely not be reading. Elena and Lila have a strange friendship, on that is plagued with jealousy and rivalry. While this may sound like their relationship is complex and therefore realistic, it is unclear whether they are truly friends or if they're actually enemies. Many relationships are portrayed to seem somewhat toxic, and there's a ton of social politics. The focus on this aspect of the characters' relationships makes this a negative read; it would have been better if some of these negative moments (especially from Elena's internal thoughts) were also balanced out with more positive moments.
I wouldn't recommend this book in a hurry, but since the ending was a bit more interesting, I do not regret reading this book.
