My Brilliant Friend
2011 • 331 pages

Ratings204

Average rating4.1

15

Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times–bestselling “enduring masterpiece” about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples (The Atlantic).

Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence.

Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between two women.

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Series

Featured Series

4 primary books

L'amica geniale

L'amica geniale is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2000 with contributions by Elena Ferrante.


Reviews

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

December 28, 2023

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when I first came across it; I don't tend to like back/forth storylines however the writing blew my mind. Every page is as enticing and gripping as the previous one. A truly addictive read.

December 22, 2020

3.5⭐️

May 24, 2024

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