My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is a masterpiece indicating the intense friendship as well as rivalry between two girls. Regarded as one of the most popular Italian writers, Ferrante has based the plot of the story in the 1950s and 1960s in a poor neighbor in Naples. My Brilliant Friend book’s narrator Elena Greco put in the picture of her upbringing in a neighborhood where brassy poverty is norm and a family violence is humdrum. Beginning with the plot Elena describes their adolescence from the remove of middle age, stating:
“I feel no nostalgia for our childhood: it was full of violence…Life was like that, that’s all we grew up with the duty to make it difficult for others before they made it difficult for us.”
With the ambition of skipping the doomed life just as of women around her, Lila replaces her childhood dream of becoming a novelist into starting a luxury shoe by her cobbler father until one of Lila’s suitors intervenes with salivation. Actually, it is Lila’s beauty that provides her with such powers that she can’t even obtain out of her excellent intelligence.
Although, the tension between these female friends has rarely been portrayed the story perfectly depicts it is about power. The first part of this series novel ends with Lila seeming to give up into the inevitable: marriage at the age of sixteen. Also, Elena Ferrante has fantastically included the cliffhanger at the end making me desperate to get the next volume of the series.
I believe this book to be rich, deeply satisfying and impressive as it holds a particular time and place with complete authority. Depicting the struggles and steps of Elena’s best-friend Lila and Elena herself throughout their childhood and adolescence, limited opportunities available due to their class and gender, the book keeps readers engaged. My Brilliant Friend book is compelling and constantly fluctuating.
An interesting part while reading this book is that we are engaged the same way as the characters are engaged; if Elena is doubtful we also feel doubtful, if she is jealous, we are driven to feel the same way. I mean it is really interesting. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante really gets into the core that portrays human insecurity, income inequality, friendship of female, gender inequality, etc.
Although I am into fantasy fiction, I took a step to try My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante which is contemporary realistic fiction; I found it to fit my taste. As per My Brilliant Friend review in various popular sites, the rating seems to have an average of 4 stars out of 5 which depicts it’s amazing at its place. So, if you are interested to read the book you can get it from
