The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante REVIEW

My review of My Brilliant Friend from a couple of years back:

US readers, buy My Brilliant Friend on IndieBound (yep I'm an affiliate):
UK & other European readers, buy it on Blackwell's (also an affiliate):

US readers, buy The Story of a New Name on IndieBound (yep I'm an affiliate):
UK & other European readers, buy it on Blackwell's (also an affiliate):

US readers, buy Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay on IndieBound (yep I'm an affiliate):
UK & other European readers, buy it on Blackwell's (also an affiliate):

US readers, buy The Story of the Lost Child on IndieBound (yep I'm an affiliate):
UK & other European readers, buy it on Blackwell's (also an affiliate):

The passage I read from Storia della bambina perduta:
Essere nati in questa città serve a una sola cosa: sapere da sempre, quasi per istinto, ciò che oggi tra mille distinguo cominciano a sostenere tutti: il sogno di progresso senza limiti è in realtà un incubo pieno di ferocia e di morte.
(For the life of me I can't find the page anymore, but shout if you need it and I'll look into it again).

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[AB-duwf]

Curiously my favourite character was Elena and the third book was great for me. I found some deeply personal reflexions, gender issues and the history of the 70s I could identify so much. For me the fourth was the overall best especially the analysis of the novel as a form of art and the device of the novel in the novel (like in atonement btw). Fascinating! Emotional rollercoaster I agree that I couldn’t put down. . In 5 weeks I read all of Ferrante’s production. It doesn’t happen that easily that I get so engrossed in a story.

[FabioMartins-boty]

I read all the Neapolitan novels. They are a masterpiece. The characters are so interesting and the story beautiful writing. It's good wen good books achieve worldwide success, and when good writers are known for their books and not for their own image.

[vins]

Ciao, Bookchemist! I had the same reading experience, in the sense that I love the first two books, got a bit bored with the soap operatic tone of the third, then loved the saga again from the second half of the fourth book. However, I really loved Elena, maybe because I could feel her issues and her insecurities. I also think that, as a character, she is far more original than Lila. At the end of the day, Lila is the classic 'tragic heroin': the beautiful, strong and fiery girl, who won't go down without a battle, who is desired by pretty much every single man she meets, but who is ultimately doomed. Instead, Elena is less conventional. She has duplicity: what appears on the outside (the diligent student) is different from her deeper inner turmoils. She also takes far more riskier and unpredictable choices, in terms of her career and even in terms of sexual experiences and loving relationships. I think Elena is a strong and intelligent woman who is not entirely aware of her own strength and intelligence. And, interestingly enough, Elena's lack of awareness about her own potential does not come too much from men, but from another woman, who also happens to be her best friend. Ultimately, what is important for the novel is neither Elena nor Lila, but their relation: it is a really complex friendship, a love-hate relationship pervaded by good feelings, mutual admiration, but also by an almost devilish sense of competition. Finally, I want to say yet another thing about Elena and why I like her so much. In a sense, it is true that Lila's parts are more interesting, full of passions, drama, and so on. However, we should not forget that we *really* don't know Lila: we only know Lila as Elena describes her, since the novel is written entirely from her perspective. I am not saying, of course, that Lila is a figment of Elena's imagination: in the fictional universe of My Brilliant Friend there exists a character called Elena and there exists a character called Lila. However, we can only see Lila through Elena's eyes. And don't know Elena 'objectively' either: we can see only Elena through her own eyes, as she sees herself. Elena sees herself as this plain, boring and uninteresting character and, at the same time, she totally idealises her friend Lila. Elena is an unreliable narrator, because her judgement is totally clouded by the admiration of Lila and by her own insecurities and fragilities. At the very end (which, to me, is a stroke of genius) we realise that maybe Lila feels the same towards Elena. That the very origin of their relation was a lie Lila told in order to manipulate Elena and becoming her friend. Maybe, if the story of My Brilliant Friend had been told by Lila, she would have looked boring and silly, while Elena would have appeared much more interesting and charismatic. The simple, uncomplicated, rather addictive and fairly accessible writing style of Elena Ferrante distracts the reader from the fact that this novel is truly a web of lies, a labyrinth of fabricated and distorted memories with no real exit! You get to the end and you are back to the very beginning - questioning everything you have read!

[sarahgrebinoski]

I loved your review. I just finished the 4th book. I am sad that it's over!
I also need to discuss the ending with someone!

[the_accidental_collector]

Just finished reading the 4 novels (back to back). It's a masterpiece, so beautifully written and profound. The way Ferrante tied the last scenes of the fourth novel with the very beginning of the whole saga was so masterfully done. It moved me to tears. I am now watching the HBO adaptation with my daughter, and she keeps asking me if I am sure I am not Italian ( I'm Brazilian) 😂 I guess it's because of the hot blooded Neapolitan culture.

[MultiDonja]

I finished the last book a few days ago and now I feel so lonely I don’t have my brilliant friends to go back to 🥺

[annamariamarchese]

I just listened to your review……a brilliant summary….. so far….I’m half way through the third book and am loving it.. I am from Trieste and was married to a Sicilian for 30 years (we grew up in Australia). I have spent time in the village of Licodea Euboea in Sicily and have been to Naples and lived in Civitavecchia and Trieste for two months and have 30 years of experience married to a Sicilian and his family - what an amazingly fulfilling journey it was! This is what life is like in villages and city neighbourhoods in southern Italy for sure… I mean the corruption, the crude dialect spoken (when required or desired). Trieste and northern Italy is different somehow. Southerners sure are “gutsy/bold” people….which is reflected so brilliantly in these books. As recommended I may have a break between the third and fourth books…..if I can help it.

[Yasmin-tygw]

I read My Brilliant Friend months ago and wasn't sure whether to continue on with the series. After watching this, I think I will!

[luannagro]

My favorite character was Lila also, (for the exact reasons you mention). Great review!

[authorgreene]

I like big books, and the idea that it's a book so big that maybe it's actually four novels (and maybe not) is appealing. I'm definitely going to buy The Neapolitan Novels. Thanks for another great review!

[RafaelbySuzannah]

Thank you I really enjoyed what you had to say. I've not read the books I purchased the audible audio version of my brilliant friend but didn't get into it but I love the HBO series so much that's why found you cause I just wanted to hear your insights and thoughts!

[dawnterrizzi]

I love Thomas Hardy so maybe I should read all four together! These have been on my list for a while.

[lauraduran]

I was first introduced to the novels after watching the HBO series. I quickly became engrossed in reading the series. I enjoyed your review wished it was a little more in depth. I'll watch your review on the first book. Thank you for your analysis.

[therasbull]

Ok wow My Brilliant Friend is now on the list! I write neonoir and this sounds like something I should read closely

[AndalusianIrish]

You might find that you enjoy the second one more if you reread it later in life.

I saw an interview with Richard Ford where he talks about attempting to read "The Tin Drum" by Gunter Grass. He says he's just not old enough or smart enough to get it yet. I think what he is saying is that different books resonate with us at different times in our life depending on our life experiences and I totally agree with him on that.

[JoseOrtiz-pejp]

I just came here to confess that I fell in love with Enzo scanno!

[astrologyfunwithdevidiva]

Incredible that you read in Italian but describe in English

Bravé y Gracie

I am curious how her eloquent writing has been maintained in English translations of her work.

[willterzi]

I’m considering the idea of doing a staggered reading of The Neapolitan Quartet and the Zuckerman Bound novels. From what I’ve heard, I feel like this could be an interesting contrast

[warlockofwordsreturnsrb]

You should give Alan Moore's first novel a try, Bookchemist, it's called Voice of the Fire and has a perceptible Borges influence to it.

[marialuizadeoliveira]

Bravo! I loved what you said about other Italians looking down on Naples because it gives them a sense that whatever is bad about Naples doesn’t happen in their cities. I found that to be true even in first world nations. For instance infant mortality in America which is quite high is always looked as a third world problem.
Thanks.