Book Review: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Rating: 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This has been one of the most highly anticipated books of the year and after seeing all of the hype over on social media, as well as being strongly recommended to read this by my university lecturer, I could not wait to get my hands on this book!

I have never read a Ferrante book before and just as it says on the cover: "Nothing quite like it has ever been published". Ferrante's writing is effortless and thought-provoking. It is creative without all of the flowery language found in other works of literature, but most importantly it is honest and raw. I think most people who choose to read Ferrante's work will be able to relate to her narrative in one way or another. For me, that is one of the best things that can be attached to literature.

About The Book:

My Brilliant Friend is the first book found in the Neapolitan Quartet series; a series that follows the story of Elena and Lila from childhood to adulthood as they navigate their lives amidst the culture of the poor but vibrant village of Naples. From the beginning of this book, there is an undeniable friendship between the two girls and it becomes almost memorising to see how their friendship progresses and digresses as the narrative continues to unfold.

It is the polarity and complexity of this friendship that captivates the reader in to the narrative. Lila is naturally gifted, a prodigy in everyone's eyes, whilst Elena remains diligent and has to work that little bit harder in order to achieve the validation that she so desperately seeks. These girls may appear so different in nature but are ultimately connected by their unbreakable bond. As the novel continues, we see how their paths begin to diverge, with Elena choosing education and Lila choosing marriage, what is so remarkable about this friendship is how they truly rely on each other to carve out their own destinies.

LIke many others, one thing I will say about the book is that it did take me a while to grasp who each of the characters/families were. Multiple characters are thrown into the narrative from the start so navigating who is who did take deep amounts of concentration. With that being said, I highly recommend taking a look at the character breakdown found at the front of the book; I wish I had known about this feature sooner!

Just as I expected, I absolutely loved this book and I cannot wait to delve deeper into the rest of the series. This is a novel that encapsulates so much more than friendship; it is a novel about female experience, rivalry, and growth. One that I will continue to recommend for a very long time!