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, who represent the story of a nation and the nature of friendship.
The story begins in
the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples.
Growing up on these tough streets, the two girls learn to rely on each other
ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow—and as their paths repeatedly
diverge and converge—Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective
destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the
embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. 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 her protagonists.
With My Brilliant Friend,
the first in a series, Ferrante proves herself to be one of Italy’s greatest storytellers. She has given her readers a masterfully plotted page-turner,
abundant and generous in its narrative details and characterizations—a stylish work of literary fiction destined to delight her many fans and
win new readers to her work.
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“What is most essential to the story is what is most essential in all our stories: love, loss, sex, marriage, children, friendship, family, dreams, and everything in between…Ferrante is as fearless a writer as they come. She does not use politics as a crutch to bring depth to her novels but rather trusts in her characters to be good enough and important enough all on their own.”
—
Literary Hub