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My Brilliant Friend: The Neapolitan Novels, Book 1

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My Brilliant Friend: The Neapolitan Novels, Book 1

By: Elena Ferrante
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
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About this listen

The story of Elena and Lila begins in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples. The two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else, sometimes to their own detriment, as each discovers more about who she is and suffers or delights in the throes of their intense friendship.

There is a piercing honesty about Ferrante’s prose that makes My Brilliant Friend a compulsively readable portrait of two young women, and also the story of a neighbourhood, a city and a country.

©2011 Edizioni E/O (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic Reviews

"Gutsy and compulsively readable ... One of the more nuanced portraits of feminine friendship in recent memory.... Ferrante wisely balances her memoir-like emotional authenticity with a wry sociological understanding of a society on the verge of dramatic change." ( Vogue)
"Elena Ferrante will blow you away." (Alice Sebold)
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The story is amazing and the reading is beautiful. However, the reader uses two different pronunciations for one of the main character's names (Lila is pronounced LIE-la and LEE-la interchangeably) which was at first confusing, and later just annoying.

EDIT: The same character has now also, bizarrely, been referred to as Lina and Lilo!?

Pronunciation Issues

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If one was to take out the Christian refererences and replace them with Muslim references , it could be in any poor back water Muslim town in any country today .

A snap shot of US immigrant life in the 50s , poor, violent, frustratingly sexists !

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Fantastic book, read for book club. About to download book 2 can't wait to see the progression!!

Only negative was the amount of characters you have to keep up with, who they are related to where they fit etc. Audiobooks definitely arepte challenging in this way. Otherwise fantastic!

Recommended

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Would you consider the audio edition of My Brilliant Friend: The Neapolitan Novels, Book 1 to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version so can't comment.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the engaging narrative in the story. Ferrante writes in a way that is easy to listen to .... conversational and engaging. The story line is more than the friendship between the two girls. It views mafia activities in Naples from a child's perspective, and shows how difficult it was to transcend the social environment in which the girls are born. Although a work of fiction, it felt like I was listening to an autobiography.

Have you listened to any of Hillary Huber’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to any of Hillary Huber's other performances, but I thought she was excellent in this book.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book (and the whole series) was so engaging that I sought every opportunity to listen to it. I was totally captivated, and often found myself reflecting on social issues.

Any additional comments?

This was my book of 2015!!!

More than just about friendship...

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The Ruth Park of Naples Or the Angela’s ashes. Not in a morbid way. A gritty real tale of like.

Fantastic

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