Book Number 168
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
This novel was chosen by Sue on the recommendation of a friend, and it sparked off an interesting AABC discussion.
Part of the discussion was whether we should know the true name of the author, Ferrante being a nom de plume.
The consensus was that it didn’t matter; a book should stand in its own right.
The story illustrates the relationship between two girls through infancy and adolescence and is set in Naples, Italy.
Whilst there was general admiration of the author’s approach, neither of the main characters was particularly endearing.
Whilst the Neapolitan setting of the story brought an air of claustrophobia, poverty and covert violence
the book seems to be a good rendition of the relationship between two competitive spirits growing up in a risk-averse environment.
Equally, the trials and tribulations of adolescence including the wanting to be liked, the need for a boyfriend, as well as the onset of menstruation were well described.
The liberating power of education is well illustrated by the story.
Club members had various reactions including, a recoil from the long list of characters and families, intense dislike for the main characters,
a dislike for bullies, a dislike for the way the story ended (there are 3 more novels in the series), a dislike of the gloominess and claustrophobia,
interest in the references to language noting that the book has been translated from the original Italian.
Several of the club members thoroughly enjoyed the read even if they couldn’t cope with the lengthy character list.
AABC score: 3.66 out of 5,
PC. 10 Oct 20
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