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My Brilliant Friend

#1 BEST BOOK OF THE CENTURY - NEW YORK TIMES


Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times-bestselling "enduring masterpiece" about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples (The Atlantic).


Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante's four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence.


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 two women.

"An intoxicatingly furious portrait of enmeshed friends."--Entertainment Weekly

"Spectacular."--Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air

"Captivating."--The New Yorker


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Published Sep 25, 2012

336 pages

Average rating: 7.22

502 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

CazzaT
Aug 14, 2024
Named best book of the 21st century by the New York Times. The Neapolitan Series, a quartet of novels ushers readers into the world of a literary friendship so specific, yet relatable, that it feels like you’re another one of the BFFs. Meet Elena and Raffaella, two young women who grow up on the outskirts of Naples in poverty, struggling against the sometimes smothering social expectations of their community.
Khris Sellin
Jul 05, 2024
8/10 stars
It got much better for me in the second half of the book, but I didn't love it as much as everyone else. But I have all the books so I'll continue the series!
Dahlface
Jul 01, 2025
8/10 stars
When the NYTimes came out this year with its list of the 100 best books of the century so far, I was shocked that Elena Ferrante’s “My Brilliant Friend” was number one. I’d never read anything by Ferrante and, for some reason, felt indignation. How could THAT book take first place? Better than some of my favorites like “A Gentleman in Moscow”and “Hamnet” which hadn’t even made the list! I didn’t want to read it, much less like it. But when the NYTimes Book Review podcast chose it for its book club title, I felt compelled to find out what the praise was all about. And, guess what? I loved it. Maybe not as much as the books I mention above, but I cannot wait to read the next in the Neapolitan Quartet and find out what’s next for Lina and her brilliant friend Elena.
rubyjames
Jun 04, 2025
7/10 stars
Although the numerous, similar Italian names meant it took me half the book to get my head around which character was which, I reallllllly enjoyed this. I felt like I was in a secret village in Naples with deep thoughts and feelings about gender roles, literature, friendship, and society. Onto the next!
Harrietaspy
May 04, 2025
4/10 stars
This book just didn't grab me. I felt like it took forever to explain various aspects of the characters. I doubt that I will read any more of the series.

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