What do readers think of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante? Write your own review.

My Brilliant Friend has all the components for a good novel--primal human emotions, complex relationships, and an intriguing setting. We feel the love, hatred, fear, ambition, guilt of this microcosm of Italian society in the 1950's. Set in a very poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, we are drawn into relationships between parents and children, siblings, neighbors, and lovers. There is sometimes a Dickensian feel in the description of everyday life--the dreams, hopes, and often despair of the inhabitants of this sequestered world. The thread binding all these relationships is the coming of age and enduring friendship of two young girls, Lila and Elena.

But, for me, this novel is seriously flawed and ultimately fails. The endless narration and lack of dialogue makes this a difficult read. It is a character driven book, but there are too many characters and too many subplots. There is no clearly defined main plot line to propel the book forward. The ending is understated and disappointing. It does not make this reader eager to read the rest of the trilogy and continue the journey.

I was very disappointed in this book. Although I appreciated learning about life in Italy in a poor community in the 50's, I found the book tedious. I was bored by the extensive recounting of her early childhood, and I was unsatisfied with the ending. The prologue of the book promised something that it never delivered for me.

This is the story of Elena and Lila. It is a history of their friendship beginning in Naples.I am attracted to stories about friendship but this book didn't hold my attention. It was translated into English so possibly something was lost in translation. The descriptions of Italy were great! I felt like I was actually there! If only I felt the same about the main characters.