Welcome to the first week of the Cool Bloggers Book Club (CBBC) where we will be discussing My Brilliant Friend (Neapolitan Novels #1) by Elena Ferrante! I'm happy you are here and making this journey with all of us. As always, the ground rules for CBBC are:
1) Don't apologize. Don't apologize for having a lot or a little to say in the comments. Don't apologize because you're not an expert on something. Don't apologize because you don't have a doctorate in English literature. Don't apologize if you fall behind or can't keep up. Have fun and say what you have to say. You and your thoughts are important.
2) Feel free to come back and respond to comments more than once! I love it when there's a dialogue in the comments.
3) Have fun reading, thinking about the book, and discussing it! Don't feel limited to my discussion prompts - talk about whatever you feel like talking about.
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Who is Elana Ferrante?
Elana Ferrante is a pseudonym for an Italian author. Because of the anonymity of the author, there's little known about her. She (presumably the author is a woman) has done interviews and said she was born in Naples as the daughter of a seamstress and had three sisters. Her first novel in Italian was first published in 1992 and the first time her work was translated to English was 2004. The author has remained anonymous since her original publications. With the meteoric rise of the popularity of the Neapolitan quartet, there have been a few serious investigations into the identity of Ferrante, including suggestions that the author may be Anita Raja, a Rome-based translator, a professor named Marcella Marmo, or Raja's husband Domenica Starnone.
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What happened in these chapters?
In the prologue, we are introduced to Elena, called Lenuccia or Lenù. She's in her sixties and her friend Lila is missing. Lenù starts writing the history of their friendship.
In the childhood section, we are introduced to the Naples of Lenù's childhood. It is violent, dirty, and corrupt. Into these reminiscences of domestic violence, random street fights, and poverty, we learn about how two little girls become friends. It's a complicated friendship, full of jealousy and competition. Lenù is agreeable, pleasant looking, and smart, but not too smart. Lila is clever, badly behaved, and always disheveled and dirty.
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Hat mentions (why hats?):
If she took a bottle top and put it on her doll's head, like a hat, I said to mine, in dialect, Tina, put on your queen's crown or you'll catch cold. (page 30)
Lidia Sarratore appeared dressed as if to go to a party, she had even put on a summer hat, of blue straw. (page 60)
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Lines of note:
At the fourth flight Lila did something unexpected. She stopped to wait for me, and when I reached her she gave me her hand. This gesture changed everything between us forever. (page 29)
Do you have a moment that, in retrospect, changed everything in a relationship?
I was small and really my doll knew more than I did. (page 30)
This line made me laugh.
Their anger frightened me, I was frightened above all by the thought that Don Achille might have ears so sensitive that he could hear insults even from far away. I was afraid that he might come and murder them. (page 35)
Is Lenù an unreliable narrator or do we think this could happen? Is Don Achille truly a murderer?
...from the first day, school had seemed to me a much nicer place than home. (page 44)
For my ATGIB readers, this was an interesting parallel to Francie's first horrific experience at school. It is interesting that both Lenù and Francie are both so excited about school and learning. There are so many parallels in these books - tough relationships with mothers, city living in apartments, violence all around - that I don't know if I would have realized before CBBC.
Trained by our schoolbooks to speak with great skill about what we had never seen, we were excited by the invisible. (page 74)
...distance - I discovered for the first time - extinguished in me every tie and every worry...(page 78-79)
This one really hit me when I was listening to the audiobook. I think because of things happening in my personal life right now, the theme of being away from loved ones is striking hard.
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Things I looked up:
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| City of Naples with Mt. Vesuvius at sunset. Source |
Dialect: This first comes up on page 19, but it comes up over and over again. The neighborhood where MBF is set is isolated from most of Naples by poverty and by language. The dialect that is spoken in the neighborhood is based on Italian, but the differences in accent are so great that the languages don't sound alike to people who don't speak the languages. The characters in MBF move between Italian and dialect depending on the social situation.
cotognata (page 36): We might call this quince paste and it's somewhere between a jam and a jelly
cockade (page 42): ornament consisting of or imitating a rosette or knot of ribbon, worn usually on a hat as a badge of office or party, as part of a livery dress, or as decoration
tufa (page 74): a variety of limestone
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Questions to ponder:
1) On the day Lila and Lenù skip school, there's the line, "When I think of the pleasure of being free, I think of the start of that day..."(page 75)
What do you think of when you think of "being free"?
2) If you're a brand new Ferrante reader, where do you think this book is heading? What's being foreshadowed here?
3) If you're rereading this book, what did you notice this time around that you didn't before?
4) What do you make of the anonymity of the author? Does it take away from or add to your reading experience? Do you think it's important to know about an author's background when reading their fiction? Do you think it's ethical for journalists to attempt to figure out who the author is?
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Homework for next week:
How are you reading this book? Paperback, ebook, audiobook? Where are you reading it? If you have a photo of your book (maybe in the cozy chair where you read!) you'd like to share with the rest of the group, send it in and I'll make a collage for next week. dominique100 @ hotmail dot com
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Upcoming CBBC schedule:
Monday, February 12
Adolescence, Chapters 1-16 (pages 89-153 of the paperback Europa edition, up to location 1935 on a Kindle, timestamp 2:39:35 - 5:21:06 on audiobook)
Monday, February 19
Adolescence, Chapters 17-30 (pages 153-212 of the paperback Europa edition, up to location 2761 on a Kindle, timestamp 5:21:06-7:37:34 on audiobook)
Monday, February 26
Adolescence, Chapters 31-45 (pages 212-270 of the paperback Europa edition, up to location 3575 on a Kindle, timestamp 7:37:34 - 10:06:54 on audiobook)
Monday, March 4
Adolescence, Chapters 46-62 (pages 270-331 of the paperback Europa edition, timestamp 10:06:54-end on audiobook)
Monday, March 11
Wrap up!
Thank you so much for hosting again, Engie! And for providing such a great structure and a space for us all to come together!
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time reading MBF (although I tried listening to the audiobook a few months ago -- it didn't take; reading it on the page is working much better for me). The description is so rich and I love Elena/Lenucci's vivid imagination. It is so hard to read this without comparing it to ATGIB! There are so many parallels between Elena's and Francie's lives, and they both have that keen observational eye without really understanding the nuance behind what they are seeing. They also are both so accepting of the conditions of their existence -- the casual violence of fathers, the regular flashing by local men, the constant threat of injury or death. The main difference I see is that Francie seemed to find beauty everywhere she looked and Elena finds a sort of thrilling fear.
Some lines I found remarkable: "It was all beautiful and frightening then." p. 31 -- I love how everything seems both terrifying but also exciting.
"We lived in a world in which children and adults were often wounded..." p. 32 -- The world they inhabit is so dangerous!
"Distance - I discovered for the first time - extinguished in me every tie and every worry." p. 78 -- I loved this line.
There are a couple of things that I don't fully understand, but seem significant. Lila demanding that Don Achille give the girls their dolls back, for one. What happened there? It seems like Don Achille is not really the boogie man figure the girls believe him to be, but where did the dolls go? Why did he pay them -- was it out of pity, or fear that he'd be blamed for taking the dolls, or to cover up his son's stealing the dolls, or is he resigned to his designation as local villain?
The little excursion Lila leads Elena on, where they went to the sea, was very perplexing to me. What happened? Were they not really going to the sea at all? Was Elena's take on Lila's motivations accurate?
I am also very curious to find out how and why Lila decides to disappear. (I cannot believe she cut her image out of family photos!)
I'm also confused about the dolls. They seem to be significant...what happened to them? How does Don Achille fit in to their disappearance. Did Lila actually do something with those dolls (i.e. hide them in that basement and blame it on Don Achille for some inexplicable reason)?
DeleteI didn't even think about Lila doing something with the dolls! I could see her wanting both dolls to disappear, and Don Achille would be a handy scapegoat... but then why would she insist on confronting him? The whole thing is baffling.
DeleteThat line about distance also really hit home for me. It's why vacations are so important!!
DeleteI have to be honest that I'm also pretty confused about Don Achille and his importance in this story. Frankly, the complicated adult relationships seem too hard for me to follow. LOL. And this is a REREAD for me. I'm hoping things will get clarified as we move along.
I also think that what we're dealing with here is Elena as a narrator who doesn't know the whole story. She doesn't know what happened with the dolls, she doesn't know the motivations for Lila to skip school, she doesn't know what's going on with adults. Maybe as Elena gets older the picture will get more clear?
Yes, I think you're exactly right that we're getting only partial views of the world because we are seeing things through young Elena's eyes. And I LOVE that -- it really adds to my feeling that the world they live in is this wild and brutal place (which, I think, is why Elena is so fixated on academic success, because it is one of the few things she can at least somewhat control).
DeleteYOU GUYS! I did not even think of this book in the context of ATGIB until right now in this comment section!
DeleteOnce you see the ATGIB parallels, you won't be able to unsee them.
DeleteI didn't know that Ferrante was a pseudonym! To me that adds to the story and makes it seem more autobiographical, maybe? I find post World War II Europe to be so fascinating and this is no exception. Having watched many mob books and having read The Godfather many times, I believe that murder was around the corner often. I mean, I am kind of hoping for a mafia storyline happening.
ReplyDeleteI think that Lila was trying to lead Elena to the sea so they could just be together, and so that Elena wouldn't go on to school without her. I find this whole thing about school, getting into school, paying for school, should girls go to school, absolutely fascinating. This wasn't that long ago, isn't it bonkers that this was a thing?
This is my first time reading Ferrante and I'm enjoying it so much so far.
The parallels between Lila and France re: continuing school! I don't want to leave out people who didn't read ATGIB, but I kept thinking about how both girls just really wanted to go to school and their parents were the stumbling block. Their parents may have had good reasons (money), but what there's something very telling about how both girls knew they were smart enough to move on and wanted to improve themselves. And the idea of education being optional is crazy! You're right that it just wasn't that long ago!
DeleteThanks for hosting Engie! I have read this book before, as an eBook, and this time I am listening to it on audio. I do find that with audio, I do not get all of the small nuances sometimes. However, I have a backup eBook if I find the audio to be an issue!
ReplyDelete1. It is interesting how "being free" can morph over the years. We used to be able to go off campus for lunch when we were in HS and to me, that was being free. Now we take those little things for granted, and I think we need more to feel free. I feel free when I am running or riding my bike sometimes, like I could fly, or when I am traveling, just wandering around a new place without anywhere to go.
2. I think Lila is going to lead Elena down a bad path...that is what it seems like she is setting us up for.
3. I am rereading, but I don't remember the original read at all, so it is basically like a new book!
4. I couldn't care less if the author is anonymous or not; whether or not I enjoy the book is what matters. I guess the background of the author is not important to me. I would say that many people would disagree, given some of the pushback surrounding books like American Dirt etc.
Oh, I love that point about how "being free" morphs over the years. You're absolutely right that when I was a child, a field trip felt decadent. Now I don't know when I last felt that feeling of absolute freedom and lightness. So smart to point out that it changes over time.
DeleteThis is my first time reading MBF and I couldn't put it down. Like ATGIB, I was sad by what these children are having to live through - while both are works of fiction, they're obviously steeped in reality and that's just hard to stomach. Kids being thrown out of doors by their fathers?
ReplyDeleteAlso (again drawing parallels to ATGIB), I really appreciate the perspective of a story being told by a child. The thoughts and feelings are so rich and layered; we often write off adolescence as a phase that must be lived through to get to adulthood, but it is so transformative. And clearly things that happen in that stage have lasting impacts for the rest of someone's lifetimes.
I'm reading this book in paperback (Europa edition) and I've read it exclusively in bed so far!
1) When I think of being free I think of one summer day a few years ago when we were driving to a local beach. For about 5 minutes I had this incredible sense of lightness I haven't had before or since. It was the weirdest sensation and I loved it and think of that snapshot in time often.
2) I have no idea where this story is going. Lina is obviously a complex character who has suffered a lot of trauma. What has happened to her in her adulthood. Clearly her relationship with Elena is...unusual and comes with a lot of baggage. I'm very curious to see what happens next and had to restrain myself not to read ahead :)
4) I think it's interesting that the author is anonymous. I wonder how much of this "fiction" is rooted in his/her reality?
Kids being thrown out of windows. Can you even imagine?!
DeleteI love that you have a clear memory of incredible lightness. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt that feeling - 2024 goals!
YAY, CBBC is back! Woo hoo, and thanks, Engie!
ReplyDeleteI started with the ebook (Kindle) but shifted to the audiobook because I was finding it hard to read among all the other books I am reading. I like the audiobook a lot better, but like Kyria, find that I am missing details (e.g., the words you highlighted, Engie). As I borrowed the audiobook from the library, may wind up going back to some sections to see the details that I am missing.
Because of the audiobook, my focus was more on the relationship between the two girls, Lila and Elena. Like Kyria, I think that Lila is going to lead Elena down a not-so-great path, but I also recognize that Elena seems to have, well, "made something" of her life, given the prologue. I'll be interested to see how this plays out. But ANYWAY, their relationship reminded me of one I had with someone in elementary school, who was one of those friends who was just, well, mean. There's no other way to describe it. She was the kind of "friend" who would dictate what was done for the group, who actually hurt people (I remember pinching, etc.) and who was just unpleasant to be around. I have no idea why I continued to be friends with her, or why my parents let me. I dreaded play dates at her house. To me, in this book, she is Lila and I am Elena. I'll be interested to see whether this parallel holds up. (And did anyone else have this kind of "friend"? Or was it just me, someone who struggles with relationships anyway?)
Last comment - also confused about the dolls. I think Lila snuck down there and retrieved and then hid them. I hope we find out what happened.
(Sorry for not addressing your prompts, Engie!)
I forgot to say that I am also confused about the dolls. Where are they? Why did he offer to pay for them rather than produce them? That was a little strange for sure. Also he seems like he is a nice enough guy; maybe there is a mystery going on somewhere in his house though?
DeleteI am reading the book and then LISTENING to the same chapters I just read while walking the dog. It's been a great reinforcement for me. I've never done this sort of "listen-along" reading style and I'm not sure I'd do that for a book I wasn't hosting a CBBC on, but it's been pretty great for this purpose.
DeleteI think of this entire quartet as just a series about female friendships and that's something that I don't see a lot of writing about. The focus on their relationship is really a smart thing to focus on since I think it's the most important aspect of the book.
I don't know if I had any mean girl friends, but I was the kind of child who only had one or two close friends at a time. And I'm still friends with some of my friends from elementary school (HI TABETHA AND KRISTY!).
Yes, Anne! The friendship between Lila and Elena reminded me so much of those preteen/tween friendships where you're in competition with each other all the time! I wonder if it's just part of growing up? We start to recognize that there are other people who are prettier, smarter, funnier, more athletic, etc., than us, and sometimes girls can just be MEAN to each other.
DeleteYes! there is a power differential, for some reason. And in my case, the mean girl was actually ostracized by many in the class, kind of like Lina was? Maybe that's why she was mean (sigh) and that might also be why I chose to be friends with her for a while. Interesting to think more about a relationship I haven't thought about for a while... This is why I love books. :)
DeleteSo excited to be part of the CBBC this time around! Thanks for hosting, Engie!
ReplyDelete1) I found that concept of freedom so interesting. In terms of perspective / reflection, it indicates that Elena has an experience or point of comparison; to know what being free feels like means that you know what it doesn't feel like, as well.... For me, it took me back to my first months at college; being able to go where I wanted to go and off with friends and all that - it was magic.
2) I am new to Ferrante! I am really loving how dark and foreboding it is, but in such a grounded way. The idea that these two have a lifelong connection of sorts that is so fraught with being both drawn to and competitive with each other and the whole haze of casual violence and aggression makes me wonder how dark things will get as hormones get involved...
4) I love the experience of reading a book without knowing anything about the author; I think it forces you to dive into the experience of the story itself without any assumptions. However, then I like to read it again when I have that authorial context, to see what layers or nuances are drawn out by understanding the who behind the story's creation. The question of ethics is wild to me - I can understand an author wanting the work to stand for itself or not wanting the criticism or attention (that has only intensified in recent decades); but, there is also something in that publishing a work and putting it out in the world is an intentional action and one that comes with threats to anonymity.
I have to echo the doll thing above. I am horribly creeped out by dolls (their eyes!) and couldn't tell if I was reading too far into it or if the dolls were foreshadowing what might happen to their children in the future (so far, we've only seen a son)...
The connection between Lila and Elena is so fascinating. Ostensibly it's a friendship, but there seems to be so little of the trust and warmth that I feel are critical elements of my own valued friendships. I am so interested to see how their relationship evolves.
DeleteI honestly don't know how I feel about the anonymous author thing! On one hand, I think knowing about an author's autobiography can be useful context. But on the other hand, I feel like sometimes knowing can take away from the fact that it's fiction. It can also be sort of disheartening when authors behave badly and then I have to think if the creative work is still something I can enjoy.
DeleteI ended up reading the entire first week's assignment in one sitting! It didn't take very long, so I want to assure everyone that keeping up should be very manageable.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea where the book is heading which makes it so intriguing! I love the way that the author set up the mystery and then went all the way back to the beginning. Now we just have to figure out what she's telling us about young Lila that ties to 60 year old Lila's disappearance.
I also didn't know about the author's anonymity. I find it so fascinating when people keep the separation between their art and their real lives.
It took me a few chapters to get into the Childhood section this time around, but once I figured out the style and tone, I was all in. I know that it seemed like a lot of pages for this first week, but a lot of it was the front matter of the book, so the reading load should be roughly the same from week to week.
DeleteOh, I love that this book can't be predicted! That's so good to know!
Such a great quote to refer to, Jenny! That was such an interesting comment from Lenu -- it really made me stop to consider what she meant by that. You're so right that it speaks to the often baffling power dynamic between girls of that age.
ReplyDelete1) What do you think of when you think of "being free"?
ReplyDeleteRight now, I think of being completely unencumbred by any responsibility for anyone--not caring for my elderly mother, not worrying about dinner for my husband, not even dealing with my two cats. Just for once thinking only of myself. When I was teaching, I thought of the remainder of June as Being Free--it was when summer vacation felt truly wonderful and endless to me.
2) If you're a brand new Ferrante reader, where do you think this book is heading? What's being foreshadowed here?
Honestly, I have no idea. If it weren't for this being a book club book, it would be a DNF for me. Right now, I would guess that Elena's relationship with Lila is forged in the same kind of violence that her life in her neighborhood is. She uses it to make herself stronger and better. Clearly, she becomes fiercely protective of Lila as is evidenced by her refusal to tell Lila's family anything about her whereabouts later. Lila's fearlessness puts her on a dangerous trajectory, perhaps, and she has to virtually disappear to be safe?
4) What do you make of the anonymity of the author? Does it take away from or add to your reading experience? Do you think it's important to know about an author's background when reading their fiction? Do you think it's ethical for journalists to attempt to figure out who the author is?
Lots of female Victorian novelists had to use male surnames to be published, so this has historical precedence. And many modern writers publish other books under pseudonyms so as to either not saturate the market or try a new genre or just to toss out other stuff and see how the public likes it.
Journalists (or even bloggers and other amateur sleuths) are just doing their thing. I think it titillates the reading audience at large for a time, but it doesn't really matter one way or another. If the writer puts the stuff out there, he/she has to expect the consequences.
Oh, Nance. This would be a DNF for you? I'll be interested to see if things get better for you. Is it the writing style? I can see how the translation might seem a bit stiff. Is it the subject matter? I totally can see how the violence and general darkness would turn someone off. I'm interesting in what works and doesn't work in this book.
DeleteYou're the second person to suggest that if someone publishes a book, their right to privacy ceases to exist. I don't know if I agree with this. Just because you put stuff out there doesn't mean that you don't have the right to anonymity, does it? I'd be interested in what other people think about that.
I DNF-ed this book the first time I tried to read it, and like you Nance, I don't know if I would keep reading if not for CBBC and FOMO, haha. There are just a LOT of characters and while I am intrigued to find out what happens, I also don't really care?? Oof. Hopefully it gets better for us!
DeleteYou're not the only one, Stephany. My husband said he almost gave up right away when he saw the character list. There are so many characters and their complicated relationships can get confusing so quickly!
DeleteHi, Stephany. Like you, I find I don't really care about what happens to anyone in this book (yet, anyway). I don't feel drawn in or drawn to anyone in it in any way. Perhaps, Engie, it IS the way it's written; the narration/style is so basic and flat. There's very little dialogue, and I don't sense any emotion in the telling. It's like reading a witness statement written by a Highway Patrol officer.
DeleteI've read lots of dark childhood memoirs (The Glass Castle, for example), but they weren't such a Cold List Of Bad Stuff. I'm just struggling to find either a story or a character that's not one-dimensional.
As far as the privacy of an author, I think any public figure has a right to have whatever privacy they can manage. Manage being the key word here. But the Expectation Of Privacy has to be realistic. I know that even when I just take a walk in my neighborhood, I'm probably on at least a dozen or more cameras. And I'm a nobody.
I read this book before and gave it two stars (but I can't remember it at all!) so I am wondering if I will like it better this time around. I am hoping so. No matter what, I think discussing it with others definitely makes a difference! I will be curious to see if we (Stefany, Nance) like it more as the book develops!
DeleteI'm behind, but not too far, about 3/4 of the way through Childhood. I did try to read this book before when it first came out, because so many people raved about it (especially my sister-in-law), but didn't make it very far in the print edition. This time, I did buy the ebook because I imagined myself with the time to sit and read in bed, but really, this was not feasible based on my habits and because, also I've fallen out of the habit of reading words on a page. Also, honestly, it probably isn't my taste in books being so character driven - I prefer plot driven, so I'm not very drawn it it other than being in the CBBC. So about a week ago, I purchased the audiobook and find it much more compelling voice performed and I listen to it every morning while I get Edda up and out of bed and ready for school. I've recently become more fascinated in female friendships which I find to be the most complicated relationships that I have because, I think, females are both supportive and competitive in both overt and hidden ways. Thank you for hosting and helping me to remember to read books. <3
ReplyDeleteI was nervous to start the audiobook and I think the narrator is doing a fantastic job. I think that the advice to try the audiobook if you're struggling reading the words is super smart. I'm glad you're joining us and I can't wait to hear your thoughts about female friendship as we move on!
DeleteThe audiobook has been a lifesaver for me. The narrator's voice is perfect for it, and it helps me gloss over all the names (which were, honestly, slowing me down). I feel like I am paying less attention to detail than I do when I read e-books, but it's not hindering my enjoyment of it so far. I don't know if I would have gotten this far if I had stuck with the e-book only.
DeleteLenu and Lila's relationship is so complicated and they're so young in this section. I can hardly wait to see how this develops!
ReplyDeleteInteresting about how you feel so free at the beginning of a run, Jenny. That's for sure how you know you're a true runner. All I feel at the start of a run is dread!
I saw the commonality between Francie and these young girls immediately. Ughhh....so much violence and extreme poverty. I mean, how does this not affect these kids? How could they ever grow up and become GOOD people when they see everyone being so violent?
ReplyDeleteI've not read any of this authors books before and I'm puzzled about a writer wanting to be anonymous. Do you think they do this to be mysterious?
While listening (audio version) to this story I couldn't help but remember some of the friendships of my childhood. There were a few girls in school who were always mean to other girls, and did not have the wherewithal to be a friend. (thinking of when Lila threw her friends Doll down into the sewer) Looking back, surely those kids were being abused in some way; verbally or physically by their family or whatever....like the old saying: Hurt people, hurt people.
I imagine the author wants privacy for a variety of reasons. If they did grow up in a neighborhood like this, maybe they fear retribution? Maybe they didn't grow up in a neighborhood like this at all and they are nervous that the work won't be taken seriously if it wasn't based on a lived experience? Maybe they are just super private and don't want to do book tours? I think there are so many reasons to remain anonymous!
DeleteSuz--Your last paragraph is important. Not everyone has the wherewithal to be a friend. Friendships require trust and being able to commit part of yourself. If a person hasn't had those behaviours modeled for him/her, or if she's tried and had nothing but a negative return, then those expectations are going to make friendship feel like a trap.
DeleteAnd yes, hurt people do hurt people. I saw it so often during my teaching career. Sadly, even to the extent that steady and calm kindness couldn't help. Violence and/or neglect cause so much damage. Your point is well-taken.
My first reaction when an author is 'anonymous' is annoyance. Like ooh, you're so mysteeeeerious, puhlease. I try to squash this feeling, though, because I believe they have a right to be anonymous if they want to, and I don't really think it's ethical for journalists to try to find out who they are (although it would be naive in the extreme to think they wouldn't.)
ReplyDeleteIs anyone reading the book with the garish cover on it that makes it look like a romance? This was the cover I was familiar with for years before I read the book, and the cognitive dissonance was so jarring when I realized what the book was actually about. I read it quite a while ago, but i still remember the poverty and violence, and how it played a movie in my head that was really disturbing to watch.
I feel like I have a generous amount of freedom in my life. I only work part time, my kids are away at school, and my husband travels a lot for work. I am grateful for the time I get to spend walking and reading and doing puzzles and not having to justify my use of time to anyone. I'm grateful that I have friends to get together with when all the freedom starts making me loony. I wish that no one had to work full time to make a living and that more people had more free time, and i think about it a lot.
Yes, the original cover is TERRIBLE. The Europa editions have such terrible cover art and I wonder how this ever became a bestseller. All four of them are really bad. I didn't read it for a long time because of the same reason. I was resistant until Maureen Corrigan reviewed it on Fresh Air and then I felt silly for not reading it earlier.
DeleteMan, I do wish everyone could pick how much they want to work. My ideal work schedule would be part-time, too. But I can't live on what I make doing part-time work. I don't think I'd NOT work because that's boring and I'm sure there are people out there who love to work full-time. I just wish we had more options. There's no true freedom in a capitalistic society.
I agree re: anon authors. And! I have no context for figuring out who this person is, so I am even more annoyed.
DeleteI am excited to be part of this book club for the first time!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of being free:
I recently retired and have never felt freer. It’s when I have no commitments, obligations to anyone else and don’t have to navigate the social mine fields that come with engaging with others because of obligations.
Where the book is heading:
I started this book several years ago and found the writing kind of stiff and didn’t feel engaged so DNFed with the plan to revisit. I never got around to it and was glad to see this book was a choice for your book club and thought this would give me the incentive to read it, and it has! I don’t know where it’s headed but am looking forward to finding out. I prefer not to know what’s going to happen. I love to be surprised.
Anonymity of the author:
I don’t care about the author’s anonymity and never feel a need to know about them when reading their books. I have listened to author’s talk about their work and enjoy hearing how they struggled over a particular piece of writing, how they decided to take a story in a specific direction, but I do not need to know about their personal life. As a person who values her privacy, I think the journalists should stop the search. If the author wants to be known, he/she should be the one to make that decision.
Welcome, Jacquie! We're excited to have you here.
DeleteI'm so happy there are so many people who didn't immediately love this book. I'm hoping we get a variety of opinions on it. Most people loved ATGIB (there were a couple of notable exceptions), but I think we're going to have a much wider variety of viewpoints on this book and I'm pumped for a little controversy.
I mentioned before that this was a DNF for me the first time I tried to read it. I think I gave up around the 50-page mark. There were just SO many characters being introduced and the slow pace wasn't pulling me in. I wouldn't have tried the book again if not for the CBBC, so I'm pushing through even though I'm a little lukewarm on the book right now. I do really like the writing, though, and this first section went rather quickly!
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely a lot of parallels, and I like that we get to experience this time period and Naples from the eyes of Elena. I'm enjoying her character a lot! I gasped when Lila was thrown from her window. So much violence in these pages, oof. Oh! And the mentions of men showing their... unmentionables... at them. Gross men are gross.
1) I feel the most free when I can take a nap in the middle of the workday AT HOME with my cats! I feel so lucky to be able to have the job I do and have the flexibility to lay down if I'm feeling tired. It's so nice!
2) Hmm... where do I think this book is heading? Well, I am assuming Lila and Elena form a strong friendship but I think it's not going to be an easy friendship. I'm interested in seeing how Elena being in school changes their dynamic.
3) I didn't know that Ferrante was a pseudonym, but it doesn't bother me all that much. It's nice to know who an author is, their backstory, how they felt about the books they're writing, but if they don't want to share all that info, that's fine too.
When Lila was thrown through the window, I was utterly dumbfounded! Such a striking scene. I had the line about how that was just what fathers did ("that" being throwing children out windows, I guess) as a notable line, but it really gave me the sads, so I took out all the lines about violence. I think I might maintain a document with all the violence in the neighborhood. It just seems so brutal. I guess I had a more romanticized view of Europe post-WWII as all "we just suffered terrible atrocities, let's get together and be lovely to one another," but of course it wasn't like that!
DeleteI'm fully immersed in My Brilliant Friend. My daughter and I have watched all 3 seasons that are available on HBO Max, and are looking forward to season 4. Each season corresponds to one book. So when you suggested this book for CBBC, I was THRILLED, because I love the series SO MUCH, and I hadn't read it before. SO, I am reading a physical copy, listening to the audiobook, AND re-watching on TV, and I am loving every medium. Loving. Helpfully enough, the first two episodes finish right where we stopped reading this week. The show is pretty true to the books, with just some timing differences. I think the author was involved in the making of the show, but I'm not positive.
ReplyDeleteThe violence in the books/show are horrific. The idea of not being able to afford to send your kids to middle school is heartbreaking.
Since I have seen 3 seasons of the show, I do have some idea of the directions the friendship goes, and will not ruin it for anyone, other than to say that it is complicated and changes back and forth. And I've forgotten a lot, it's been awhile since I watched season 1, which came out in 2018.
I don't think Don Achille is a murderer. He is a loan shark, as evidenced by him loaning money to the hardware store owner, and then putting him out of business. Loan sharks have a lot of power to ruin people, and thus the parents all fear or at least distrust him. Lenu and Lila don't understand this nuance, so they put him out of proportion and make him into an ogre. I think this is why he gives them money, even though he clearly has no idea what they are talking about with the dolls. He's teaching them to come to him for money. I think the parents would have flipped out if they had known, since there is some reference to bad stuff happening long ago with him, and I wonder if either of their families had borrowed money from him in the past.
Wow, I did not even think about the loan shark thing...So you think that he likes to start them young by making them indebted to him early? Interesting. I was mostly focused on how annoyed I would be if I were Elena because my "friend" threw my doll in the basement and now I can't get it back. I did not even think about the nuances of the neighbors.
DeleteIs it clear in the chapters we've read so far that he's a loan shark? I just find all the adult relationships so confusing because Lenu's understanding is so limited. It's fascinating because the frame of the story is that it's Adult Lenu writing it, but it frequently feels like we're really in Girl Lenu's mindset.
DeleteHmm. I've been thinking about it, and I think you're right Engie, it's not clear. I don't know if it's EVER made clear, just where my mind went when Lenu said that the hardware store owner gambled his business away, and Lenu's idea of the tools going to his black bag bit by bit. Like if he was gambling too much, he might have had to borrow money.
DeleteI gave up on reading because it wasn't grabbing me, and then my ebook loan expired. I decided to let Fate determine if I should continue, and I got the book again, so I'm in.
ReplyDeleteWhat is missing in Elena that she needs Lila to fill? Her home life, hard as it is, is better than many of her peers. Her educational success is evident (though not without some effort and struggle). What is it about Lila that's the flame to Elena's moth? That's what I've been pondering.
Thanks, Engie, for corralling us all. xo
I was wondering the same thing D. I have a hard time with character driven novels where I do not like one of the characters, and I am not loving Lila right now! I want Elena to get smart and leave her. I am sure we will learn more soon though!
DeleteOh, interesting question. I guess what's missing in Elena's life is all the stuff we're looking for as a child, right? The approval of peers? Friends? Sure, she is smart and has a (relatively) good home life, but we all look for external validation, especially as children.
DeleteLike a few others, this would be a DNF for me if it wasn't a book club book. I got a late start on it because I was waiting for the physical book to come in. So I read on my kindle on Sunday/Monday and hopefully the physical book comes in.
ReplyDelete1. For me, it's a time when I am home without my children and not working which is something that is exceptionally rare!
2. I am not sure where this is going but I think it's going to examine what is probably not a healthy relationship... I didn't love the childhood friendship portrayal because it feels like a negative representation of a friendship between 2 little girls and kind of stereotypical, although these kids are experiencing true hardship which is probably causing some of the unhealthy behavior, especially on Lila's part.
3. I knew about the pseudonymn and it elicits a bit of an eye roll reaction from me!
1. Even when I am home alone, I still feel so many adults pulls (cleaning, exercising, etc.) that I never really feel free. Maybe I should plan a vacation.
Delete2. Oh, I don't read this as stereotypical at all. I think it's a very nuanced look at female friendship. It's interesting that you see it as stereotypical and I see it as more complicated. Great fodder for future discussions!
This sounds like fun! I ordered the audiobook! It's so wonderful that you look up things so I don't have to!
ReplyDeleteHa! You can look them up, too! Maybe there are other things you feel need to be looked up.
DeleteI'm loving the audiobook so far! I've been swept away by the story, and the audiobook narrator is so good! One of my favorite quotes so far is, "The teacher yelled, as she knew how to do, in a voice like a needle, long and pointed, which terrorized us..."
DeleteI was going to apologize... but then you said not to apologize... and also, I didn't miss much (I'd read the prologue and childhood section before). Yay! I think I'll be ready for next Monday! All I have to do now is get a picture of my reading chair.
ReplyDeleteEF is supposedly an author couple, no? She has a South Asian last name (Raja) but is not SA, I don't think.
There will be no apologies. RULE #1!!
DeleteHonestly, I don't think anyone really knows who EF is, at least it's not widely known. The Anita Raja and Domenica Starnone combo could be it. I don't have enough context to understand the pros and cons of each theory of authorship. And unlike some commenters, I kind of like that there's a modern mystery that I don't know the answer to!
I finished the section yesterday so coming back to this post. I love how you are guiding us!!! I didn't know the author is anonymous. I don't mind but would love to know about her and how she gets
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of when you think of "being free"?
A day without schedule, without an agenda, mostly by myself when I don't need to worry about "entertaining" the family. I had many of these days when I travel for work and have an open day.
If you're a brand new Ferrante reader, where do you think this book is heading? What's being foreshadowed here? Not sure, but i am excited for the adventure.
3) If you're rereading this book, what did you notice this time around that you didn't before?
first timer
so far I really enjoy learning about their family, the culture norm at the time, the complicated friendship of these two girls. One part that was vivid was when she drop Lila's doll, hiding her real feelings about it. Brilliant!
I am so excited that the brand new readers don't seem to think this is formulaic or predictable. What an interesting data point for me.
DeleteLearning about the neighborhood from the eyes of a child has been so interesting. I'm glad you're enjoying it, too.
So ,I haven't been keeping up with blogs and it completely slipped my mind that CBBC started this week. This is my first read on the book and I'm enjoying it. You're right about the parallels with ATGIB and the hard childhoods. although it is interesting the way the two main characters view things so differently. Francie seemed to almost gloss over the awfulness, or didn't really register it sometimes but Lenu, sees it and is in many ways hardened by it for example: "we grew up with the duty to make it difficult for others before they made it difficult for us."
ReplyDeleteThe idea of being free captured on that morning brings to mind my summers at our holiday house. We used to disappear off in the morning and roam all over town, visit differnt friends houses or the beach and then wander back home for dinner.
Another line of note: "Lila appeared in my life in first grade and immediately impressed me because she was very bad" This made me laugh. I also thought of my best friend from the last year of primary/secondary school. She wasn't bad. but she was more adventurous than me and because of her I was involved in a lot more activities (especially sporting as she is fairly talented in that area) but also a bit of mischief that I wouldn't have thought up on my own.
I have a cousin who was like that for me! We didn't see each other often, but when we did see one another, we sort of pushed the other into mischief. I was just on the phone with her last night and we came to the realization that there are a lot of people we should probably apologize to for being little jerks. LOL.
DeleteI just finished week 1, hoping I'll be able to keep up.... I have never read any Elena Ferrante books, so this is new to me, but I definitely thought of ATGIB when I read the first part "Childhood". There were a lot of parallels!
ReplyDeleteThe prologue was very interesting and intriguing... obviously these two women were friends (in some sort of way) for most of their lives), but what happened to Lila. Why did she disappear and how was there no trace of her? I am fascinated and eager to find out.
There are a lot of things I don't understand yet about the beginning of their friendship... (how did Don Achille become the bad man everybody makes him out to be? Where did the dolls go? I do think he gave the girls money out of pity... not because he's connected to the dolls' disappearance. What happened when they tried to go to the sea? I think they might have just underestimated the distance and probably didn't even go as far as it sounds - like distance and time are such "strange" concepts when you are kids).
So many parallels with ATGIB!
DeleteI think the scene with the sea is that Lila wanted Lenu to get into trouble so Lenu couldn't go to middle school. So Lila kept looking to see how much further they needed to go so that when they turned back, Lenu would be late getting home. But I'm definitely open to other interpretations of that scene! I think it was purposeful on Lila's part.
Well, I am not reading this book. But i have read a few chapters before I DNFed so I read through the comments and see if I stand by my choice.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I made cotognata last year. I had never had it before but I wanted to use all of the quinces my sister gave me. It is very sweet and you are supposed to eat it with cheese. I have one bar left in the fridge. Gifted it as Christmas presents to everyone.
Wow! I'd never even heard of cotognata and here you are making it!
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