Past discussion:
Week One, Prologue & Childhood
Week Two, Adolescence Chapters 1 - 16
Week Three, Adolescence Chapters 17-30
Week Four, Adolescence Chapters 31-45
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What happened in these chapters?
Lila sets a wedding date (March 12! - crazy timing!) and gets married. Meanwhile, Lenù has found herself in a relationship with Antonio. In the final scene, Marcello Solara walks into the wedding wearing the handmade shoes Antonio had bought from the Cerullos.
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Lines of note:
"I meant only that you are good at making yourself liked. The difference between you and me, always, has been that people are afraid of me and not of you." (page 294)
I thought this was a fascinating line because it doesn't really strike me that Lenù is particularly savvy about other people's emotions. A retelling of this book from Lila's perspective would be so interesting.
Lila told me that, on seeing the shoes she had designed years earlier made real, she had felt a very violent emotion, as if a fairy had appeared and fulfilled a wish. The shoes really were as she had imagined them at the time. (page 304)
This was striking because there's not much whimsy in this book. A fairy!
Next to her was the wedding dress, which looked like the body of a dead woman..." (page 312)
Even I caught this metaphor about Lila's wedding day.
With them I couldn't use any of what I learned every day, I had to suppress myself, in some way diminish myself. (page 319-320)
Interesting. I certainly felt this way at times when I would go home. I have a particular family member who refers to me as the "one with the stick up her ass" because I do not laugh at their crude, mean, and often times appalling inappropriate jokes. I sometimes feel like I try to melt into the shadows at family events so I don't have to explain myself.
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Hat mentions (why hats?):
It was no longer a matter of dresses or hats or scarves or jewelry. (page 291)
In the houses of the neighborhood the mothers, the grandmothers had been working for months to make dresses, to get hats and purses, to shop for a wedding present, I don't know, a set of glasses, of plates, of silverware. (page 303)
Only now, as I write, do I realize that Fernando at that time couldn't have been more than forty-five, Nunzia was certainly a few years younger and together, that morning, he, in a white shirt and dark suit, with his Randolph Scott face, and she, all in blue, with a blue hat and blue veil, made an impressive sight. (page 314)
In case you didn't know (and I certainly didn't), Randolph Scott was an American film actor who was in more than 100 films, most of them westerns.
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Last week's homework:
I got really excited when the title showed up in the text.
"Not for you; you're my brilliant friend, you have to be the best of all, boys and girls." (page 312)
It's a bit interesting because I think that for most people they would think that the "my brilliant friend" in the title was Lila, not Lenù.
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Thing I looked up:
Oblomov - A 1859 novel written by Ivan Goncharov as a satire of the Russian intelligentsia.
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Questions to ponder:
1) What does the last scene mean? Is it just as simple as the Solaras as now the new moneylenders/loan sharks in the neighborhood and now Stefano is indebted to them, so, by proxy, is Lila? Is it just foreshadowing of their marriage because Stefano promised that Marcello wouldn't be at the wedding? Or is there deeper meaning here?
2) Did you find this ending satisfying? It's the first of four books, so there's more to the story of these two young women, but do you think this book stands on its own? (I don't usually put my own opinion here, but I feel like the prologue promises us a mystery story and then doesn't deliver.)
3) There's still so much competition here between these girls, but it feels like Lila really softens by asking Lenù to help her with the wedding planning because Lenù is so good at handling people, by noting that Lenù is her "brilliant friend," and by acknowledging that Lenù's performance at school is something she is proud of her for. What is the reason for this turnaround, do you think?
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Next week's homework:
What do you want to talk about in the wrap-up next week? Are there questions you want me to ask? Are there themes you think I've ignored?
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Upcoming CBBC schedule:
Week Six
Monday, March 11
Wrap up!
Monday, March 11
Wrap up!
I finally got it together and finished the book!
ReplyDeleteEngie, you hit the nail on the head when you said it promised a mystery and failed to deliver. I may go back and reread the beginning again to check if my memory is accurate, but the feeling I carried with me throughout the whole book was that Lila wanted to disappear, and eventually did so SO completely that she removed herself from photographs. That is a powerful and troubling desire and I wanted to understand why she grew to feel that way. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
Loved it when I came across the title of the book! That's always so fun. And here it was lovely to find that Lenu was the brilliant friend. It feels realistic to me that Lenu would latch on to that characterization of herself in Lila's words.
Speaking of things I do not understand: WHY was Solara wearing the shoes? Was there some backroom deal going on that I completely missed/misunderstood? Is Stefano less wealthy than he seems to be? Does he care for Lila less than he seems to? Did he steal the dolls from the girls at the beginning of the book and this is some sort of long game of cruelty? I have no idea what's going on here or why.
Part of my problem, I think, is that there are SO MANY characters. And some of their names are similar to those of other characters, or they have nicknames, and I got very confused throughout.
Despite all this! I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was easy to read and had a propulsive energy that carried me along. But it was not a satisfying ending for me, in any way!
I got so excited when I came across the title of the book. So exciting! I feel like it doesn't happen all that often in the books I read and I'm going to start pointing it out when it happens.
DeleteI don't know that I understand the shoe thing. I *think* it's just a symbol that even though Lila told Stefano she didn't want the Solara brothers there and Stefano couldn't stop it. Maybe because Stefano borrowed money from the Solaras for the shoemaking operation? I feel like it's just a symbol that Lila is now indebted to the Solaras, which is the last place she wanted to be? Maybe.
The name thing is crazy. I honestly just kept going back to the front of the book to check who was who. BUT! Isn't that how things are in real life? Every neighborhood is full of this. In my town, there are three different books clubs with a lot of overlapping members, but X runs the first book club and Y runs the second and Z is in both, but V doesn't like X and so only belongs to the second book club. Y and X have sons who are the same age and they like each other so that's awkward for playdates. And it IS confusing to keep it all straight. So while I think all the names annoyed other people, it just made it seem more REAL to me.
I had an epiphany when I started this part, and I actually went back and reread some of the previous chapters: I was reading this all wrong. When I read it like a regular book, I found myself absolutely slogging. When I read it as a symbol for Italy, post-World War II, it was fascinating. I read it as all the characters were symbolizing different parts of Italy - education (Elena), beauty and fashion industry (Lila), automotive, agricultural, export industries, etc. Also - the mafia. I felt like this was foreshadowing for the mafia's hand in the running of the country. When I read it like that, I felt that it was very powerful and interesting. When I read it just as a story, not at all. I wish I had thought to do that at the beginning of the book, it would have made for a much better reading experience for me.
ReplyDeleteThere were SO many characters, as Suzanne said, and all with nicknames. I was so grateful for the list at the beginning of the book.
I like surprise/ inconclusive endings because it makes me think about what could have happened, so I did like how it ended. It definitely set it up for a trilogy and hence wasn't exactly satisfying. Still, glad we read this book.
Nicole, it's actually a quartet!! So many books! I see what you mean about how each character could symbolize a different part of Italy, but I feel like that interpretation would really ruin this book for me because I love what the book is saying about the complicated nature of human beings and I'd hate for all of those complications just to be about international relations.
DeleteI love your take on the ending. I think I'm going to try to embrace it. It's satisfying because you get to choose your own (predictions of) adventure!
I'll be honest. I was frustrated by the ending in this book, even knowing it's a series. I mean, come on! Why didn't the author circle back to the mystery alluded to in the intro? Why wasn't there more of a sense of closure at the end of this book? I don't think the fact that it's #1 of 4 precludes providing a reasonable ending, and I feel like there just... wasn't one. I am not a fan of endings that leave me hanging. Add in the fact that I had the same issue Suzanne did - not understanding why Solara was wearing the shoes - and I was doubly frustrated.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I found the lead up to the wedding (gah - she was sixteen!) fascinating, particularly Lila turning back to Lenu as a friend and source of support. I got two meanings out of the "brilliant friend" description: 1, as someone who is academically gifted, and 2, someone who is more adept at navigating challenging situation and not... ticking people off. :)
I did not pick up on that quote about Lenu having to suppress and diminish herself, but oh, Engie, I hear you on that. I haven't experienced what you have with your family (I'm so sorry...) but I do find that I restrict what I share and with whom, because, well, so many people are just not interested. Many of my family members prefer a simpler, "easier" description, so I humor them and limit what I share.
I didn't love the book, I'll be honest. I probably won't read the next 3, but I may pull a Birchie and read the summaries online. :)
The lead up to the wedding was fascinating. Lenu making all the decisions, helping Lila get bathed and dressed - what a wild ride for the two of them. I feel like I have some stories about weddings and how they bring out the best and worst of relationships, so this is just another example of how I feel like this book is very reflective of how people actually are. I just really adore it.
DeleteFamilies are complicated. I'm just going to leave it there.
Families are weird, complicated, and often (to me, at least) set in their ways. Truer words...
DeleteWell... I have to admit that I know what happens AFTER the wedding, because my husband loved this book so much, he's reading the second one. So I just had to pick it up and I read about 50 pages of it. I won't say anything here in case someone else is planning to read it. OR, maybe in the next week's discussion we could have a "spoiler alert" discussion, where you tell the rest of the story- i probably wouldn't read that part because I do plan to go on and read the second book, but there are probably a lot of people who are frustrated by the ending and aren't planning to go on to read the rest of the books. So to answer that question- no, I don't think this book has a satisfying ending.
ReplyDeleteI ended up REALLY liking this book. I agree that the characters could be confusing, but I just kept reading and let the story wash over me, and eventually I could keep them straight. I just loved the writing in that, I could really feel what Lenu was feeling. All the confusing emotions of adolescence were there, and in that context her actions all made sense to me. I also loved the moment when LILA says to LENU "You're my brilliant friend." Yes, I like it when the title of the book shows up in the story, and this was in an unexpected way.
Oh and by the way, now I understand why my husband liked this book so much, ha ha. It got pretty steamy!
I really like this book, too, Jenny. I just feel like it's an unflinching look at human nature and it feels so real. I find the ending a bit dissatisfying, but maybe it's just because of the prologue. If the prologue wasn't there, maybe it'd be fine. It's the prologue that's the problem!
DeleteThis is probably as far as I'll go with this series... I felt like I was being strung along--so I'd keep turning the pages and buying the books--and I didn't like that as there wasn't a significant payoff. I got a sense of post-war Italy from this book, so I'm glad I tried it though.
ReplyDeleteRe. the Homework, there's a name for it! "The title drop." I love how in some books (Zadie Smith's "White Teeth" and "The Fraud" and Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49" come to mind) there are multiple title drops and they define how we can read various elements of the story.
The title drop! I'm going to start using this regularly when I see book titles in the text. I really don't see it very often, so I was surprised when there it was! And from such an unexpected place.
DeleteSigh. I think I got all excited about by how the book started that I ended up being disappointed. I was really invested in the mystery of the beginning - where did Lila go? How did she and Lenu get to this point in their relationship? - and that isn't really THIS book at all....
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicole that I like it much more as a post-WWII snapshot of life in Italy, but I still want to read the book I thought it was (or, maybe I just don't want to read the whole series?)... The connections between the families, geography, power, and loss gave such deep context to writing that did feel so de facto - even when writing about violence or strong emotions.
I always get a burst of energy when someone says the name of the thing in the thing (books, tv shows, movies) and that energy is determined by how well it is woven in; sometimes it can be so cheesy, but I found it quite effective and surprising here.
I think about how my mom (born in 1940s America, so that same post-WWII era) was always so intent on agreeing and repressing for the sake of fitting in. As the black sheep of my immediate and broader family, it's always been a balance of being isolating and liberating. Families are so weird.
The prologue really did promise more than it delivered! I think it's a fair criticism that it was a bit misleading about how the book would turn out.
DeleteI can't actually think of many times when the name of a book comes up in something I've read, but I can see how it would sometimes be cheesy! I'm glad it wasn't in this book.
Families are so weird. I feel like this is the understatement of the century.
Ok, so now that you've put it out there yes I was very frustrated that the book set up Lila's disappearance and then never got back to it. I didn't want the answer at the end of book four, I wanted it now. Then give us some other cliff hanger to justify another book and make us want to continue on in the series. But oh well. I still enjoyed the setup and getting to hang out with the Cool Bloggers.
ReplyDeleteI mean, in every book club there are winners and there are losers. I still feel like this is an amazing book, but I hear the criticisms people have. Next time round hopefully it will be a book that resonates with more people.
DeleteThis has been a great reading experience for me! The book was a slow start for me, which is the reason I DNF’d a few years ago, but I am so glad I stuck with it. I currently have the 2nd and 3rd books out from the library and am 100 pages into the second book. I also plan to continue with the HBO series, as I love how that is enhancing my reading experience.
ReplyDeleteI knew this was a 4-book series, so I never thought back about Lila’s disappearance at the beginning of the story. I imagine the answer will come up in book 4 and if it continued to remain a mystery, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. Lila is a mystery because the book is being told from Lenu’s point of view only.
I related very much to the dynamic shift in the friendship. While Lenu is quieter and appears more insecure than Lila, that is the outside of each of the characters. We all have a way of presenting and guarding ourselves to the world, but the inside often only comes out in very intimate moments, or large shifts in our lives. I know from experience that when I have had a major life change – education, marital status, children etc., many of my friendships/family relationships changed dramatically – some for the better, others unfortunately ended. That’s the ebb and flow of life. I also loved the “my brilliant friend” drop in the book! As you said, Engie it shifts the perspective of who is the brilliant friend.
I loved the ending of this book. It was such a gut-punch. To require the financial and social connections the Solara family could provide makes sense. Stefano is a businessman and doesn’t want to lose his investment, it’s a small, impoverished town and the local people were not able to buy such pricey shoes to support the shop. I wasn’t surprised that the brothers showed up at the wedding – how could Stefano keep them from coming? However, to give Marcello the first pair of shoes made by Lila that he had originally bought, was such a huge betrayal!
The last line “It was the pair she had made with Rino, making and unmaking them for months, ruining her hands” – While I don’t know for sure, this line implies to me that Lila’s life is going to be a long, hard slog.
I do think that last line is so indicative of what's going to happen. We know, from the prologue, that Lila ends up with a lazy, emotionally worthless son, so the foreshadowing of a hard life is so clear and sad. I mean, it's absolutely clear that Stefano doesn't have a backbone and while maybe Lila thought the her backbone would be enough for them as a couple, it's just so clear that Lila as a single person cannot fight the patriarchy of her neighborhood. And isn't that a message for all of us?
DeleteI both disliked and felt for Lenu in these chapters. She is so possessive of Lila, she doesn't want the separation that Lila's marriage will bring, the difference. She doesn't want to be left behind, or else she wants to keep Lila with her. "Inside, it was what I truly wanted: to bring her back to pale, ponytailed Lila, with the narrowed eyes of a bird of prey, in her tattered dress." And gah, she is mean to Antonio. She asks him to take her to the wedding, to not leave her side. He goes into debt on the wedding, having a suit made, buying clothes for his sister, his mom, his younger siblings. She could not care less and intends to break up with him after.
ReplyDeleteMore though, my heart broke for Lila. When Lila finds out about Marcello's father being such a big part of the wedding, she wants to break it off. Her father and brother tell her how it is, that the Solaras are powerful and they will never be able to sell the expensive shoes without their support. And of course she questions the wisdom of the marriage to Stefano. "But I read in her eyes that that move of Stefano's had shown her something about him that she still couldn't see clearly and that just for that reason frightened her even more than the ravings of Rino." Remember in last week's readings, she asked Stefano if he was different, and he said he wanted to be, but he wasn't sure. UGH.
And the shoes...to have Marcello, who she hates so so much, whom she barely escaped marrying, show up in her shoes, that her husband purchased as a declaration of love for her? That he rhapsodized about, about how those shoes were a witness to their love story? The betrayal of the shoes shows just how powerful the Solaras are, how they will bully to get what they want. It's heartbreaking.
I read that the author wanted one book, not four. If we look at it that way instead of as the first book in a series, I think the fact that the mystery isn't solved makes more sense.
I noticed that Vesuvius was mentioned several times in these chapters. Do you think that's symbolic? The explosion that killed the village?
I am so glad you brought up Lenu's treatment of Antonio! She was so awful to him! I mean, I absolutely understand that she doesn't want to be alone, but she was cruel.
DeleteThe more I think about it, the more I'm so sad that Lila just can't fight her circumstances on her own no matter how powerful her personality. The line about the wedding dress looking like a dead woman really broke my heart.
Can you elaborate more on why you think it makes more sense that the mystery wasn't solved if the author had planned on just one book? Do you think the author tacked on the prologue later?
Vesuvius is so interesting! I mean, it's Naples, so of course it would show up. But is it symbolic of changes coming to Lila and Lenu's life or is it just symbolic that they're always living under major threat of violence and destruction? It's just full of meaning.
Oh, I guess I just mean that it wouldn't feel unsatisfying to have the mystery not solved at the end of the first book, assuming it will be answered at the end of the fourth book. If it were all one book, we wouldn't have this feeling, right? We'd just be going along. I now have all four books in my possession, and am reading the second, and really enjoying it. As you know, my daughter and I have been watching the series since it came out, and have really been hooked by it. I will say that the first time I watched it, I was confused by all of the characters, but we like to re-watch things, so I've seen it a few times, and so I'm not suffering the character confusion that some people go through.
DeleteSeason 4 is supposed to come out this year, but I'm not sure when yet. First I heard summer, now I'm hearing November, so we shall see. I will have read the book by then, I am sure, and will post a spoiler alert summary on my blog for everyone!
Yeah, I guess I don't know enough about the publishing history of this book. Was it always intended to be a quartet? Because if it was meant to be a standalone, I can see why some people might be upset by this ending!
DeleteI'd actually forgotten about the beginning of the book, where it starts with Rino (Lila's grown son) looking for her....in the future of the actual story. *Sigh*
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that the author wrote this with the mindset that it would be a series, because the ending was horrible for those of us who were only going to read the one book. Right?
Oh, poor Lila, at her wedding. To be so disappointed by her new husband who promised he was NOT like Marcello or the Solaras.
And Lenu, who was stringing Antonio along, while pining away for Nico who wasn't going to give her the tine of the day.
What struck me too was how horrible Lenu's mom is to her. I mean, goodness, what a unsupportive witch she is!
I finished the book last week, then I binge watched the series on HBO over the weekend, finishing it last night. This might be the first time I've seen a show that actually followed the book almost to a T.
That being said, if I'd not read the book, I'd never have watched more than the first episode of the show though; it doesn't seem super exciting, and reading the subtitles isn't the best for me because I really have to pay attention. 🤣 But it was interesting nonetheless.
We don't have HBO, so I don't know if I'll ever get to watch the show, but it sounds like it's super impressive how closely it mirrors the book. I wonder if the author was a writer on the show?
DeleteLenu's parents are really horrible, aren't they? I mean, so are Lila's parents. I guess in post-war Italy there wasn't a lot of time for nurturing parenting.
I hated the ending because I do not plan to continue with this series. If I read this when it was just published, I would have been SO PISSED with the ending. Why even have that prologue if it wasn't at all tied up at the end. It was like the prologue was written for a different book in the series.
ReplyDeleteI think the prologue is the real problem. I think if the book had just been childhood and adolescence, no one would have thought twice about the ending, right? It ends at a wedding, which a lot of books do. But because the promise made in the prologue wasn't delivered people are not happy with the ending.
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