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Welcome to our wrap-up for the Cool Bloggers Book Club (CBBC) for My Brilliant Friend.
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Did you all know that, in addition to being an HBO television show,
My Brilliant Friend has been adapted into a
graphic novel? Is there anyone out there who is surprised to learn that I immediately grabbed a copy from the library as soon as I heard this news? Also, is anyone surprised that there are five copies in our library system and all of them are available?
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MBF Questions to ponder:
1) Which character in the book are you most like? Why?
2) Nicole made this comment last week:
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.
What do you think of this reading of the book?
3) Let's discuss Tina and Nu, the dolls from the beginning of the book. Do you think that the way the girls played with the dolls is reflective of the violent, uncertain home lives they had at home? Is this why Lila was so cruel in their play?
4) In general, this novel seems pretty dark, but there are moments of happiness, like when Lenù first goes to the beach. What are other moments of happiness or levity that come to mind and how do those moments balance some of the darkness in this book?
5) Is this truly a story about "frenemies" or is it a story about friends who actually encourage one another to be the best that they can be?
6) This book was much more polarizing than A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, our first CBBC read, despite a lot of similar themes of urban poverty, the importance of education, and tough family circumstances. What made this one so much more challenging?
7) For those of you who haven't read any of the other books (it's a quartet), what do you think happens in the following books? What's going to happen with these girls?
8) What scene/quote/character from the book seems like it's the most memorable to you?
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CBBC questions to ponder:
1) What book should we read next? (It probably won't be until summer. Don't worry - no homework until then!)
2) I'm still trying to figure out the pacing for these book clubs. Was this too many pages, too few pages, or just the perfect number of pages each week?
3) Is there any other constructive feedback you'd like to offer about the running of CBBC? Please don't say stop talking about hats - I honestly cannot do that for you!
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And that is our first quarter CBBC in the can. I appreciate all of you who participated (especially those of you who didn't like the book!) and I cannot say how much it means to me that you all read and post and send me photos. As some of you may know, things are challenging for me in my personal life and having these smart, fun discussions about a book I really love has been a great distraction from less fun things in my life. Here's to another successful session of CBBC!
Yay Engie! Thank you SO MUCH for guiding another CBBC. I love your questions (and hat references!) and appreciate you leading us through this book so much.
ReplyDeleteWhen I ordered my copy of MBF from Amazon, they initially sent me a copy of the graphic novel. So I was aware that it exists, but I was so intent on getting the correct version of the book, I merely sent it back and didn't read it before doing so.
1. What character am I most like? Lenu, definitely. I really relate to her competitive spirit and her insecurity, LOL. She also seems like more of an observer than a participant in her own life, and I get that sensation of outsider-ness.
2. LOVE Nicole's interpretation of this book. Unfortunately, I got very wrapped up in the characters and saw her thoughts about it too late to read it through that lens. It would be interesting, I think, to return to the book with these analogies in mind.
3. The dolls!!!! That incident loomed so large in Lenu's childhood, it MUST be symbolic, right? I want to draw some connection between how Lenu lost a precious part of herself when she became close with Lila, but... I'm not sure I can quite get there without additional pondering.
As for what we read next, the book that popped immediately to mind was Heidi -- but I think that's purely because I want an excuse to read it again. The pacing is great! Please never stop talking about hats. Thanks again so much for leading the discussion!
You sent the graphic novel back! That's so funny. I didn't even know it existed until I went looking for images for this post. I will read it and report back.
DeleteThe dolls have to be something. I wonder if it's a symbol of something that happens in future books? Or maybe it is just to show that the two girls were replicating what they saw in their own home lives.
Engie, Thanks so much for so generously facilitating CBBC! The pacing was just right--when I fell behind it was because of personal stuff. I'm glad to have finally read this book despite not loving it.
ReplyDeleteI like Nicole's interpretation--I think that sort of emblematizing is definitely built into the book and necessary to understanding the cultural conversation. Coincidentally, I'm reading Jhumpa Lahiri's _Roman Stories_ right now, and it's sort of extending that very Italianate experience for me.
I do think that the setting is very important to the book, but I'm not sure if I think Nicole's interpretation brings much to the table because it limits the storytelling so much. That being said, if it makes people understand/relate to/enjoy the book more, I say go for it.
DeleteThanks Engie for hosting! You gave great questions and generated a lot of good discussion - excellent job on the book club!
ReplyDeleteSo fun that Suzanne mentioned Heidi - I read it RIGHT at the beginning of the pandemic when the libraries shut down. I was going through my bookshelves!
At the same time as reading this, my husband and I started planning a fall trip to Italy. Not to Naples, but it did put me in that frame of mind.
I don't think any one character is like me, but I did resonate a lot with both girls. Some of the awkward growing up things that happened to Elena, I really resonated with.
It's interesting, isn't it, how complicated the friendships between girls, and women, can be. Especially teen girls - it's such a complicated dynamic and I think that this was shown well here.
I think female relationships are complicated, hands down. Mother/daughter, sisters, friends, it's all very fraught, in my experience. But I guess that's why a lot of people didn't enjoy reading this - those complications can be difficult to untangle and hard to read.
DeleteI could really relate to Lenu in this book, which was one of the reasons I liked it so much. Lila is always a bit of a mystery- we don't really know why she's doing the things she's doing, so it's harder to relate to her.
ReplyDeleteNicole's interpretation is brilliant- I just read the book as an engrossing story and didn't think that deeply. Interesting that she enjoyed the book more when she thought of it like that. I also forgot all about the dolls! Yes, it's probably a reflection of the violence around them- the violence against women is especially terrible (I'm specifically thinking of what happens in the beginning of the second book.)
I don't think these girls were "frenemies" exactly, but the relationship is very complicated. Again, we don't really know what Lila is thinking so it's hard to get to the bottom of what's really going on. I don't want to make any predictions about what happens in subsequent books, because all my predictions have been wrong so far. But I am curious to know what happens.
I think the reading pace for this book club was perfect! If I were reading on my own I would have read the book faster, but I like reading it slower over the course of a month and having more time to think about it. I feel like I kind of pushed for MBF, because I got it for Christmas and really wanted to read it (and I knew it was one of your favorites) and then it turned out a lot of people didn't like it. So this time I make no suggestions! I'll happily read whatever everyone else wants to read.
Jenny, you HAVE to make suggestions. Otherwise I have too much power and obviously I can't be trusted with that power!
DeleteThank you for taking on the considerable job of hosting a virtual book club. It's a lot, and I'm appreciative. Nicole's perspective is interesting, but I don't think it would have made my reading more enjoyable or enhanced it. It was an immediate reaction to the narrative style; I felt yammered at.
ReplyDeleteAnyway.
I'm not comfortable with the term Frenemy overall, and not in the context of Lila and Lenu's relationship specifically. I think female friendships are generally more complex than male ones are. There are so many more nuances and layers. Sometimes boys could just physically fight it out and it's done. They can even insult each other and get it over with, the friendship not suffering at all. Girls just aren't like that. I think that's changing somewhat now that generations are becoming less Gender Role Traditionalists, but back in the time frame of the book, it was certainly that way.
It's odd that you mention moments of Happiness in this book because I found them so muted, almost like Relief rather than Happiness. She got to go to the sea, but her bed was in the kitchen and had to be disassembled and reassembled each day, etc.
I think the pacing of the reading was just right and not a burden at all. You did a perfect job of gauging that.
As far as the next book, are we tied to the YA thing or Coming Of Age novels? I have to say if it's Heidi, I'm out. Been there, done that so long ago! I'd like something more mature. But if the group decides on the above themes, then it's Majority Rules. Thanks again for all your very thoughtful hard work.
In our discussion choosing this book, we decided we will read "Great Books" and did not limit ourselves to YA books or any one theme. I am probably going to only pick women authors, but that's my own form of fighting the patriarchy. What suggestions do you have? What do you think is a good book that would appeal broadly to blog readers?
DeleteThank you so much for taking on this big task; I really enjoyed the book club meetings...even more than the book itself. ;) I know you've got a full plate, both physically and emotionally, so we all appreciate your time. I think this was the perfect amount of reading for each meeting! I can't think of a thing that we/you could improve on!
ReplyDeleteI'm tempted to watch the rest of the series on HBO (as opposed to the audio book) just to see how their relationship continues. I never got comfortable with the relationship between Lila and Lenu; it was odd to say the least. I suppose they all had so much turmoil at home, that it wasn't easy for them to completely let themselves be free with each other and felt that competing was the only option.
How fun that they have a MBF Graphic Novel too! I had no idea.
People who watch the HBO series seem to really like it. I hope the graphic novel is as positive an experience for me as the tv show has been for everyone else!
DeleteThank you Engie for hosting! I really appreciated your thoughtful questions. It made me think about the book in different ways, as did the comments of others. I found the pacing was easy to complete each week.
ReplyDeleteThe friendship in this book reminded me of Ann Patchett’s friendship with Lucy Grealy which she wrote about in her book “Truth and Beauty.” While there is a strong love for each other, Lucy had a dynamic personality that could be exhausting, even demanding, and Ann doesn’t shy away from how that could be a strain for her. Like Ann, Ferrante captured the full spectrum of women’s friendship which can be loving and supportive with each other, but also envious and distant, especially during the adolescent years.
I read a couple of articles about Ferrante, an interview with the author that focussed on her writing process behind the Neapolitan novels, and another that shares her own and other authors’ thoughts on her writing style. Here are links if anyone else is interested:
https://www.latimes.com/books/la-ca-jc-elena-ferrante-interview-20180517-htmlstory.html
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200828-the-remarkable-cult-of-elena-ferrante
I capped off the first book and started the second with a celebratory Margherita pizza that my research said began in a narrow alley in Naples!
So many weird things about the LA Times interview.
Delete1) The author refers to the Ferrante as "she" when there is some debate about whether it is a woman, man, or a couple who wrote the books.
2) Ferrante said she didn't plan the plot. Maybe that explains the upsetting prologue to nowhere?
3) She claims Naples is no more violent than any other city in Italy. Huh. That's not a selling point for me to visit!
In thinking through the ?s about Lila and Lenu's relationship, it really landed on how they hurt each other and themselves through language and esteem and impulse where we saw the men be so much more physically aggressive and violent (and, how the girls treated the dolls was mimicking both how women could be thrown away and then each other)....
ReplyDeleteI have not yet read nor Google-ed what happens in this series... What I really want is for each one to circle back to the moment this first one started with but give us one more piece of the disappearance puzzle until the last one tells THAT story. However, I feel like each one may, instead, deep dive into gender and cultural impacts of a different place (Rome, America, etc.)....
I loved being part of the CBBC session - thank you, Engie, for such amazing leadership! I really appreciated the pace of reading and the prompt ?s each week (vs. flying through a book to move on to the next).
Sometimes I think about the parallels between the little slights between Lila and Lenu and how the boys beat up the Solaras. Like Nance said above, sometimes boys just fight and then the friendship resumes, but girls sometimes hold onto resentments. I mean, boys and girls aren't monoliths and I'm probably speaking in generalities that aren't fair, but the parallels in this book between female and male friendships are striking.
DeleteOne thing is for sure, hats are staying! IMO the weekly reading was very manageable. I don't have a brilliant idea for a next book, but whatever we pick, I'm reading it.
ReplyDeleteHats 4LYFE!!
DeleteSee now, the graphic novel's cover is FIRE. That should be the cover of all versions of this book forever and ever amen.
ReplyDeleteRight? A million times better than the dumb Europa edition cover!
DeleteI'm almost finished with the second book, and one thing that is coming through to me that I didn't really catch watching the series (though watching it now I'm catching it more) is Lenu's lack of self. She sees herself through Lila's eyes, wants to please people, does things for them, not for herself. If Lila had the opportunities that Lenu had, I think she would have been a very different person. Well, maybe not a different personality, but she sure wouldn't have had to get married at 16. I want to believe that deep down they have a close friendship, but then one of them will do (or in Lenu's case, think) something really horrible, and it makes me reconsider. If I had to choose one of them to root for, though, I think it would be Lila. I've always adored her. Which one am I more like? Neither, I hope.
ReplyDeleteFor me, the most memorable scenes in the book are:
1. Asshat creepazoid guy molesting Lenu.
2. Asshat gangster guy showing up in Lila's shoes.
3. For some reason, the scene when the kids are throwing rocks, and Lila gets hit in the head because she can't dodge quickly enough, because Lenu is holding her hand. I don't think that Lenu wants her to get hit at all, but they do seem to cause each other pain, intentionally or not.
I will echo others and say THANK YOU for hosting, for coming up with the pace (which was perfect for me), for thinking of thoughtful questions and homework, all of that. I'm glad that this project gave you some distraction from everything going on with your mom/sister. <3
What to read next? Hmmm. I've always wanted to read 'Out of Africa', but since I haven't read it (only seen the movie) I have no idea if it's any good. I know you tossed the idea of 'Anne of Green Gables' out there, I would read that again (it's been many decades, I don't remember much). On the coming of age theme, there's 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter', which is really good. What about a book of short stories? Alice Munro is amazing. That's all I have for now...
I think about the doll scene a lot. And the Marcello showing up in the shoes. I don't know why, but those are the scenes that stick out to me.
DeleteThose are some great ideas for future book club reads. I'm jotting them down in my list!
Thank you for hosting the CBBC! I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts about the book. I enjoyed the audiobook very much, but I can't say I identified with Lenu or Lila. I felt bad for both of them because life was hard post-war, and their childhood didn't sound happy at all. I'm thankful that my childhood and friendships were very different from theirs! I like Nicole's interpretation. It helped me enjoy the book even more. I'm stunned that there's a graphic novel of the book! It doesn't seem like it would be a good fit. Is it? I'm curious to know.
ReplyDeleteI will report back IN DETAIL about the graphic novel. I think it will be cool to see what art style they went with to show the violence and danger.
DeleteWhile I fell off the CBBC wagon, I really appreciate all the hard work you do every week, Engie! Your questions are always so insightful. As for what to read next, I'm unsure! I'll have to do some thinking on that. I think it would be fun to do something a bit outside of the types of books we have been reading - maybe something nonfiction? Ooh, or Rebecca! That would probably be better for a fall book club if you're up to hosting a third time this year, but it's a book I've always wanted to read!
ReplyDeleteI promise you that it will not be nonfiction. LOL. You can start a nonfiction book club, my friend! Hmmm...I'll add Rebecca to the list, but do you think people will have to have read Jane Eyre to fully appreciate it?
DeleteThanks so much for hosting this. I haven't contributed much to the conversation because we have been away but I enjoyed reading this book for the first time and checking out everyone's thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the book! You're in the minority, it seems. :)
DeleteYeeks - I never commented! I think I was less invested in this book, and it showed. I voted for it, since I'd heard so much about it and wanted to see why (some) people seemed to love it so much. I couldn't get into reading the physical book, though, so flew through it on audio, instead. My 'reading' was more superficial than usual, and I really just focused on the story, not taking too much time to look beneath the surface. All of that to say - I can actually recall very little of the book, and don't plan to read the others. Not every book will be a winner for every person... so I will be interested to see the next choice! I have no suggestions, partly because I suspect that anything I suggest will be something that you, Engie, and the other voracious readers in our CBBC, have already read. Thank you for taking the time and energy to host, particularly when life has been so challenging. I hope you realize how much we all appreciate you. <3
ReplyDeleteI liked the pacing of the book and felt like it was manageable to get the reading done amidst other reading that I was doing. And you definitely do an amazing job running this book club! It really added to my experience!
ReplyDeleteI think I liked this one less than the Francie one because I just loved Francie so much but didn't feel that love for Lenu? I also went into this with the wrong expectations. A friend of a friend told me this was one of her all-time favorite books and when my friend asked her why she said it focused on the power and strength of women. With that expectation in mind, my thought was - are we reading the same book? I do not get that kind of vibe AT ALL. The friendship between Lenu and Lila was SO UNHEALTHY IMO. It wasn't a true friendship IMO. But maybe that shifts as the girls get older and get past seeing each other as competition/someone to "one up"? I also feel like the prologue did nothing for the book and acutally hurt the book since it set me up to expect this woman to go missing.
I don't think I agree with your friend about this as a book about the power and strength of women, either. It's about complicated female relationships, for sure, but in some ways it's really about how powerless women were in that time, in light of the power of the patriarchy. The more I reflect on L&L's relationship, the more I think it's NOT an unhealthy relationship - they each pushed the other to be more successful and do better. But obviously YMMV on that.
DeleteI don't disagree about the prologue. I think I liked the prologue the first time I read it because otherwise I would have worried while reading the entire book that one of them would die, but I knew from the prologue that they made it out of childhood. But reading it more critically, I feel like it does make promises it doesn't keep and I can see how that could frustrate readers.