Summary of My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend” is the internationally bestselling novel by Elena Ferrante that tells the story of two young girls, Elena Greco (also known as Lenù) and Raffaella Cerullo (known as Lila), who grow up in a working-class neighbourhood in Naples during the 1950s. They dream of escaping the poverty, violence, and lack of education that surrounds them.
Reasons to read My Brilliant Friend
“My Brilliant Friend” is the first instalment in a series of four novels, mainly set in Naples, collectively known as the Neapolitan Novels. The other books in the series are “The Story of a New Name”, “Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay”, and “The Story of the Lost Child”. These novels have sold over ten million copies worldwide and are considered modern classics of Italian literature. The novels delve into themes such as friendship and rivalry between women, the oppressive constraints of family life, community, and social background, and the struggle of women for independence in a male-dominated society. “My Brilliant Friend” and the other Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante offer a vivid introduction to Naples from the 1950s to the 1980s. In 2024, The New York Times ranked “My Brilliant Friend” as number one on its list of Best Books of the 21st century. “Elena Ferrante” is a pseudonym, the true identity of the author remains unknown.
Original title: L’amica geniale
Year of publication: 2011
Nr of pages: 331
