My Brilliant Friend

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My Brilliant Friend book cover

by Elena Ferrante

Publication date: September 25, 2012
Publisher:  Europa Editions
Paperback: 331Pages

Publisher Description

Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times–bestselling “enduring masterpiece” about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples (The Atlantic).

Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence.

Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between two women.

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About the author

Elena Ferrante remains a mystery, writing under a pseudonym and keeping her identity private. But her stories speak volumes. With the Neapolitan Novels, she’s become one of the most powerful voices in contemporary fiction—especially when it comes to writing about women’s inner lives with honesty and nuance.

Find more about Elena ON HER WEBSITE

Praise

“The book expands as propulsively as the early universe, encompassing ideas about art and politics, class and gender, philosophy and fate, all through a dedicated focus on the conflicted, competitive friendship between Elena and Lila…uncompromising, unforgettable.”—The New York Times, The #1 Best Book of the 21st Century

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“A large, captivating, amiably peopled bildungsroman.”—James Wood, The New Yorker

“One of modern fiction’s richest portraits of a friendship.”—John Powers, NPR’s Fresh Air

“Elena Ferrante is one of the great novelists of our time.”—Roxana Robinson, The New York Times Book Review

“Compelling, visceral and immediate…The Neapolitan novels are a tour de force.”—Jennifer Gilmore, The Los Angeles Times

“It took my breath away…so honest and right and opens up heart to so much.”—Elizabeth Strout, writer

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