Tuesday, January 3, 2017

Jan 2017 - My Brilliant Friend

From Goodreads:
(L'amica geniale #1) by Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein (Translator)
"A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship.

The story begins in the 1950s, in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these tough streets the two girls learn to rely on each other ahead of anyone or anything else. As they grow, as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge, Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. 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 her protagonists, the unforgettable Elena and Lila.

Ferrante is the author of three previous works of critically acclaimed fiction: The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, and The Lost Daughter, and this novel is the first in a trilogy."

Helpful Links (*Spoilers May Be Possible*):
-Author Site click here.
-"The "Unmasking" Of Elena Ferrante" New Yorker Article click here.
-"Women On The Verge" (review of her writing in general) New Yorker Article click here.

We will meet to discuss My Brilliant Friend on Thursday 1/26/17 at 7pm in the Community Room of the Atlantic Highlands branch of the Monmouth County Library (located at 100 First Avenue inside Atlantic Highlands Borough Hall in downtown Atlantic Highlands opposite Veterans Park).