a lifestyle blog for book lovers
Menu
The Neapolitan Novels Boxed Set
I picked the first installment of Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet up from my local bookstore's "blind date with a book" shelf: the bookseller had described it as "a masterpiece you probably haven’t read yet." (Years later, booksellers can no longer say that with confidence!) The quartet revolves around the friendship between Elena and Lila; My Brilliant Friend begins when the girls are in first grade and carries them through adolescence. Thought-provoking, beautifully written, realistic enough to be quite difficult in places. But readers who love this LOVE IT. Originally written in Italian and beautifully translated by Ann Goldstein.
About the Book
In one volume, the New York Times–bestselling epic about hardship and female friendship in postwar Naples that has sold over five million copies.
Beginning with My Brilliant Friend, the four Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante follow Elena and Lila, from their rough-edged upbringing in Naples, Italy, not long after WWII, through the many stages of their lives—and along paths that diverge wildly. Sometimes they are separated by jealousy or hostility or physical distance, but the bond between them is unbreakable, for better or for worse.
This volume includes all four novels: My Brilliant Friend; The Story of a New Name; Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay; and The Story of the Lost Child.
“Imagine if Jane Austen got angry and you’ll have some idea of how explosive these works are.” —The Australian
“Nothing you read about Elena Ferrante’s work prepares you for the ferocity of it.” —The New York Times
“An enduring masterpiece.” —The Atlantic
Look Inside
