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My Brilliant Friend

By Elena Ferrante
Series: Neapolitan Quartet
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Check link for latest rating. ( 446,417 ratings, 43,767 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is the first novel in the Neapolitan Quartet, exploring the intricate friendship between two girls, Elena and Lila, in a post-war, poverty-stricken neighbourhood of Naples. As they grow, their bond is both supportive and competitive, reflecting the challenges of changing societal expectations, family ties, and personal ambitions. This evocative narrative captures the complexity of friendship and the relentless quest for personal identity through the lens of their intertwined lives.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate rich character development and complex female friendships. Set in a vibrant yet tumultuous neighbourhood in Naples, it delves into themes of ambition, loyalty, and the socio-economic struggles of post-war Italy. It's perfect for readers who love immersive storytelling and the exploration of deep emotional bonds.

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The international bestseller, now in B-format paperback with a brand new cover.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The story of Elena and Lila begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood 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 their friendship, beautifully and meticulously rendered, becomes a not-always-perfect shelter from hardship.

A memorable portrait of two women, My Brilliant Friend is also the story of a nation. Through the lives of Elena and Lila, Ferrante gives her readers the story of a city and a country undergoing momentous change.

Lists

Books to read for Women in Translation month!

Series: Neapolitan Quartet

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  • My Brilliant Friend
    The story of Elena and Lila begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood 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 their friendship, beautifully and meticulously rendered, becomes a not-always-perfect shelter from hardship. A memorable portrait of two...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
    Set against the vibrant and tumultuous backdrop of the late 1960s and the 1970s, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay continues the intricate saga of the defiant and spirited Lina and her lifelong friend, the intelligent and ambitious Elena. This third instalment in Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed Neapolitan Novels, masterfully captures the evolving landscapes of personal and political upheaval, portraying...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Story of a New Name
    The Story of a New Name, the second book of the Neapolitan Quartet, continues the compelling narrative of Elena and Lila, two childhood friends navigating the complexities of life in a poor neighbourhood of Naples in the 1950s and 60s. Lila has recently married Stefano and is now deeply entwined in the pressure-laden world of the family business. Her life...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Story of the Lost Child
    The Story of the Lost Child is the captivating conclusion to Elena Ferrante's remarkable Neapolitan Novels. This mesmerising finale sees the complex relationship between two lifelong friends, Elena and Lila, reach its zenith. Now adults, their lives remain intertwined despite following vastly different paths, bound by an unbreakable bond marked by love, rivalry, and unprecedented loyalty. Elena, the reflective and...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • My Brilliant Friend
    My Brilliant Friend
    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. Through the...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $5200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is celebrated as a leading example of autofiction, praised for its gritty and intense portrayal of friendship. Critics highlight its uniqueness, with comparisons to Balzac and feminist theory, and commend its hypnotic and compelling narrative. The novel is recognised for its exploration of adolescence, female awakening, and emotional depth, securing its status as a modern classic in contemporary literature.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787702226

Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 March 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Contributors:

  • Translated by Ann Goldstein
  • Translated by Ann Goldstein

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 331

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Best Selling Books Elena Ferrante Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction New Zealand's Best Selling Books Series: Neapolitan Quartet

About the Author

Elena Ferrante is the author of The Days of Abandonment (Europa, 2005), Troubling Love (Europa, 2006), The Lost Daughter (Europa, 2008) and the four volumes of the Neapolitan Quartet (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child), published by Europa Editions between 2012 and 2015. She is also the author of a children's picture book illustrated by Mara Cerri, The Beach at Night, and a work of non-fiction, Frantumaglia: A Writer's Journey. Incidental Inventions, her collected Guardian columns, were published in 2019.

Also by Elena Ferrante

View all
  • Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
    Set against the vibrant and tumultuous backdrop of the late 1960s and the 1970s, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay continues the intricate saga of the defiant and spirited Lina and her lifelong friend, the intelligent and ambitious Elena. This third instalment in Elena Ferrante’s acclaimed Neapolitan Novels, masterfully captures the evolving landscapes of personal and political upheaval, portraying...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Story of a New Name
    The Story of a New Name, the second book of the Neapolitan Quartet, continues the compelling narrative of Elena and Lila, two childhood friends navigating the complexities of life in a poor neighbourhood of Naples in the 1950s and 60s. Lila has recently married Stefano and is now deeply entwined in the pressure-laden world of the family business. Her life...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Story of the Lost Child
    The Story of the Lost Child is the captivating conclusion to Elena Ferrante's remarkable Neapolitan Novels. This mesmerising finale sees the complex relationship between two lifelong friends, Elena and Lila, reach its zenith. Now adults, their lives remain intertwined despite following vastly different paths, bound by an unbreakable bond marked by love, rivalry, and unprecedented loyalty. Elena, the reflective and...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Lying Life of Adults: A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
    Incendiary. - Mail on Sunday The most intense writing about the experiences and interior life of a girl on the cusp of adulthood that I have ever read. - Financial Times An astonishing, deeply moving tale. - The Guardian Modern, urgent, truthful. - The Telegraph Giovanna's pretty face has changed: it's turning into the face of an ugly, spiteful adolescent....
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Incidental Inventions
    "This is my last column, after a year that has scared and inspired me." With these words, Elena Ferrante, the bestselling author of My Brilliant Friend, bid farewell to her year-long collaboration with the Guardian. For a full year, she penned short pieces, the subjects of which were suggested by editors at the Guardian, turning the writing process into a...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Hardback
    $3400
    Elsewhere:
    $3699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • In the Margins
    'Elena Ferrante has established herself as the foremost writer in Italy - and the world.' - The Sunday Times A delightful collection of essays exploring reading and writing from the internationally acclaimed author of My Brilliant Friend and The Lying Life of Adults. Ferrante's writing has been described as compulsive (The Times) and astonishing (Guardian), her novels have sold millions...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Days of Abandonment
    'Stunning... the raging, torrential voice of the author is something rare.' - The New York Times The Days of Abandonment is the break-out novel by the internationally acclaimed author of My Brilliant Friend. Rarely have the foundations upon which our ideas of motherhood and womanhood rest been so candidly questioned. This compelling novel tells the story of one woman's headlong...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Lying Life of Adults: A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
    Two years before leaving home my father said to my mother that I was very ugly. The sentence was uttered under his breath, in the apartment that my parents, newly married, had bought in Rione Alto, at the top of Via San Giacomo dei Capri. Everything - the spaces of Naples, the blue light of a very cold February, those...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Hardback
    $5000
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • My Brilliant Friend: The Four Volumes
    When Elena Ferrante set out to write the story of Elena and Lila, she conceived it as one single work of fiction, one expansive novel that would capture the reality and ambivalence of female friendship, motherhood, marriage, class, and adolescence. 2025 marks 10 years since publication of the quartet was completed. To celebrate this anniversary, as well as honour and...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Hardback
    $9999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Frantumaglia
    In this collection, renowned and reclusive Italian writer Elena Ferrante addresses subjects such as her choice to remain anonymous, her literary inspirations, politics and culture, and the role of the writer (and the publisher) in modern society. Ferrante's voice is ever the same; direct, penetrating, sharp, inspiring and intimate. Frantumaglia highlights the thoughts and reflections of Ferrante, who is the...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $3299
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • My Brilliant Friend
    My Brilliant Friend
    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. Through the...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    $5200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Lost Daughter
    The Lost Daughter
    From the international bestselling author of MY BRILLIANT FRIEND Leda is devoted to her work as an English teacher and to her two children. When her daughters leave home to be with their father in Canada, Leda anticipates a period of loneliness and longing. Instead, slightly embarrassed by the sensation, she feels liberated, as if her life has become lighter,...
    By Elena Ferrante
    Paperback
    Sold Out

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