My Brilliant Friend

[Anonymous]

I’m the only one of my friends who loves these books, and I like really love them! Part of it is that my grandmother was from a poor Greek family so it felt like a window into what her life would have been like if her family hadn’t emigrated to the States… I also found the relationship between Elena and Lila to be more akin to sisters and similar to my relationship to my sister - a complicated mix of love, jealousy, and never really knowing where you stand.

[Anonymous]

I absolutely hated the book. It did not get better and I did not read any of the others.

[Anonymous]

The first book was hard to finish, but I loved the rest of the series. My favorite was the last one, but now the first one makes much more sense and became an important part of the story.

[Anonymous]

I wish Ferrante wrote another book from Lila's perspective!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

I loved The Goldfinch and I loved My Brilliant Friend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

A Little Life

[Anonymous]

I’m currently reading Brilliant Friend and I like it. I’m definitely engaged and want to see where the character’s lives go. I hated the Goldfinch and A Little Life.

[Anonymous]

I preferred The Lying Lives of Adult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

All great books have lots of haters—look up any classics on Goodreads. For what it’s worth, my book club loved the Ferrente books and we went on to read her others. But it is a pretty ambitious group of readers. It’s not the most accessible book club fare.

I am an ambitious reader, and hate most book club fare (the nightingale?! No.) but really did not like my brilliant friend. For me, it dragged

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

A Little Life

Omg no one thinks that is considered “a great book” it’s just tragedy porn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

I loved The Goldfinch and I loved My Brilliant Friend.

Liked the goldfinch (loved? Eh) and hated my brilliant friend

[Anonymous]

I loved the book (and the series!) but found it hard to figure out what was going on at the beginning of the first book. I would persevere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there an analogous book that is considered a great book but that most people actively dislike? I can’t think of any.

The Goldfinch!

A Little Life

Omg no one thinks that is considered “a great book” it’s just tragedy porn

What? I know it's hated by DCUM, but it was also praised by many literary critics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did not love the first one (My Brilliant Friend), though I liked it. When I finally read the subsequent books, I loved them and felt by the end like i had been though an intense psychological experience. I think altogether, considered as a group, they are among the best things I have ever read. So I would finish and keep going.

This is exactly how I feel about the series. I was breathless by the end of the series - like what did I just read? FWIW, I listened to three of them and read one. Very much enjoyed the audiobooks. The first one felt especially slow because I was trying to figure out who was who - it’s a lot of characters.