Book Review: My Brilliant Friend by, Elena Ferrante

In today's video I'll be reviewing My Brilliant Friend by, Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend Written Review: www.instagram....
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IG: / alana_estelle

[@mattkean1128]

I need to continue the series. I was surprised by the level of authenticity i felt with the characters.

[@alanaestelle2076]

That’s a good wait to describe the characters - they are definitely authentic!!

[@gogreenorgohome9731]

It's very heavy and how relatable most of the characters are makes it all even more devastating.

[@welldonebooks]

this series is one of my all-time favorites. nothing matches the level of realism Ferrante has reached with her characters. they walk off the page for me. excited for you to continue the series!!

[@alanaestelle2076]

I can already see why it’s one of your favorites! I’m hoping to sneak in the second one before the end of the year. And yes! Her characters are incredibly believable.

[@KDbooks]

Oh my, I need to actually read this now

[@alanaestelle2076]

YOU DO! We need a video on your channel about this 🤣

[@nat4465]

Hello Alana, I was at the live yesterday. I’m so glad I found out about your channel. I love your in depth longer format reviews. I’ve already watched some that I may return to comment on later (I did leave my like). I loved this book so much. I appreciated how the author realistically captured the thought process of a girl growing into adolescence and how complicated it can be with how she relates to other girls and boys. and the family dynamics in this small town. Laila did have her dark side but I did appreciate how honest she was and self aware she was. And you get to understand where her more aggressive side comes from (like a self defense mechanism) When I started the book, I was a bit skeptical because I thought the book was going to just going to talk about how quirky and different her friend is “she’s always doing something crazy” But I was so wrong. There’s a lot of depth to all of the characters. Although it was hard to keep up with who’s who when it came to the secondary characters 😅 but I wouldn’t mind rereading. Lastly, I think it is genius for the author to go by a pen name. And to judge them based on their work alone.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you so much!!! ❤️ Yes! I agree with all your points here - this really is a great piece of literature. And agreed! So smart of the author to do that

[@Joy-boy-joy]

How I imagined you ordering take out after this: -May we have a name for the order? -Yelena. -Ok Yelena what can we... -No, it's Elena. Yelena is in a different book. -Ok Elena .. -Yelena... -Ok Ye... -Elena... And this continues until someone can verify for me that you ate and survived this endless loop.

[@alanaestelle2076]

LOOOOOOL! Rest assured I managed to eat and get my thoughts right 🤣

[@oakleywyatt1717]

I love this series! I'm up to the start of book 4, they just get better and better. So rich, so beautifully written.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Oooh this is making me so excited to read the rest of them! 🙌🏼

[@johnboardley]

Was wondering where to begin with Ferrante. Just ordered My Brilliant Friend. Thanks!

[@jamesduggan7200]

Thanks Alana. Very likely, the next time I'm browsing a book shop something will catch my eye and I'll say: "Oh, Elena Ferrante! I've heard good things about this." I might get it and I might not, but that's the experience, no?

[@alanaestelle2076]

Haha that is definitely the experience! 😂

[@BooksInJapan]

I just finished the first book. Took me a little over a week. I appreciated the shared experienced that I had with many of the characters in the book. The amount of characters sometimes confused the f$%k out of me. But I enjoyed the book.

[@alanaestelle2076]

There are A LOT of characters in this book!!

[@sandy23stories40]

I’m currently reading the days of abandonment so far I love her writing style can’t wait to read more of her works

[@alanaestelle2076]

Oooooh glad to hear because I hope to read that one at some point 👀. She is such a talented writer!

[@bopyranks]

I highly recommend the Italian novel "Ties"/Lacci by Domenico Starnone (translated by the great Jhumpa Lahiri) as a companion piece to Days of Abandonment. It's a beautiful novel and after you read it you can do a deep dive to find out more about the relationship between these two books, and their authors. It's also been made into a movie by a director I really like but it isn't available yet in English I don't think.

[@mame-musing]

Good review! I’ve read the first two. I mostly listened to the audio for the 2nd book “The Story of a New Name”. Thought the narrator,Hillary Huber, did an excellent job. While reading the books I frequently used my phone to look up on Google images many of the places cited throughout the novels. It’s more than a year since I finished the 2nd book. Now, I have to get to the third before I completely forget how the characters have interacted with each other.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you! I can imagine that these books are fantastic in audio! And that’s sucks a good idea to google the locations while reading!🙌🏼

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

I keep going back and forth over if I want to pick this one up. Also I agree on the pen name.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Oooooh do it!! 🙌🏼

[@OliviaLobo12]

Just finished reading this one... another brilliant recommendation. Thanks, Alana. love your videos. Wanted to pickup Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier next..would love a video on your thoughts on tht if u hv read already...😊🙏🏻

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!! I really need to reread Rebecca. It’s been a few years.

[@TangibleReads]

Now I am hungry too. I like how you said life happens, which changes plans. So true. But at least they put education as a priority first to overcome their circumstances.

[@alanaestelle2076]

Whew yes! Life really does know how to make us adjust! Same and I’m curious to see what happens with that element of the story on the other books!

[@grethi8110]

Lila is pronounced Lee-la, not Lyla :)

[@alanaestelle2076]

Thank you!! 🙌🏼 such a pretty name.

[@bopyranks]

Ferrante's prose has a relentless/propulsive quality that somehow remains beautiful and insightful. I love this series and hope you have a good time reading it. And although this IS a space about books, I would be remiss if I don't mention the television adaptation, which is a masterpiece.

[@alanaestelle2076]

That is the perfect way to describe her prose!! I do plan to check out the show eventually! I heard great things.

[@Pestopasta_]

I knew you’d love this! I bought all 4 because it’s not often you hear solely praise for a series. I mean, I have not heard one bad review! I love that we don’t know her identity it adds to the mystique and probably added to the rawness that the book depicts female friendships; the anonymity gives her the freedom to write truthfully. After assassins apprentice I’ll jump onto these. So excited :-)

[@alanaestelle2076]

Yes! It’s so good! Now I’m curious to know if there are bad reviews. Time it go digging around on Goodreads 🤣 ok I just finished Assassin’s Apprentice and LOVED IT!

[@I-CH-j8n]

Were you on of the judges ?the New York Times has just released the top 100 books of the 21 century ❤🎉

[@alanaestelle2076]

@@I-CH-j8n I wasn’t! They contacted me and asked to use a clip from my review! So nice of them to feature it! ❤️

[@martasoltys9091]

Well, we have different tastes. I did not like this book at all. I suspected this already when you said you hated The Catcher in the Rye (no one ends up at a mental institution unless they have real problems. And I know b/c I work with the mentally disabled). Anyway, thanks for the review anyway. I did read a few books I'd never read if I didn't stumble upon your channel. Thank you for that!

[@alanaestelle2076]

We do have some in common - the differences just keep things spicy 😂🙌🏼

[@martasoltys9091]

@@alanaestelle2076 Yes, I'm loving The Little Life. Even if it's not entirely realistic (the characters being so successful and all (I did wonder if Jude would've been capable of such success with his past and physically pain)); but it reads so well. And I did like A Very Nice Girl. I'm still waiting for Paul. Writers &Lovers is okay so far, but I'd never read it at all, if it were not for you. I'm thinking of reading Euphoria. The bookstore made a mistake with Paul and I've been waiting almost 4 weeks, so that is first. Still, have Whispers to read by Audrain, but I have heard it's not as good as The Push. I don't know why I don't like Ferrante. I know people Iove her. I did notice that my taste has changed in the last couple of years. I did love Girl in Pieces and Asymmetry (as I mentioned I think you'd enjoy it). It's just ...different. Really original way of approaching fiction.

[@franciscotorres7821]

I came to your channels to hear about Elena Ferrante's novel but after the third time you said you were hungry I quit. Good luck with your reviews!

[@alanaestelle2076]

👍🏼