“One of the more nuanced portraits of feminine friendship in recent
memory.” Vogue
A London Guardian Pick of Best Books of the 21st CenturyA New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 YearsA Time Magazine Top 10 Book of the Decade in FictionA Town & Country Magazine Pick of 17 Best Books of the DecadeA New York Times bestsellerA Harper’s Bazaar Pick of Books You Should Read before Visiting Their CountryA 2018 New York Times Pick of the New Vanguard in FictionA Literary Hub Pick of the Best Translated Novels of the DecadeA BuzzFeed Books Pick for Life Changing Books to Read with Your MomA Bustle Pick of 12 Modern Books That Will Become ClassicsAn Electric Literature Pick of 9 Toxic Friendships in LiteratureAn Amazon Editor’s Top Pick of Book Series to Binge OnBookPage Top Pick for Binge-Reading a SeriesAn Audible Editors Top Pick of Best Audiobooks Now a TV ShowSee All +
Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times bestselling “enduring masterpiece” (The Atlantic) about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples
Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship.
This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence. 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 two women.
Praise
“One of the more nuanced portraits of feminine friendship in recent
memory.” Vogue
“An intoxicatingly furious portrait of enmeshed friends…Ferrante writes with such aggression and unnerving psychological insight about the messy complexity of female friendship .” Entertainment Weekly
“Ferrante’s freshness has nothing to do with fashion…it is imbued with the most haunting music of all, the echoes of literary history.” New York Times Book Review
“Ferrante, beautifully
translated by Ann Goldstein…writes with a ferocious, intimate urgency.” San Francisco Chronicle
“Hillary Huber’s subtly shaded performance couldn’t be better as she reveals the complexities that separate and connect the two women…Ferrante’s dense, rich prose provides the perfect palette for Huber’s artistry. Huber’s delivery of this well-plotted, absorbing story of friendship will leave listeners wanting more.” AudioFile
“This gorgeous novel should bring a host of new readers to one of
Italy’s most acclaimed authors.” Barnes&Noble.com
“Ferrante’s unflinching and insightful prose…is captivating and hopeful.” Booklist (starred review)
“It is Lila
and her dreams and caprices that drive everything…Lila, mercurial, unsparing, and…seemingly capable of
starting a full-scale neighborhood war, is a memorable character.” Publishers Weekly
“What is most essential to the story is what is most essential in all our stories: love, loss, sex, marriage, children, friendship, family, dreams, and everything in between.” Literary Hub
“Hillary Huber’s subtly shaded performance couldn’t be better as she reveals the complexities that separate and connect the two women. When adult Elena learns that her volatile, impulsive childhood companion has disappeared, she decides to write Lila’s story and the story of their lives together. Ferrante’s dense, rich prose provides the perfect palette for Huber’s artistry. She draws clear portraits of each woman and her family, as well as the small town outside of Naples where they live just after WWII. Huber’s delivery of this well-plotted, absorbing story of friendship will leave listeners wanting more. AudioFile
Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction, Genre Fiction, Family Life, Literary Fiction, Coming of Age, Friendship, Most Popular, Most Popular, Fiction - All, Fiction - Adult, Movie Tie-ins, Movie Tie-ins
Elena Ferrante, author of The Days of Abandonment, Troubling Love, and My Brilliant Friend, among others, is one of Italy’s most important and acclaimed contemporary writers. She was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2016 by Time.
Hillary Huber, a Los Angeles–based voice talent with hundreds of commercials and promos under her belt, was bitten by the audiobook bug in 2005. She now records books on a regular basis and has been nominated for several Audie Awards and won numerous Earphones Awards.
Overview
A London Guardian Pick of Best Books of the 21st CenturyA New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 YearsA Time Magazine Top 10 Book of the Decade in FictionA Town & Country Magazine Pick of 17 Best Books of the DecadeA New York Times bestsellerA Harper’s Bazaar Pick of Books You Should Read before Visiting Their CountryA 2018 New York Times Pick of the New Vanguard in FictionA Literary Hub Pick of the Best Translated Novels of the DecadeA BuzzFeed Books Pick for Life Changing Books to Read with Your MomA Bustle Pick of 12 Modern Books That Will Become ClassicsAn Electric Literature Pick of 9 Toxic Friendships in LiteratureAn Amazon Editor’s Top Pick of Book Series to Binge OnBookPage Top Pick for Binge-Reading a SeriesAn Audible Editors Top Pick of Best Audiobooks Now a TV ShowSee All +
Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times bestselling “enduring masterpiece” (The Atlantic) about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples
Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship.
This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence. 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 two women.