It's 100 minutes until 22nd October here in Germany. I hope it is not too soon to start posting.
October was special because we could choose our own book to read. But, it was even more special for me, because I actually read 6 books. In my opinion, these ranged from literature to trash and I’m going to start with the book I consider literature! It’s a book which I really should read again in order to gain more insight – though, it is easy to read on a superficial level just to find out what happens.
What book did you read?
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
A stand-alone coming-of-age story. though there could easily be a sequel on the way. I do hope so.
Why did you choose it?
For me, the 4 novels in the Neapolitan series were among the most interesting books I came across during recent years. Her 4 follow-up books were not so enthralling, but I decided to read “The Lying Life of Adults” maybe because of the sentence printed on the cover “Two years before leaving home, my father said to my mother that I was very ugly.” Well, he didn’t say that in so many words, but Giovanna understood that being compared to her aunt was not a complement and so began a period of self-loathing.
The story is set in two very different areas of Naples – one middle class, where Giovanna lives with her parents, and the other a poorer, rather vulgar area where her father grew up. Her father had not only no contact with his sister still living in the slums, but Giavanna's parents very rarely even mentioned her.
The book was certainly as good as I had hoped. The ending was difficult to accept but maybe more symbolic than fact! Probably the bracelet, passed backwards and forwards over the years, also had a meaning which evaded me – but I did learn that in Naples there is a tradition of handing down jewellery from one generation to the next.
It was a fast read if you like this type of book, which describes people as they are – not black or white – good or bad – but various shades of grey. There were so many points which would have been really interesting topics for discussion in a book group – but I’ll reread it and do my own brainstorming!
If you liked “My Brilliant Friend” by the same author, you’ll probably love this one too.
I read a paperback copy which I bought used on eBay.
5 reviews to follow! But I'll be able to put at least 2 of them together!
October was special because we could choose our own book to read. But, it was even more special for me, because I actually read 6 books. In my opinion, these ranged from literature to trash and I’m going to start with the book I consider literature! It’s a book which I really should read again in order to gain more insight – though, it is easy to read on a superficial level just to find out what happens.
What book did you read?
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
A stand-alone coming-of-age story. though there could easily be a sequel on the way. I do hope so.
Why did you choose it?
For me, the 4 novels in the Neapolitan series were among the most interesting books I came across during recent years. Her 4 follow-up books were not so enthralling, but I decided to read “The Lying Life of Adults” maybe because of the sentence printed on the cover “Two years before leaving home, my father said to my mother that I was very ugly.” Well, he didn’t say that in so many words, but Giovanna understood that being compared to her aunt was not a complement and so began a period of self-loathing.
The story is set in two very different areas of Naples – one middle class, where Giovanna lives with her parents, and the other a poorer, rather vulgar area where her father grew up. Her father had not only no contact with his sister still living in the slums, but Giavanna's parents very rarely even mentioned her.
The book was certainly as good as I had hoped. The ending was difficult to accept but maybe more symbolic than fact! Probably the bracelet, passed backwards and forwards over the years, also had a meaning which evaded me – but I did learn that in Naples there is a tradition of handing down jewellery from one generation to the next.
It was a fast read if you like this type of book, which describes people as they are – not black or white – good or bad – but various shades of grey. There were so many points which would have been really interesting topics for discussion in a book group – but I’ll reread it and do my own brainstorming!
If you liked “My Brilliant Friend” by the same author, you’ll probably love this one too.
I read a paperback copy which I bought used on eBay.
5 reviews to follow! But I'll be able to put at least 2 of them together!