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My Brilliant Friend
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 1
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Series: The Neapolitan Novels, Book 1
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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The Story of a New Name
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 2
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 19 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The Story of a New Name follows Elena Ferrante's critically acclaimed My Brilliant Friend, featuring Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their 20s, and marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile Elena continues her journey of self-discovery.
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Story is engaging but narrator ruins it - monotone
- By susan gyopar on 2020-05-28
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Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 3
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In this third Neapolitan novel, Elena and Lila, the two girls whom were first introduced in My Brilliant Friend, have become women. Lila married at sixteen and has a young son; she has left her husband and the comforts her marriage brought and now works as a common laborer. Elena has left the neighborhood, earned her college degree, and published a successful novel, all of which has opened the doors to a world of learned interlocutors and richly furnished salons.
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So disappointing.
- By kirsti johnson on 2019-02-23
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The Story of the Lost Child
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 4
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the dazzling saga of two women: the brilliant, bookish Elena and the fiery, uncontainable Lila. Both are now adults; many of life's great discoveries have been made, its vagaries and losses have been suffered. Through it all, the women's friendship has remained the gravitational center of their lives. Both women once fought to escape the neighborhood in which they grew up - a prison of conformity, violence, and inviolable taboos.
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This book is rhythmic! Poetic! Sensual !
- By anne verner on 2018-09-13
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The Lying Life of Adults
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- Narrated by: Marisa Tomei
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
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Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, is looking more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Will she turn out like her despised Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father have spent their whole lives avoiding and deriding? There must be a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.
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narrator is not great
- By Juliana on 2020-12-24
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The Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay & The Story of the Lost Child
- The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Anastasia Hille, full cast, Monica Dolan
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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From one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, The Neapolitan Novels is an exploration of the friendship between Lila and Lena, two bright young girls who grew up in the tough, rough streets of postwar Naples. This is no normal friendship; it's a friendship that loves, hurts, supports and destroys - and yet it is one that lasts a lifetime. These four full-cast BBC adaptations bring the streets of Naples vividly to life.
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meh
- By Mary Lynn Forrest on 2020-01-06
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The Vanishing Half
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- Narrated by: Shayna Small
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, Southern Black community and running away at age 16, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: Their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her Black daughter in the same Southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past.
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Couldn't put it down
- By Tasty Sunshine on 2020-07-23
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The Story of a New Name
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 2
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 19 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Story of a New Name follows Elena Ferrante's critically acclaimed My Brilliant Friend, featuring Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their 20s, and marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile Elena continues her journey of self-discovery.
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Story is engaging but narrator ruins it - monotone
- By susan gyopar on 2020-05-28
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Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 3
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 16 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In this third Neapolitan novel, Elena and Lila, the two girls whom were first introduced in My Brilliant Friend, have become women. Lila married at sixteen and has a young son; she has left her husband and the comforts her marriage brought and now works as a common laborer. Elena has left the neighborhood, earned her college degree, and published a successful novel, all of which has opened the doors to a world of learned interlocutors and richly furnished salons.
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So disappointing.
- By kirsti johnson on 2019-02-23
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The Story of the Lost Child
- The Neapolitan Novels, Book 4
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 18 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Here is the dazzling saga of two women: the brilliant, bookish Elena and the fiery, uncontainable Lila. Both are now adults; many of life's great discoveries have been made, its vagaries and losses have been suffered. Through it all, the women's friendship has remained the gravitational center of their lives. Both women once fought to escape the neighborhood in which they grew up - a prison of conformity, violence, and inviolable taboos.
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This book is rhythmic! Poetic! Sensual !
- By anne verner on 2018-09-13
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- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
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Overall
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Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, is looking more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Will she turn out like her despised Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father have spent their whole lives avoiding and deriding? There must be a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.
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narrator is not great
- By Juliana on 2020-12-24
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The Neapolitan Novels: My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay & The Story of the Lost Child
- The Complete BBC Radio Collection
- Written by: Elena Ferrante
- Narrated by: Anastasia Hille, full cast, Monica Dolan
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
From one of Italy's most acclaimed authors, The Neapolitan Novels is an exploration of the friendship between Lila and Lena, two bright young girls who grew up in the tough, rough streets of postwar Naples. This is no normal friendship; it's a friendship that loves, hurts, supports and destroys - and yet it is one that lasts a lifetime. These four full-cast BBC adaptations bring the streets of Naples vividly to life.
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meh
- By Mary Lynn Forrest on 2020-01-06
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Couldn't put it down
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My heart could just burst!!!!
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Gut wrenching to listen to...
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A Harlequin Romance, with Zoology Thrown In
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In 1987, when Hilary Mantel was first published in the London Review of Books, she wrote to the editor, Karl Miller, ‘I have no critical training whatsoever, so I am forced to be more brisk and breezy than scholarly.’ This collection of 20 reviews, essays and pieces of memoir from the next three decades tells the story of what happened next.
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Amazing Read!
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Gorgeous story. Might not work as an audio book
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loooong and slow
- By Sunnypatch on 2020-07-13
Publisher's Summary
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, who represent the story of a nation and the nature of friendship.
The story begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood 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 they grow - and as their paths repeatedly diverge and converge - Elena and Lila remain best friends whose respective destinies are reflected and refracted in the other. They are likewise the embodiments of a nation undergoing momentous change. 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 her protagonists.
With My Brilliant Friend, the first in a series, Ferrante proves herself to be one of Italy's greatest storytellers. She has given her listeners a masterfully plotted pause-resister, abundant and generous in its narrative details and characterizations - a stylish work of literary fiction destined to delight her many fans and win new listeners to her work.
What the critics say
"Hillary Huber's subtly shaded performance couldn't be better as she reveals the complexities that separate and connect the two women.... Huber's delivery of this well-plotted, absorbing story of friendship will leave listeners wanting more." (AudioFile)
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What listeners say about My Brilliant Friend
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Laurie Hoyda
- 2018-09-14
A Real Surprise.
I chose this book in a bit of a hurry because I had 6 credits waiting in my #Audible1 basket. Since I happen to have a brilliant friend, it made sense. I listened every morning on my pilgrimage (as I pretend I’m walking the Camino de Santiago) and was pleasantly surprised. I found myself returning to my childhood with memories of my own. This story of the lives of two young girls, revolves around post WW2 Italy. It is an historical novel, told from their perspective, from their innocence to maturity. It is a winner, narrated by an accomplished reader, and worthy of commendation for my discriminating book club.
2 people found this helpful
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- alexandra e noga
- 2018-07-23
weakest of the series
This is a very interesting book as it deals with a friendship that is 'unusual' from what one usually reads in novels. Of the four neapolitan novels, I found this the least interesting, but it did help to build the 'foundation' for the rest of the novels, and I think as a series it is very good and very interesting.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-04-03
I read all the books in the series
the narrator had an addictively soothing voice, the story was well written and in such a way where it was very analytical and descriptive. it's kind of how I think and reflect as well, so it was very interesting to read a book that had a heroine that did the same thing, it made me feel like I was in her head
1 person found this helpful
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- Peter
- 2019-01-13
Settle in!
Once I settled into the pace another world in amazing detail opened up. An amazing book in simple language.
1 person found this helpful
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- Julia
- 2018-12-11
Had to read for a class
Not a big fan of this one. Found it tame and pretty boring. The story was engaging at times but overall uneventful. Had to write a paper on it but felt there wasn't much to talk about in this book. If you like books that surround a group of people in a town going about daily life and struggles then this is for you, if you don't then avoid at all costs
1 person found this helpful
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- Janie N.
- 2019-06-01
Great listen
Great story, but a bewildering number of character names, since so many had nicknames. I needed to go to the print book to check on who was who. But the world of 1950's Naples is compelling and the narrator was excellent.
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- nucky
- 2019-03-24
Italian words pronounced with Spanish pronunciation
This really spoiled my mood to listen. That should have been the first thing to ensure: pronounce the Italian names right. It’s a book about Naples! She is pronouncing the names with a Spanish pronunciation.
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- Sesto Vespa
- 2019-03-06
Brilliant!
A captivating story of two lives bound together by childhood and the wish to thrive in an environment that's very unforgiving. The detailed descriptions of everyday life, emotions, experiences and inner thoughts are interesting and never boring. The story is captivating from beginning to end. It leaves you with a sense of 'a life lived through others' . It's excellent! We listened to this on our car on a long road trip - and we never noticed the many hours that went by!
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- Elaine Amador
- 2018-03-26
Captivating.
I could not stop until I finished it. The characters reminded me people I once knew. I can't wait to start the next one.
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- W Perry Hall
- 2016-09-14
Parte Uno Dei Quattro--It's Worth it to Keep Goin'
I thought I'd chime in on this little novel to say to readers this first part of the so-called Neapolitan novels is worth reading to get to the really good stuff in parts 2, 3 and 4. Do NOT Give Up. I thought about abandoning this about halfway through it. I found books 2-4 addictive.
The author considers the 4 parts as just one novel (it was divided by the publisher into 4 parts). As such, it's really hard to rate My Brilliant Friend as a novel on its on. No doubt, one must read this to fully appreciate and enjoy parts 2, 3 and 4. Here, all the characters and conflicts are introduced as is the poor and violent neighborhood on the Naples outskirts, in itself a character as a magnet where the families live and so many things happen over the course of the books, as it stands at the foot of the infamous Mount Vesuvius, the only active volcano on mainland Europe.
Think of it like this: can you think of a great lengthy novel that if you read only 1/4 of it as a stand-alone novel, you'd love it and give it 5 stars. This wasn't written, or intended, to be read as a novel. This one, very similar to the first 1/4 of all really good lengthy novels, is mostly setup, introductions, character development up to, well, up to the teen years of the two main characters.
Viewed as one novel, it's a bildungsroman following the lives of Elena (called “Lenù”) Greco (the novel is told in the first person recollections of Elena) and her razor-sharp, but enigmatic, best friend Raffaella (“Lila”) Cerullo, from childhood, here in My Brilliant Friend, to adulthood.
I'd give this 3 stars as a stand-alone. Yet since it's really the first part of a single novel, I'll give it 4 stars because I'd give the novel an overall 4.5.
The narrator takes a little getting used to, but you'll find that she's perfect as you get into books 2, 3 and 4.
183 people found this helpful
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- Allison Modafferi
- 2017-05-11
Well read except for jarring mispronunciations
I enjoyed this book a lot, except for the crazy, jarring mispronunciations of the character Lila's name. We learn that her name (Lee-la) is also Raphaela (which she is never called) and Lena (which she is sometimes called) but the reader also pronounces Lila as LIE-la numerous times, and even Lee-lo. Sometimes she pronounces her name two different ways in the same sentence!
26 people found this helpful
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- Joe Kraus
- 2015-09-18
Sweetly Dense and Focused
Any additional comments?
Ferrante seems like the "it" writer of the moment, so I gave this a shot because so many are talking about her. Expecting greatness -- maybe a Nobel candidacy -- I came into this in a demanding mood, and it mostly delivered. In its way, it's a "small" novel, a story that's confined to a handful of characters trapped in the same small neighborhood.
That claim hardly does it justice, though. It's rich in characterization and hunger, and it's a coming-of-society story as much as it is a coming-of-age one. I'm weak on my post-War Italy history, but it's clear that the protagonist is growing into adulthood just as Italy is shaking off the legacy of World War II. There's some explicit talk of building a new society, of forgetting the trajectory of the old ways, and then there are some powerful descriptions of how difficult it is to become someone other than your parents' child.
In the same way, I find this a striking feminist novel, too. The narrator's friendship with Lila is powerful and interesting. They're "frenemies" as much as best friends, and each undercuts the other's ambitions and hopes as often as she supports them. It's a great glimpse, as a male, at the very different dynamic that I've heard my wife and others describe in some of their friendships.
So, I love all that, but there are a few downsides.
First, the narrative is quiet and slow. I found I got hungry for more events, even small ones, but much of what happens is anticipation. Again, that's clever, but I'd like to have seen it culminate in more than it does.
Second, and this may be the same point from a different angle, it doesn't really end. That is, the next book in the cycle seems less a sequel than a continuation. I'm tempted to read it -- I am interested enough in the characters to want to know what becomes of them -- but I'm also ready (for now at least) for a change of pace.
So, on balance, I like this a lot and reserve the right to love it after I get to see more of what follows.
142 people found this helpful
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- Leslie Epstein
- 2016-06-21
How not to read Ferrante
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
Yes, though I'd try to find another reader--or just read the book yourself.
What was one of the most memorable moments of My Brilliant Friend?
Losing the doll and trying to challenge the man who stole it. Not to mention the startling last line.
What didn’t you like about Hillary Huber’s performance?
Ms,. Huber over-interprets almost every line (save for the well read but sparse dialogue). Worse, she skews it toward the charming, the moving, the sentimental, the cute, the humorous--all this in an author who casts an unwavering, clear-eyed gaze on her Neapolitans. The listener is in a constant cringe as the reader insists we understand how poignant or wry or touching every moment is. In all my years of listening to audio books, I've never heard an interpretation that so compulsively forbids me from responding on my own. As I said, she reads the dialogue well: but the book is ninety percent narrative. And in that ninety percent, we are in big trouble.
Was My Brilliant Friend worth the listening time?
Yes, but see my objections to cringe-inducing reader.
Any additional comments?
I suspect I am doomed to hearing the entire series in this cloying interpretation. Oh, well.
For the opposite sort of reading of a very great book, listen to the audible edition PARADE'S END. A model of how to go about the task.
44 people found this helpful
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- Bootylady
- 2017-06-12
Didn't like the story or the narration
Would you try another book from Elena Ferrante and/or Hillary Huber?
No. The story and characters in this series did not interest me or keep me interested to keep going. I did finish the book to see if it got better but was disappointed. The narration usually can make a story better at times with intonations, but this story was flat.
7 people found this helpful
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- BHL
- 2015-07-21
Candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature?
Yes, Ferrante is that good. Everyone who was ever a girl, particularly one born before 1960, should read this book ..... That is, anyone who has been admired as pretty and has felt ugly; anyone who is the apple of a parent's eye and has been misunderstood by one; anyone who has been praised by a teacher and has been demeaned by one; anyone who has excelled and has failed; anyone who has used a boyfriend or girlfriend and has been used by one; anyone who has exceeded her potential and hasn't. Need I go on?
Ferrante has her pulse on what it has meant to become a woman (and live as one in later volumes) in a post-WWII western world, constrained by society (family, friends, neighborhood) and resources (usually limited); in this case, the subject just happens to live in Naples, Italy.
No matter that the narrator may have (did she?) mispronounced Italian words and the names Lila / "Lena"/ Elena get mixed up ... Her voice embodies the intimate world view that the author intended.
No matter whether or not you were a girl .... You are human aren't you? ... Read it.
98 people found this helpful
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- Patricia Ziegler
- 2015-07-05
Friendship and Class
In this mesmerizing narrative about the friendship between two girls in a working class district of Naples, the author examines the influences of wealth, education, history and revenge on the social strata of the town and explores how the hunger for freedom expresses itself differently in each character.
21 people found this helpful
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- Sara
- 2016-02-18
Children In Naples
There are so many wonderful reviews for this series so decided to give it a try. For me, it just didn't work. The story was a very slow and detailed but at the same time sketchy look at life from a child's perspective. The reader was plodding and had an edge to her voice that was almost sarcastic? The whole thing just seemed off to me. I was never engaged or caught up in the story being told. It's hard for me to pinpoint the issue as either writing or narration. In the end, probably a bit of each. Can't recommend.
98 people found this helpful
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- 2tflut
- 2017-07-28
Too Histrionic!
There was a prologue, but the story didn't explain the outcome. Maybe I'm too simpleminded, but I didn't recognize a plot in this book. The storyline was the girl going on and on of her life until the age of 16, that's it. Maybe that's why the book was loaded with over reactions to almost everything that happened. I lived in Naples for 3 years and I thought I might enjoy this book. I didn't.
13 people found this helpful
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- Susan M.
- 2015-05-17
Narration spoils story
After listening to My Brilliant Friend, I won't listen to the sequels. I didn't enjoy the narrator, who repeatedly mispronounced the name of one of the main characters: Leela? Lyla? Lola? Come on now!!! (In the author's defense, friends who READ the book enjoyed it more than I did LISTENING to it.)
91 people found this helpful