Listen free for 30 days

  • 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
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (96 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay cover art

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

Written by: Elena Ferrante
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $32.38

Buy Now for $32.38

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

In the third book in the New York Times bestselling Neapolitan quartet that inspired the HBO series My Brilliant Friend, Elena and Lila have grown into womanhood.

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.

Both women are pushing against the walls of a prison that would have seen them living a life of misery, ignorance, and submission. They are afloat on the great sea of opportunities that opened up for women during the 1970s. And yet, they are still very much bound to each other in a book that “shows off Ferrante’s strong storytelling ability and will leave readers eager for the final volume of the series” (Library Journal).

©2015 Elena Ferrante (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    65
  • 4 Stars
    27
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    58
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    54
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

So disappointing.

A beautifully written book about miserable people leading joyless lives.

I loved the first two books, but none of the characters in this story have any redeeming qualities that make spending 17 hours listening to their plights enjoyable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding!

This third book in the series is outstanding as are the first two. The narrator does a brilliant job, the story is compelling and it moves with the two women into their adult years. Old themes reappear. These books create an atmosphere which is enchanting. I’m now on to the fourth book in the series. Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Capturing story and exceptional narrator

I love the insights main character provides to her feelings as a woman in the World of war and chaos.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Sj
  • 2021-02-18

Emotional journey

If you’re invested in the books, this one really starts to bring it all together and paints an intimate picture of life during a politically transformative time. I don’t love the narration of this series, however listening does make it much easier to get through the book when you’re dying to know what happens next!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Passionate and Unrelenting

Falling into this world of Lenu and Lila’s friendship is like returning to family, with all the ugly truths, the love, the passion. Book 3 is a balm after Book 2, but it can’t end on such a high note. This isn’t that kind of book...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story, terrible narration

I enjoyed the book but unfortunately hated the narration. The tone was depressing and all the Italian names were badly pronounced. Sometimes Lila is Lida and Franco is Frenco, which started irritating me from the beginning. I listened to the sample of the Italian narration and the tone is so different, so much more energetic.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Finished the third out of 4. Fantastic!

Love this saga. So so Italian. Narrator easy to listen to. The author. leaves us wanting more. Can't wait to start the 4th.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!