Everyone, I imagine, has heard of the Neapolitan Quartet, as I had for a long time, but I hadn't been motivated to read it. However, the recent buzz made me give it a chance, even though I generally considered it very likely that it wouldn't suit me. 

I read the first book, and I thought, okay, nice, but why is everyone so obsessed? After finishing the second book, I was completely hooked. Everything I was missing, I found, and not only did I like it, but I picked up the third book immediately, and the fourth one a week or two later.

Having now closed the circle, I think I have only beautiful things to say. And if I had something negative, the positives overshadowed it!

Initially, Ferrante's writing combined with the excellent translation by Dimitra Dotsi, give the books a completely different dimension. You feel like you are reading a diary, a true story, which perhaps it is. [Since the name "Elena Ferrante" is a pseudonym, and the story is very specific, many believe that it might be in some way her autobiography] 

Now let's move on to the plot. The books follow the lives of two girls, Lenu and Lila, from the early years of their lives in the 1950s to their deep old age. Two completely different girls, tightly clinging to each other in a friendship that I still haven't concluded whether it dragged them both down or made them evolve.

The author excellently describes the complexity of female friendship, with multidimensional and well-psychographed characters that you often want to hit because of how stupidly they behave, but that is what makes them realistic. 

She also talks to us about the poor, violence-filled Naples, about the torrential loves that lead you to wrong decisions and consume your life, about the constantly changing politics, about the family with its difficulties, but yes, mainly about the friendship of these two girls, which I would not call healthy by any means, but I would definitely call it addictive to read.

The ending may not have satisfied me as much as I, at least, would have liked, but I think that if one considers that it is theoretically a true story, it makes sense because it is realistic. Or who knows, maybe somewhere a 5th little book is being prepared [In my sleep perhaps]

 The sure thing is that the journey was worth it, and from me, the Neapolitan Novels get 5/5 stars!

 2 friends

 4 books

 2,144 pages 

A story that truly, TRULY, you must not miss.

[I should also mention that the Neapolitan Novels have been turned into a series titled My Brilliant Friend, which fortunately is very faithful to the book! The photos in the article are from there.]