by Elena Ferrante, 2012
This is the first book of the Neopolitan novels. There are three more – next is The Story of a New Name. I’m not sure where I heard about these – maybe the Library’s monthly emails on travel books? It’s set in 1950s Naples, Italy, and tells the story of two childhood friends, Lila and Lenu (Elena). Lenu is the one telling the story. She admires and loves Lila, and is in awe of her. Lila is a cobbler’s daughter. She is so incredibly smart. She already knows how to read and can do figures in her head when they are in elementary school. She grows up to be so incredibly beautiful that all the neighborhood boys fall in love with her. Elena is her only friend. Elena becomes brilliant only because Lila influences her. There are a lot of struggles between families and neighbors in this poor Naples’ neighborhood. Sometimes it’s hard to follow because of the many characters. At one point, Elena spends the summer in Ischia, an island off of the coast of Italy. It sounds beautiful. At the end of this book, Elena and Lila are 16 years old. Lila has just married the grocer, Stefano, a young man who is rich and kindly, but is he true? Lila made him swear to her that the Solara brothers would not be at their wedding, and at the end of the reception, who walk in, but the Solara brothers. Lila’s eyes get the piercing squint and, Elena, watching her, expects the bottle of wine to explode, but it doesn’t because she is looking at the shoes Marcello Solara is wearing. They are the shoes she made with her brother, the shoes she designed and made, that Stefano bought. Marcello, one of the Solara brothers, who loved Lila and thought she was going to marry him is wearing the shoes Stefano bought….hmmm…shall I read the next book? Maybe…