Best of the four

This was kind of a hard series to get through. The books are long and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. But this last one was the best of the four. This one tells the story of Elena and Lila in their 30s into their late 50s. Their children grow up, their relationships change, success finds and eludes them. It shows the ways they mend the breaks in their friendship, and it finally gives more insight into Lila and explains, at least to me, more of why Elena and everyone else seemed so enamored with her. For as much as I've complained about the length of the series, this one leaves me wanting more.

13 people found this helpful

Incredible Series

This amazing series about the friendship of two women is not to be missed. Yes, it's long but well worth your time. I believe that most women can relate to these two women's friendship which actually isn't too friendly at times. ...can you relate? I'm so happy I listened to this intriguing story.

11 people found this helpful

Possibly the best books I've ever read

I've just finished all four of these beautiful books and I think I'm going to start all over again. What an incredibly moving, terrifying, wonderful and heart wrenching story.

As well, Hillary Huber should narrate all audio books she's so fabulous.

7 people found this helpful

A stunning series - without equal.

I hesitated to start this series because I thought it would be too light. I was wrong. The 4 books together have an emotional heft that's hard to describe. They provide a glimpse of life that's brutally honest.

From the reviews, everyone already knows this is a series about two women friends. And it is. But it's also about expectations, potential, loss, families, drive, intelligence and insanity. They're BIG books in every way. When I wasn't listening, I thought about the characters and couldn't wait to get back to them. Yet, it's not all goodness and moonbeams. I was reminded about some tough times and rocky relationships -- and found new insights about much of it.

The narration suited the books perfectly for me. I needed that calm delivery and it never felt like it was a performance.

Perhaps more than anything, I appreciate Ferrante's ability to wrap things up. Though I've missed the characters terribly since I finished, I really felt like it was done. No loose threads. It's a remarkable achievement.

26 people found this helpful

hard to listen to<br />

I have absolutely loved each in this series until this one. At certain points it was hard to pay attention. it seemed the author kept droning on and on about nothing just to fill pages. some to ex it seemed like a rant from a not too same person.

3 people found this helpful

My 1st Complete Lit. Syncopation by Female Author

This review relates primarily to the entire 4 book series. If you are reading this, and haven't read 1-3, just know that the author intended all 4 to be read as one novel; none stands alone as particularly spectacular. As a whole, they are the best bildungsroman of a writer that I can recall.

Ms. Ferrante has intrigued me in my reading experiences as has no other female author or has just about any male writer. I imagine Charlotte Bronte would have written such brilliant, introspective, perceptive and at times sexually provocative prose if the style had been around way back then. For some reason, I've just not connected on such a personal, human level with Woolf or superb female authors out there, past and present.

Ms. Ferrante struck me so personally (though not necessarily so profoundly) that I can't help but thinking again of a sentence I read in the reviews of this book that I wished I'd first written to describe the Neapolitan novels :

"The depth of perception Ms. Ferrante shows about her characters' conflicts and psychological states is astonishing.... Her novels ring so true and are written with such empathy that they sound confessional." Wall Street J.

I'll also add these 2 blurbs as really fitting from my point of view:

'If you haven't read Elena Ferrante, it's like not having read Flaubert in 1856...Incontrovertibly brilliant." National Post.

‘The older you get, the harder it is to recapture the intoxicating sense of discovery that comes when you first read George Eliot, Nabokov, Tolstoy or Colette. But this year it came again when I read Elena Ferrante’s remarkable Neapolitan novels." New Statesman.
I was dazzled and allured by the female intelligence and wit of Ms. Ferrante's writing, which never surrendered to the"sappers of suspended disbelief": the syrupy, overly sentimental, melodramatic, overdramatic, verbose, obscure, esoteric, arcane, pleonastic or the plain hogwash.


I think this was a fitting conclusion to the 4-part novel. Though I'm still mystified by the human psyche of the female drawing them to men who will hurt them.

Ms. Ferrante's prose is so refreshingly honest and real and compelling. I felt at times as if Ms. Ferrante was my friend telling me her story and I kept wanting her to talk and talk. More more... go on,.... uh huh, and?... what about....

7 people found this helpful

My favorite from the 4 books

I liked the story overall, at times I got annoyed with Elena, then I remember I can get annoyed at myself at times.. This was my favorite book an a good wrapping for the whole story.

7 people found this helpful

Lenu's making peace with herself

What did you love best about The Story of the Lost Child?

I doubt that I loved anything the best...except that this is probably the best of 4 books.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lenu, her trials and tribulations, even though she is annoyingly "naive" at times , she fights to be true to herself, in so much "evil" around her

What does Hillary Huber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her "sing song" voice that has an italian tempo to it like the spoken language

If you could take any character from The Story of the Lost Child out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Lila....I would like to see if she is truly as beautiful a woman as Lenu describes her, I actually find her to be evil and jealous and cold, but maybe honestly a true product of Naples in those times...

Any additional comments?

I read (LISTENED) to all 4 books of the Neapolitan Novels. I find the popularity and high ratings to be highly "overated"!!! Yes, it describes a "friendship" over 50 years, but why in 4 volumes? I found it tiresome and dragged out, so much evil, anger, lack of love and respect for one another. Yes it gives an interesting and correct description of society, people and their lives in Italy in those years...why in 4 books??

2 people found this helpful

Disappointing

I liked this book the least out of the series. it seemed to drag on in parts about things that didn't seen pertinent to the story line.It was a bit depressing. The narrator was good and she was consistent through all 4 books.

2 people found this helpful

Story takes an odd turn

After the slow buildup of the previous books, this one takes some sudden melodramatic turns and ends rather abruptly. I found it a bit disappointing after all the hours I've invested in the series. The narrator as always does a good job.

2 people found this helpful