All Forms of Art

  If you’re looking for a book that quietly pulls you in and refuses to let go, The Cursed Friend by Beatrice Salvioni might just be it. I finished it last night—and honestly, it’s one of those books that makes you stay up way later than you should, telling yourself “just one more chapter” over and over again. A Story That Hooks You Instantly From the very beginning, this novel has that addictive quality. It’s not fast-paced in a traditional sense, but there’s something about the tension, the relationships, and the underlying unease that keeps you turning pages. You don’t just want to know what happens—you need to. Echoes of Elena Ferrante (In the Best Way Possible) It’s impossible not to notice the similarities to Elena Ferrante ’s work—and I mean that as a compliment. At times: Francesca really reminded me of Lenù Maddalena gave me strong Lila vibes The dynamic between them carries that same intensity, admiration, imbalance, and emotional dependence you can read in M...

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay , (in its original “stori di chi fugge e di chi resta”) is the third book of Elena Ferrante’s saga, started with My Brilliant Friend .  In this Intermediate Time , Lenú leaves her neighborhood in Naples for a new life as a renowned author, mother, and wife.  Since the beginning, her marriage seems a bit empty to the reader. This relationship never fulfills her desires. So it comes as no surprise when she starts to think about Nino, her old passion, again. Maturity and Anguish Throughout this book, we can see a more mature and independent Elena. However, she continues to obsessively compare herself with Lila, the origin of many doubts and anguish. She still sees Naples as a source of violence, especially against women. Yet, even far from there, Naples is always present in her life, and she didn’t reach the happiness or freedom she expected by living in a different town. Her husband is distant, motherhood is complic...

In  The Story of a New Name , we continue to follow the story of Lenu and Lila, the two childhood friends from My Brilliant Friend .    Time passed for them, not a lot, but enough to widen the abyss between these two friends even further. Growing Up Hurts In this book, we feel like Lenu’s life doesn’t just revolve around Lila anymore, but that makes her feel lost and inappropriate.  This really caught my attention: she’s not the perfect hero we’re used to seeing or envisioning. In The Story of a New Name , we see a girl with an ever-growing sense of not belonging, which hurts her and almost hurts us, even though, rationally, this feeling was completely expected.  Not Here, Nor There Lenu no longer belongs to the misery and violence of her neighborhood, yet she’s still not a part of this new world she is now engulfed in. Her insecurities are glaring, and it almost hurts us readers who have been following each step of her journey to get here, k...

My Brilliant Friend is the first book in a series of four ( the second of which is already sitting on my bedside table) from an author who kept her identity in secret for many years. I had no idea of that, or even any hint of the story, when I started reading it. The book was a birthday gift from a person who seemed to really love it. Since I know she likes good literature, I started reading with confidence, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed! Childhood Friends The story is about two really different friends, living in a poor neighborhood near Naples. They grow up dealing with poverty, lack of education and money, violence surrounding them, and, like any other person, they have their own egos to deal with.  Throughout the book, we’ll see them deal with both forces that unite them and those that tear them apart. The atmosphere around them reflects a reality I had only heard about in my mother’s or grandmother’s stories, but I think that actually helped...