The Story of the Lost Child - Elena Ferrante

I rated this book 8/10

Against the backdrop of a Naples that is as seductive as it is perilous and a world undergoing epochal change, the story of a lifelong friendship is told with unmatched honesty and brilliance. The four volumes in this series constitute a long remarkable story that readers will return to again and again, and every return will bring with it new revelations.

A beautifully bleak conclusion to the Neapolitan Novels.

The Neapolitan novels absorbed me from the very first book, and rarely have I been so enchanted by a cast of characters. Ferrante's writing is brutal, honest and full of depth, allowing the reader to really fall in to the difficulties of growing up and starting a family in Naples from the 50s to the present day.

Lila and Elena are friends and rivals - constantly clashing with each other or sharing emotional moments together. In this, the fourth book, they are arguing more often than they are civil to each other. 

'The Story of the Lost Child' took me a good long time to read in comparison to the first three, it was much more difficult to digest, and towards the end the real heartbreak is apparent. I rarely find myself with a "book hangover", but I did feel a sense of loss when I realised that I had finished the last sentence.

This touching and deeply crafted story makes for bleak and beautiful reading. Start at book one 'My Brilliant Friend'.

Thank you to Turnaround Books for the Advanced Proof Copy.

Available at Waterstones

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay - Elena Ferrante

I rated this book 10/10

Elena and Lila, the two girls whom readers first met in My Brilliant Friend, have become women. Both women are pushing against the walls of a prison that would have seem them living a life of mystery, ignorance and submission. They are afloat on the great sea of opportunities that opened up during the nineteen-seventies. Yet they are still very much bound to see each other by a strong, unbreakable bond.

"Each of us narrates our life as it suits us." - Lila Cerullo

I am completely entranced by The Neapolitan Novels. This, the third book in the series is as absorbing as the two before it. Elena and Lila are in their mid twenties to early thirties and are struggling with their individual families and dilemmas. Elena still holds Lila on a pedestal and she still finds herself drawn to her best friend despite their many bitter disagreements.

The books are meant to be read in order. Elena and Lila often refer back to events that occurred in books one and two - reminding the reader that they have been along for the journey right from the very beginning.

It is difficult to describe the brutal honesty with which Ferrante pens Elena's thoughts and feelings - the fact that a lot of people don't like the characters to me feels like Ferrante has done her job well. They're not meant to be liked; they're meant to be human. I would love to read these novels through the eyes of Lila to compare how they view their experiences.

This is the only series I have ever read that I will really miss once I finish the fourth and final book. 

The Story of a New Name - Elena Ferrante

I rated this 10/10...

The second book, following 2012’s acclaimed My Brilliant Friend, featuring the two friends Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their twenties. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile, Elena continues her journey of self-discovery. The two young women share a complex and evolving bond that brings them close at times, and drives them apart at others. 

The Neapolitan Series is absorbing, dramatic, perfect...

I loved the first book in this series and was lucky to be sent the second from the publisher in exchange for honest feedback.

The Neapolitan series makes for compulsive reading - once you learn a little about Elena and Lila as children, you're in it for the long haul. The second book 'The Story of a New Name' follows the girls as they are grown up and take different paths in life - finding themselves seeking each other out on occasion despite their mixed feelings towards each other. They are both adults now and still they are destined to compete emotionally, leading to very turbulent scenes.

A market place in Naples, 1950s

Elena and Lila's lives continue through marriage, affairs, university and motherhood - with their on and off friendship being the backdrop of it all. Throw in a beach holiday with star crossed romance and you have a rich saga that is so difficult to tear away from.

I am particularly drawn to the narrator, Elena - she is still struggling to 'find' herself and to accept herself for who she is; she compares herself to other women and other students often - easily influenced by those who are more successful than she is or may seem to have more going for them in their lives than she has. Ferrante expertly mirrors the turmoil that a lot of young people have in accepting themselves and moving on.

The book is full of whirlwind drama and unstable characters, and Ferrante writes with a power and intimacy that brings the grit of every day 50s and 60s Naples to life. The realism and depth of the situations that the characters find themselves in suggest to me that Ferrante uses a lot of personal experience to write her novels. Well worth a read and it's perfect for summer - start at book 1 'My Brilliant Friend'.

(Thank you to Turnaround UK for the reading copy.)

@turnarounduk

Available at Waterstones

The Cake Shop in the Garden - Carole Matthews

I rated this 3/10...

Can Fay find the strength to make a life-changing decision - even if it means giving up the thing she loves the most? Life, love and family are about to collide in The Cake Shop in the Garden.

Slow, old fashioned summer read with good sub-characters.

Very much outside of my comfort zone, but I really wanted to try and read something light and summery as my brain was overloaded with other bits and pieces. I loved the idea and decided that this would be a nice one to read in the sunshine.

I didn't mind that Matthews had created a really twee concept - Fay runs a cafe in her home by the canal and sells cakes from the narrowboat that she inherited from her late father. I thought that maybe there would have been more emphasis on the baking, sights and smells of the cafe. It would have been nice for recipes to be inserted into the novel as you read through it, particularly as Mary Berry has left her endorsement on the front cover. However, despite the lack of description, we still get a feel for the idyllic surroundings that Fay is tied down to.

The issue that I had with this book was that the main protagonists were really weak and fairly one dimensional. Fay is a very naive 44 year old who is going on 70 and thinks that her life is over - and the man that's caught her eye - Danny - is much younger than her, has left his busy business lifestyle and friends for the quiet life of the canal (for a reason not really explained properly) and it just isn't believable.

The sub-characters were more interesting and were much more well rounded, which was nice. I enjoyed reading about Stan, and even Anthony (who is supposed to be a dull character) had more to him than Fay which I'm sure wasn't intentional. 

In all it was a slow, easy summer read without much to it which was what I expected. 

 Available at Waterstones

My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante

I rated this book 10/10...

A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila. Ferrante’s inimitable style lends itself perfectly to a meticulous portrait of these two women that is also the story of a nation and a touching meditation on the nature of friendship.

A stark, honest exploration of friendship in 50's Naples

Elena Greco is endlessly fascinated by her friend Lila, the daughter of a shoemaker and a flame that everybody else in their rundown area of Naples also seems drawn to. 'My Brilliant Friend' explores the lives of these two girls growing up in the midst of violence, where women are valued mostly for their housework and child-bearing capabilities above all else; where families and gangs have a 'get them before they get us' mentality. The violence and squabbling is relentless throughout, and is practised by pretty much everybody living in the neighbourhood. Men beat their wives, girls throw rocks at boys, brothers punch sisters - life is a constant battle to settle scores or show who is boss.

As Elena and Lila grow up, their paths take different routes. Elena manages to secure her place in school and continues to study, whereas Lila (who excels the other students in every way) has to leave school in order to help her family at home. Still Elena's life is entwined with Lila's and they remain inseparable. The twist at the very end was brilliant and I will definitely be picking up book 2 to read on holiday in Italy.

Ferrante's style is very honest. There are no frivolities and she doesn't waste time on lengthy prose or description. Despite 'My Brilliant Friend' being almost exclusively character-driven rather than plot-driven, there never seems to be a lull in the flow of the book. Ferrante throws numerous characters together but it never seems to be too much. It's a real pleasure to read and the perfect work of summertime escapism.

'My Brilliant Friend' is the first of the Neapolitan series by the elusive Elena Ferrante, who can only be speculated over as she remains a mystery to the media and readers alike. She doesn't partake in face to face interviews, instead writing to few journalists via letters. Some have suggested that Ferrante could be a male writer, but her letters have once or twice eluded to her being a mother. Whatever the mystery, the first book in this saga is a wonderful read and I would recommend it as one to add to your TBR list this summer.

The fourth and final book in the Neapolitan series will be out in September 2015.

(Reading copy kindly given to me in exchange for honest feedback by Turnaround Publishing)

Sacred Country - Rose Tremain

I rated this book 8/10...

"I have a secret to tell you, dear, and this is it: I am not Mary. That is a mistake. I am not a girl. I'm a boy." Mary's fight to become Martin, her claustrophobic small town, and her troubled family make up the core of this remarkable and intimate, emotional yet unsentimental novel. 

'Sacred Country' is a wonderful read about gender identification in the 50s-70s, and sexuality. It doesn't go as deeply into the emotions that Martin feels as I would like, but there is definitely a real sense of anguish and despair throughout the novel, as his family (particularly his father) reject his transition from Mary to Martin.

The characters are all very well written, mostly hopeless and self absorbed in their small country farm village. Despite this, you do feel for them and want life to improve for them. There is the odd unexpected event here and there - one of which I didn't feel was believable for the character, but I won't spoil the story.

I was absorbed by this book and ploughed my way through it. Not ordinarily an author I would pick up but I was hooked by the blurb and I'm glad I did. Well worth reading, and would be perfect for those that like a bit more depth to their summer paperbacks.

Shop Girl - Mary Portas

I rated this book 8/10...

Young Mary Newton, born into a large Irish family in a small Watford semi, was always getting into trouble. When she wasn’t choking back fits of giggles at Holy Communion or eating Chappie dog food for a bet, she was accidentally setting fire to the local school. Mary was a trouble magnet. And, unlike her brothers, somehow she always got caught…

'Shop Girl' begins during Mary's early years; describing a life glued together by family and happy memories. As might be expected from the Queen of Shops, her memoir revolves around retail - the tastes, scents, sights and sounds of her father's warehouse as he sells tea door to door to other shop keepers.

Mary goes on to describe her brothers and sisters. They are very close and highly supportive of each other throughout childhood and during some really distressing events. Even when the family as she knows it unravels whilst she is struggling with her teen years, her brothers and sister remain a pillar of strength for Mary over the years.

Perhaps the most important person in Mary's life is her mother. She is the centre of the family's universe and is always there when the children need a helping hand or a positive word.

'Shop Girl' was particularly touching for me as it resembles my own childhood. If we brush aside the Catholic upbringing - I have 3 sisters and 1 brother, and my siblings remain supportive and close even now whilst in different parts of the country.

This is a wonderful memoir about an inspirational lady, with short chapters that are quick and easy to read. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next chapter and hope that she decides to write one.

Daughters of Fortune - Tara Hyland

Date Read: Unknown

Katie O'Dwyer flees the constraints of her rural Irish upbringing for the excitement of London. Here she meets and falls in love with William Melville: the imposing head of the Melville fashion dynasty. Elusive, charismatic; married. Their affair is brief but passionate. Katie conceives a child. Fifteen years later she succumbs to cancer; and her beautiful daughter Caitlin finds that she must go to live in England, with the father she has never met. Her half-sisters - cold, high-achieving Elizabeth, and spoilt princess Amber - react to her with hostility; while their elegant mother is too high on valium to notice what goes on. Reeling from her mother's death, unable to fit into this alien world, Caitlin is sent away to boarding school. It is here that something happens which is so awful, so brutalizing, it will change Caitlin forever . . .

My Thoughts: Now, as a bookseller, I occasionally like to step outside of my comfort zone when it comes to reading. Mainly so that I can make knowledgable recommendations to customers that don't share the same reading tastes as myself. This definitely is a book that is not my style. It was an enjoyable read - did remind me a little of a Soap Opera and would be perfect for lounging about on holiday with. It touched on a few disturbing issues, but wasn't graphic in any way and so wasn't offensive at all.

If the idea of a tame Virginia Andrews novel with a Sweet Valley High twist appeals to you, then by all means, give it a go. Money, sex, fashion and family - all tangled up into one fairly decent read. Not too bad as far as chick-lit is concerned.
I RATED IT 5/10