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Gala Placidia
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Post by la alma Sat Feb 06, 2016 2:09 pm

I'm afraid I'm boringly predictable and can only think of posts concerning books I have read, but as I haven't posted for a long time thought it was better than nothing. In fact it is about a book (actually a quartet of books but I am still on the first one) that I am loving reading. I had never heard of Elena Ferrante before I started reading reviews of the last book of the Neapolitan Quartet just before Christmas and I thought it was worth requesting a copy of the first one, My Brilliant Friend , to see if I liked it before reading the others. I love it.It is about the friendship of two girls growing up in a poor part of Naples in the 1950's and beyond . As it says on the blurb, not just a memorable story of two women but also the story of a nation. I'm sure some of you will have read them already.
One more thing for Montalbano fans - the author is discussing the books on BBC 4 tomorrow at 7pm.
I will be going to Italy near the end of Feb so maybe I'll find something else to write about!

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Post by la alma Thu Feb 18, 2016 10:12 am

Might as well answer myself if no-one else is interested. I have now finished My Brilliant Friend and cant wait to start the next one in the quartet. It is even more interesting to me as the girls/teenagers/women are more or less the same generation as me so I can compare life here from their childhood onwards as they grew up in Naples.To quote from the reviews - " Ferrante is unlike other writers - not because she's innovative but rather because she's unselfconscious and brutally, diligently honest" "The Neapolitan cycle is an unconditional masterpiece...." 
The first book, certainly, is unputdownable. That's why I feel compelled to share it.

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Post by Admin Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:04 pm

Thank you La Alma - I'm interested! Sorry if I didn't reply sooner. My Italian friend recommended her books a while ago and you have just reminded me of them.

I am just reading Head over Heel by Chris Harrison. It is his story of falling in love with an Italian girl from Salento. I am really enjoying it becuase of it's tone. It doesn't fall into the usual style of these books - jaded ex-pat moaning about Italy or only seeing everything through rose-tinted specs. I am really enjoying it because he has clearly read and references one of my favourite books on Italy and Italians - The Italians by Luigi Barzini.
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Post by Angela Fuller Fri Feb 19, 2016 5:38 am

Yes, thank you La Alma for the recomendation.  I have just looked up 'My Brilliant Friend' on Amazon Kindle book store and it is available for £7.19...I am tempted...
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Post by Gala Placidia Fri Feb 19, 2016 1:51 pm

Thanks for  the recommendations. One of my favourite Italian books is "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" by Giorgio Bassani http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/book-of-a-lifetime-the-garden-of-the-finzi-continis-by-giorgio-bassani-7734207.html
And I do agree in that it is a book of a lifetime. I have read it several times, in French and in Italian and I always come back to it. I will say that it ranks second on my list of favourites. Number one is "Il Gattopardo"
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Post by Angela Fuller Sat Feb 27, 2016 6:11 am

La Alma, I am reading 'My Brilliant Friend' and really enjoying it...thank you for recommending it !
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Post by la alma Thu Mar 03, 2016 5:06 pm

I'm really glad you like it. I've now got all 4 books of the quartet. Just got back from Italy where it was mild but very wet, apart from the last two days which were beautiful - warm and sunny. We found that we had been invaded by a mouse/mice who had been feasting on our candles, so I had to put OH to work blocking possible entrances into "candle cafe", via slivers of cracks down into the cantina.  Arrived home to sleet
 and snow and freezing temperatures. I'll just have to sit by the fire and read!

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Post by Angela Fuller Fri Mar 04, 2016 5:57 am

La Alma, enjoy the fire and books, nothing nicer.  I will, I am sure, add the other 3 in the quartet to my reading list and books suggested by Gala too.  Very cold wind blowing here (Marche), what with the wind chill factor I think the outside temps hovering around zero....those mice will be looking for more food and shelter !
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Post by la alma Fri Mar 04, 2016 11:48 am

I too will look up the books suggested by Gala and Admin. Thankyou both of you. I've got more time for reading now as I cut my working hours by half from my (recent) 65th birthday. I like my job but am looking forward to more "playtime".

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Post by Gala Placidia Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:12 pm

As you have more time available, la alma, you should read The Viceroys by Federico de Roberto. A wonderful novel.
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Post by la alma Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:10 am

I will see what I can do Gala when my pile of desperately waiting to be read books gets a bit lower.

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Post by Gala Placidia Sat Mar 05, 2016 1:14 pm

I know what you mean... I also tend to accumulate books which take me more than a year to start reading.
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Post by Geotherm Sat Mar 05, 2016 9:29 pm

You seem to be able to get the Viceroy as a free download for Kindle and a few other formats.
Wife here has over 2000 kindle books to go through and has not even got past the first 250 or so.!!!
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Post by Gala Placidia Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:58 pm

Thanks, Geo. I also have downloads pending... Not enough time!
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Post by Angela Fuller Sun Mar 06, 2016 5:39 am

Geo, I have just looked and 'The Viceroys' on Amazon KIndle is £14.24......what am I doing wrong ?
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Post by Geotherm Sun Mar 06, 2016 9:59 am

Apologies Angie. I found the original Italian version, not the translated one. Embarassed Embarassed
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Post by Angela Fuller Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:35 am

No worries Geo, my v poor Italian is not up to reading books yet.....but I too have many books to read in English, so will try to get head down and do better....
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Post by paolamar22 Sun Apr 03, 2016 8:38 pm

I've read the four books, I couldn't stop. Elena Ferrante is addictive!

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Post by Listener Mon May 30, 2016 7:45 am

Thanks for the advice about Elena Ferrante!

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