Sonja
Following "My Brilliant Friend", Elena and Lila become young adults and are confronted with new problems, opportunities and most importantly, self-images. It is, however, my least favourite part of the Neapolitan Quartet - compared to other parts it drags quite a bit and feels stuck in the period of Ischia. In addition, it is hard to sympathise with any of the characters in this volume, because all of them are acting on urges rather than making any rational decisions which leads them to disastrous results. Even more so, the events this part focuses on seem almost irrelevant by the end of the quartet (other than laying the basis for Elena's literary career). It is nevertheless a worthy read to get to the better parts of the quartet.
Following "My Brilliant Friend", Elena and Lila become young adults and are confronted with new problems, opportunities and most importantly, self-images. It is, however, my least favourite part of the Neapolitan Quartet - compared to other parts it drags quite a bit and feels stuck in the period of Ischia. In addition, it is hard to sympathise with any of the characters in this volume, because all of them are acting on urges rather than making any rational decisions which leads them to disastrous results. Even more so, the events this part focuses on seem almost irrelevant by the end of the quartet (other than laying the basis for Elena's literary career). It is nevertheless a worthy read to get to the better parts of the quartet.