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What Members Thought
A beautiful, angry book about growing up in post-war Naples. The story of the two friends is used both to explore the tensions and magic of friendship and to illustrate the oppressive ways that poverty, patriarchy and tradition play out in women's lives. There were a few slow stretches, and you sometimes got the sense that you were reading the first book in a series rather than a standalone novel, but it's packed with insight, tenderness, brutality and more. Looking forward to The Story of a New
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I read primarily for escapism and so I don't often tend to read 'slice of life' literature. But the Neapolitan novels have been so hyped and praised that I thought I'd see what the fuss was about. This first book was captivating and compelling in capturing a particular time in Italian society as well as the beginnings of a tumultuous and fraught female friendship. I felt like it was Cat's Eye meets I'm Not Scared. I enjoyed being immersed in a very different world to my own, despite having to ke
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Not sure what I was expecting with this book - it had been talked up so much I think I was waiting for it to blow my mind with its brilliance. It didn't. It is written in a lovely style, full of great moments of adolescence and friendship, but I honestly don't know whether I'll continue with the series. If you like your books character-driven, rather than plot-driven (which I think I need in my books at the moment), this may appeal to you. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, but I thin
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Jan 11, 2014
Ros
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Dec 11, 2014
Julianne Negri
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Jun 01, 2015
rach
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Dec 23, 2015
Kat
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Jan 29, 2016
Sayema
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Jun 26, 2016
Danielle
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Dec 20, 2016
Dan
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Mar 24, 2017
Matthew Lawson
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review of another edition
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May 17, 2017
Emma
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Nov 18, 2017
Chan
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