Reading notes: 'My Brilliant Friend'

By Elena Ferrante. People say it is excellent, and it is indeed excellent. Notes (brief, because I don't think my comparative advantage is in analyzing Ferrante): It's nice to read something that makes me feel that a certain kind of literary culture is alive. The mystery of Ferrante's identity, the way this book has similarities to some other big notable recent books (but is also so different from them)... it's a thrill in a way that goes beyond the book itself. I am on Team It Is Very Hard To Imagine A Man's Having Written This.

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