Welcome to Litsy!

Published in English under the title Neapolitan Chronicles&translated by Goldstein&McPhee, Ortese is one of the best post Ww2 Italian&perhaps most overlooked authors.The book consists of 5 chapters (3 fiction,2 journalistic accounts) that present a Naples shattered by war&corruption. Ortese‘s style is a blend of realist narrative&”almost surreal tone”.Ortese talks about her book having the effect of disorientation.

Well, I seldom if ever read two books at once. But, I was doing a buddy read of “My Brilliant Friend” (Book 1) and before we even discussed the book, she could not wait and started reading this one. We will see how this goes with “Les Miserables”. (Back into my reading for sure in 2025).

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This book! My goodness! I usually don‘t reread but I am glad I did. I still can‘t figure out these two. Gladly, there‘s 3 more books in the series.

I‘m starting to read this again while waiting for my new edition of Les Miserables to come. I asked a friend to Buddy Read it with me because the characters and story are so different (best word ) that I have been longing to talk to someone about it. #ReadLesMis

NYT named this the #1 book of the century. Hmmm. Am I missing something? I mean, it was interesting, but I didn‘t love it like some people and I am going to say many of my book club pals aren‘t going to singing its praises either.
Back to work tomorrow. 😭

This is a suitably tumultuous, eventful, and often brutal and heartbreaking conclusion to the quartet. The unresolved mysteries are in a way frustrating, but they also make the story more real and relatable. It's quite the journey.

Christmas shopping done. Time for #BooksAndBooze. Earned it.

Yes, I adored MY BRILLIANT FRIEND.

“I would have done anything for her, on that morning of reconciliation: run away from home, leave the neighborhood, sleep in farmhouses, feed on roots, descend into the sewers through the grates, never turn back, not even if it was cold, not even if it rained.“ This is the quote that sold me on the book; Elena Ferrante capturing a type of relationship that I can't recall seeing so viscerally written before.