Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet sparked a global phenomenon, and in 2024, the New York Times named My Brilliant Friend—the first book in the series—the best book of the century so far. That’s a big deal!
So what does it take to be #1, and what does the selection reveal about modern reading habits and values?
Find out on this week’s episode Zero to Well-Read, as Jeff and Rebecca explore the book that ignited “Ferrante Fever” and the mysterious author readers praise for capturing girlhood and female friendship like no one else.
Dive Deeper
- On re-reading My Brilliant Friend before the 2018 release of its HBO adaptation
- Who exactly is Elene Ferrante? We may never know.
- How Elena Ferrante and the Neopolitan novels played a major role in the founding of an independent publishing house
- “In her I recognized my need for validation, my hatred for my body, my single-minded determination to be perceived as intelligent…” —A reader’s personal relationship to My Brilliant Friend
- Want more Ferrante? Here are 10 books to read after you’ve finished the Neopolitan novels.
Past Tense
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Say What Now?
For a preview of the episode, I leave you with some out-of-context quotes from the show.
“This is what she is seeking: to make the thing, be in the world, but not be subject to everyone’s bullshit all the time. Also: who among us???”
“Only an Italian would write a book where handmade shoes are so important.”
“They’re ready to cut someone’s head off because their Chicken Kiev came out late!”
“We get it, your friend is weirdly compelling and that makes you feel some kind of way.”
“Straight to jail for anybody who thinks that … ” —For that hot take, you’ll have to listen to the episode.
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English (US) · 