The Neapolitan Novels

A modern masterpiece from one of Italy’s most acclaimed authors, My Brilliant Friend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted story about two friends, Elena and Lila, who represent the story of a nation and the nature of friendship.

The story begins in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples. Growing up on these... Read More »

The Story of a New Name follows Elena Ferrante's critically acclaimed My Brilliant Friend, featuring Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their twenties, and marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile, Elena continues her journey of self-discovery. These young women share a complex and evolving bond that brings them close at... Read More »

The incredible story continues in book three of thecritically acclaimed Neapolitan novels!

In this third Neapolitan novel, Elena and Lila, thetwo girls whom readers first met in MyBrilliant Friend, have become women. Lila married at sixteen and has ayoung son; she has left her husband and the comforts her marriage brought andnow works as a common... Read More »

"Nothing quite like this has ever been published before," proclaimed the Guardian about the Neapolitan Novels in 2014. The first book in the series, My Brilliant Friend, was a New York Times bestseller. Book three was a Times bestseller and a Notable Book of the Year. It was named a best book of 2014 twenty-five times, including in the Times... Read More »