Elena Ferrante

Ann Goldstein

The international bestseller, now in B-format paperback with a brand new cover.

The Story of a New Name

A novel in the bestselling quartet about two very different women and their complex friendship: “Everyone should read anything with Ferrante’s name on it” (The Boston Globe). The follow-up to My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name continues the epic New York Times–bestselling literary quartet that has inspired an HBO series, and returns us to the world of Lila and Elena, who grew up together in post-WWII Naples, Italy. In The Story of a New Name, Lila has recently married and made her entrée into the family business; Elena, meanwhile, continues her studies and her exploration of the world beyond the neighborhood that she so often finds stifling. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila, and the pressure to excel is at times too much for Elena. Yet the two young women share a complex and evolving bond that is central to their emotional lives and a source of strength in the face of life’s challenges. In these Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante, “one of the great novelists of our time” (The New York Times), gives us a poignant and universal story about friendship and belonging, a meditation on love and jealousy, freedom and commitment—at once a masterfully plotted page-turner and an intense, generous-hearted family saga. “Imagine if Jane Austen got angry and you’ll have some idea of how explosive these works are.” —The Australian “Brilliant . . . captivating and insightful . . . the richness of her storytelling is likely to please fans of Sara Gruen and Silvia Avallone.” —Booklist (starred review)

aywen

I understood that I had arrived there full of pride and realized that—in good faith, certainly, with affection—I had made that whole journey mainly to show her what she had lost and what I had won. But she had known from the moment I appeared, and now, risking tensions with her work-mates, and fines, she was explaining to me that I had won nothing, that in the world there is nothing to win, that her life was full of varied and foolish adventures as much as mine, and that time simply slipped away without any meaning, and it was good just to see each other every so often to hear the mad sound of the brain of one echo in the mad sound of the brain of the other.

That "anyway" put me in a bad mood. I had never thought of Enzo as particularly sensitive, but on that occasion I was sure that, walking beside me, he had felt—felt as if I had proclaimed it aloud—the long mute list of wrongs that I attributed to our friend, as if my body had angrily articulated it without my knowing.

What drove me to act like that? Did I keep my feelings muted because I was frightened by the violence with which, in fact, in my innermost self, I wanted things, people, praise, triumphs? 

He was absolutely the first person to show me in a practical sense how comfortable it is to arrive in a strange, potentially hostile environment, and discover that you have been preceded by your reputation, that you don’t have to do anything to be accepted, that your name is known, that everyone knows about you, and it’s the others, the strangers, who must strive to win your favor and not you theirs. Used as I was to the absence of advantages, that unforeseen advantage gave me energy, an immediate self-confidence.

And I still think that much of the pleasure of those days was derived from the resetting of the conditions of her, or our, life, from the capacity we had to lift ourselves above ourselves, to isolate ourselves in the pure and simple fulfillment of that sort of visual synthesis. We forgot about Antonio, Nino, Stefano, the Solaras, my problems with school, her pregnancy, the tensions between us. We suspended time, we isolated space, there remained only the play of glue, scissors, paper, paint: the play of shared creation.

Instead she had said nothing, she had arranged and managed those outings by herself, in secret, as if they had been not our friends forever but only hers. And now she was telling me in detail, with an air of satisfaction, everything they had said...

Maybe the wealth we wanted as children is this, I thought: not strongboxes full of diamonds and gold coins but a bathtub, to immerse yourself like this every day, to eat bread, salami, prosciutto, to have a lot of space even in the bathroom, to have a telephone, a pantry and icebox full of food...

I tossed nervously in my bed, unable to sleep. I'm lying to myself, I thought. Had it really been so wonderful? I knew very well that at that time, too, there had been shame. And uneasiness, and humiliation, and disgust: accept, submit, force yourself. Is it possible that even happy moments of pleasure never stand up to a rigorous examination? Possible.

Suddenly I was aware of that almost. Had I made it? Almost. Had I torn myself away from Naples, the neighbor-hood? Almost. Did I have new friends, male and female, who came from cultured backgrounds, often more cultured than the one that Professor Galiani and her children belonged to? Almost. From one exam to the next, had I become a student who was well received by the solemn professors who questioned me? Almost. Behind the almost I seemed to see how things stood. I was afraid. I was afraid as I had been the day I arrived in Pisa. I was scared of anyone who had that culture without the almost, with casual confidence.

Gone was the pleasure of reeducating my voice, my gestures, my way of dressing and walk-ing, as if I were competing for the prize of best disguise, the mask worn so well that it was almost a face.

For the first time, I left Naples, left Campania. I discovered that I was afraid of everything: afraid of taking the wrong train, afraid of having to pee and not knowing where to do it, afraid that it would be night and I wouldn't be able to orient myself in an unfamiliar city, afraid of being robbed. I put all my money in my bra, as my mother did, and spent hours in a state of wary anxiety that coexisted seamlessly with a growing sense of liberation.

Everything in the world was in precarious balance, pure risk, and those who didn't agree to take the risk wasted away in a corner, without getting to know life. I understood suddenly why I hadn't had Nino, why Lila had had him. I wasn't capable of entrusting myself to true feelings. I didn't know how to be drawn beyond the limits. I didn't possess that emotional power that had driven Lila to do all she could to enjoy that day and that night. I stayed behind, waiting. She, on the other hand, seized things, truly wanted them, was passionate about them, played for all or nothing, and wasn't afraid of contempt, mockery, spitting, beatings. She deserved Nino, in other words, because she thought that to love him meant to try to have him, not to hope that he would want her.

"I have something that hurts here, behind the eyes, something is pressing. You see the knives there? They're too sharp—I just gave them to the knife grinder. While I'm slicing salami I think how much blood there is in a person's body. If you put too much stuff in things, they break. Or they catch fire and burn. I'm glad the wedding picture burned. The marriage should burn, too, the shop, the shoes, the Solaras, everything."

Maybe the wealth we wanted as children is this, I thought: not strongboxes full of diamonds and gold coins but a bathtub, to immerse yourself like this every day, to eat bread, salami, prosciutto, to have a lot of space even in the bathroom, to have a telephone, a pantry and icebox full of food, a photograph in a silver frame on the sideboard that shows you in your wedding dress—to have this 

, with the kitchen, the bedroom, the dining room, the two balconies, and the little room where I am studying, and where, even though Lila hasn't said so, soon, when it comes, a baby will sleep.

Deeply empathetic, emotionally intelligent, RIVETING

Annie Millman

writing is exceptionally beautiful as always. i can’t believe i didn’t see the **** and **** detour coming but yeah sure, naturally

petrina

elena ferrante you pace too masterful your imagery too genius your characters are too well-rounded they'll kill you

alice

the details of their friendship, their competativeness and how that unfolds is insane to be witness to, and it is so well done. I do feel for lila a lot, i did so in my brilliant friend as well, but especially in this one. i also don't feel like i've seen those feelings of class betrayal and impostor syndrome as well depicted in other books, and how it will seriously mess you up, but it was absolutely *chefs kiss* in this

ANYWAYS absolutely wonderful book and the ending was such a cliff hanger i neeeeed to read those who leave and those who stay immediately

Stas

the details of their friendship, their competativeness and how that unfolds is insane to be witness to, and it is so well done. I do feel for lila a lot, i did so in my brilliant friend as well, but especially in this one. i also don't feel like i've seen those feelings of class betrayal and impostor syndrome as well depicted in other books, and how it will seriously mess you up, but it was absolutely *chefs kiss* in this

ANYWAYS absolutely wonderful book and the ending was such a cliff hanger i neeeeed to read those who leave and those who stay immediately

beautifully written and captivates you in a way that is not easy to achieve. i found myself turning page after page and being moved by every single chapter. Elena Ferrante has such a humanistic way to write that makes the reader inmerse themselves in the novel without even realizing it, I found myself weeping or grieving at times. At first, I was getting annoyed by the endless amount of characters, but I learnt to love this aspect. Cannot wait to read the next one in the series.

mari

marlisa

This series has really picked up momentum. I’m all in after book 2

Sarah Erle

Tom Koss

better than the first, which is nigh impossible. the best book in the series imo. vicious and horrific. a soap opera so sharply done that you’ll be dizzy by the end from all the inhaled gasps. 

lauren amitirigala

Splendidly written, a book that gives voice to the unheard yet incredibly courageous, daring and intelligent women that exist and have existed in the margins of our history. Every phase of Elena's teenage years and growth enlightened me, and also made me seen, even when our childhoods are half a decade apart. To watch Europe's political climate in the sixties from the eye of a young and impressionable woman, to see her vulnerabilities and sensibility laid out in the open is as cathartic as it is timeless, and Ferrante does a wonderful job in captivating the reader in a story that almost feels like a memoir. The love between Lenù and her Lila is a love that has survived the test of time, and they will remain engraved in my heart forever.

deniz

Deepika Ramesh

I have lost track of where these books start and end. To me, the books are one LONG novel which I can't stop reading, and which will forever make me remember May 2020 as the month I spent in the interesting, hostile, difficult neighbourhood of Lila and Elena, and followed their lives with a renewed love for reading and compelling stories.

catalina

Pasé el libro anterior y como la mitad de éste enrabiada con Elena, sin embargo, llegué a simpatizar con ella y a verle similitudes conmigo misma. Yo creo que esa es la razón principal de que no me gustara la Lenú, veía muchas cosas que mí en ella (que en realidad no quería aceptar).

Y me da pena porque tuve una amistad similar como las de ellas dos, y al llegar a esa parte dónde Lenú quería volver a ver a Lila pero no lo hacía, me dio un dolorcito en el corazón porque nosotras, a diferencia de ella, cortamos por lo sano hace tiempo ya.

Como sea, Lila sigue siendo mi personaje favorito. La gente sigue siendo una mierda con ella (incluyendo a Elena) y me da rabia que la Lila siga creyendo que ella es el problema. Ósea, no la culpo de todas las cosas que hizo, si mi vida fuera una mierda yo cometería los mismos errores para salir de esa realidad aunque sea por un rato. Necesita una escena como la de "It's not your fault" en Good Will Hunting.

Me encanta que aquí se hable de los tabúes de la maternidad y la sexualidad feminina principalmente en la época (aunque ciertos discursos y palabras sexista las seguimos escuchando en pleno siglo XXI).

En fin, amo a la Lila, amo a la Mariarosa, me encanta como va evolucionando la Lenú (sé que en el próx. libro lo hará más) y todos los hombres de este libro: los Solara, Stefano, LOS Sarratore, etc. son un asco (menos Enzo).

esperanza 

Kahli Scott

I've had to take a break after each Neapolitan Novel I've read because they're so rich and heartbreaking. There's a particular part in this one that made me put the book down and stare at the wall for a good while, trying to calm myself down - I felt so personally wronged by a wrong that had befallen someone else, a fictional character. Truly, I've never come across a more confronting yet accurate portrayal of female friendship, life and identity. And what I love most about these books is that they're an example of rich immersive storytelling of a 'literary' kind. In a time when 'literary fiction' is often praised for starkness, the emotional density of these novels shines. They're vital and transformative.

Read this for 7 hours straight today, I think that sums it up. The last chapters were pure heroin. 

Klára Kováčiková 

Ferrante’s writing has me in its grip for a while now. There’s intensity in her writing that I have never encountered before. I have yet to read the last two parts of the Neapolitan quartet, and yet I am sure of what awaits me: stupefaction of the best kind.  

Vaishali Batra

Elena Ferrante really is one of the greatest writers of our time. Her writing is gripping, dynamic and absolutely riveting. Once it draws you in, it is difficult to put down, to come up for breath.

While Ferrante's talent for gripping plots driven by messy people is undeniable, the novel's strength remains the nuanced depiction of its protagonists - Lila and Lenu. As the second instalment from the Neapolitan Novels, "The Story of a New Name" picks up exactly where "My Brilliant Friend Left Off". It then continues to follow Lila and Lenu through their late teens and twenties and sees their relationship develop further.

Ferrante is unmatched in grasping the complex dynamics of female relationships perfectly. With Lila and Lenu, it is never purely love and never purely hate - it is an inevitable and inescapable draw to each other, an influence on each other that is uninterrupted even when they are physically apart. Their pull to each other is so strong, the drama of their relationship so vivid, one cannot help but be drawn into it, too.

A lot of authors would have perhaps not developed their novel beyond this sole dynamic. However, Ferrante has given so much life to both the remainder of the cast of characters and Naples that the whole work is all the more vivid for it. The novel really feels like a masterwork of the master writers of old.

Elena Ferrante really is one of the greatest writers of our time. Her writing is gripping, dynamic and absolutely riveting. Once it draws you in, it is difficult to put down, to come up for breath.

While Ferrante's talent for gripping plots driven by messy people is undeniable, the novel's strength remains the nuanced depiction of its protagonists - Lila and Lenu. As the second instalment from the Neapolitan Novels, "The Story of a New Name" picks up exactly where "My Brilliant Friend Left Off". It then continues to follow Lila and Lenu through their late teens and twenties and sees their relationship develop further.

Ferrante is unmatched in grasping the complex dynamics of female relationships perfectly. With Lila and Lenu, it is never purely love and never purely hate - it is an inevitable and inescapable draw to each other, an influence on each other that is uninterrupted even when they are physically apart. Their pull to each other is so strong, the drama of their relationship so vivid, one cannot help but be drawn into it, too.

A lot of authors would have perhaps not developed their novel beyond this sole dynamic. However, Ferrante has given so much life to both the remainder of the cast of characters and Naples that the whole work is all the more vivid for it. The novel really feels like a masterwork of the master writers of old.

i have information that could lead to the imprisonment of nino sarrotore 

ashley

A New York Times BestsellerThe Neapolitan Novels (Book 2)A modern masterpice from one of Italy's most acclaimed authors. My Brillant Briend is a rich, intense, and generous-hearted portrait of two friends, Elena and Lila. Through their lives, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country undergoing momentous change.

I wish I could give this one million stars

Celestine Taevs-Nakaya

Amy Thibodeau

I found the first book in this trilogy a bit hard to get into, despite the beautiful, tense writing. This second book completely sucked me in and I read it in a matter of days. I can't wait to read the third.

tina

how does elena ferrante manage to capture the intricacies and complexities of female friendships and relationships so so perfectly?

Izza

5 stars | 💎 such a beautiful and well-crafted story. I don't know why I waited so long to pick this up. I won't make the same mistake with the third one.

The Story of a New Name

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