Unknown's avatar

Book Review: The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante

A look back (first published 24 September 2015): this book, the second of four, sustains the pace of the first – it’s a vivid read.

thephraser's avatarThe Phraser

The cover of Elena Ferrante's: The Story of a New Name The cover of Elena Ferrante’s: The Story of a New Name

The Story of a New Name is the second book of the Neapolitan Novels.  It’s raw and brilliant, with a light that shines unblinking on its characters

Naples has always hung its washing to catch the air – it’s a city that knows its secrets … and so does Elena Ferrante.  In her novels she packs the unhidden into private lives and passes it on to us.

View original post 475 more words

Unknown's avatar

Book Review: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

A look back (first published on 30 August 2015): since writing this review I’ve read all four of the Neapolitan Novels – none of them disappointed.

thephraser's avatarThe Phraser

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

This book stuck in my hands – it followed me from the outskirts of Naples, to Pozzuoli and then to a small boat anchored off the island of Procida.  I didn’t want to put it down.

View original post 535 more words

Unknown's avatar

Book Review: The Lady Queen – The Notorious Reign of Joanna I, Queen of Naples, Jerusalem and Sicily by Nancy Goldstone

The Lady Queen by Nancy Goldstone

The Lady Queen by Nancy Goldstone

Life is full of ‘bad days’ – if you think you’re having one of them, or even a calendar full of them, this book might help to put things into perspective.  It’s a portrait of a lady whose days are potholed with treachery from the moment she’s born.

I read this book whilst in Naples, not far from the solid black towers of Castel Nuovo, or il Maschio Angioino (the Angevin Keep), where Queen Joanna (born in 1326 – died in 1382), spends much of her life.

Continue reading