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.
Looking over the top of the Villa Arianna in Stabiae towards Vesuvius
We stand in a mid-day drowse, like the citizens of ancient Rome must have stood – the sun is warm; the sea glistens; and there is the distant rise and fall of bells. Behind us roll green hills and to our front, the double-backed outline of Vesuvius steals the horizon.
So peaceful … yet it never has been, and still is not. There remains a threat below the surface.
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.
The Phraser 