The Neapolitan Novels Boxed Set Paperback – November 13, 2018

Excellent written and such an excellent and exciting story told about a special friendship. It includes strong emotions so well told you feel like you are standing right there witnessing it. I've seen the movies three times and read the books several times!!

I powered through all four books even though there were many disturbing images and developments. Growing up in 1950's Naples was complete foreign territory to me and terrifying in many ways as I had been raised in a more or less safe loving environment in Ohio where education was guaranteed and highly valued. I took away a number of valuable insights on relationships, raising children and personal development which I hope I don't forget. Much of what happens through out the story is harsh and hard to accept which leads me to believe that this is not for everyone. The beauty of the writing and the fascination with Lila and Lenu did keep me glued until the end of the saga and I am sorry to have to move on other writing. I hope I've learned something about improving my own writing. I send heartfelt thanks to the author for this amazing work.

These are not fairytales, but a genuine, quality reflection of the nitty-gritty, survival-of-the-fittest life facing Neopolitans in the years following WWII. I think Ferrante’s description of a friendship rife with the jealousies and corroding self-esteem issues that are completely understandable considering the family dynamics of that time & place is absolutely masterful. She so clearly grasps how the sociological and intimate family dynamics of that time could negatively influence emotional development, that there were periods where I strongly felt segments of her stories might be autobiographical.I can totally understand why anyone who is unfamiliar with the Italian national character or with the dark personal & regional struggles associated with post-WWII Italy might find Ferrante’s characters and stories out of the realm of possibility, and totally unlikeable; but her capturing of the human ethology of that era is realistic and gripping ... though not for the faint-hearted! I found her characters and stories fascinating. I’m looking forward to reading more of her works.

I’ve wanted to read this series for quite some time and after watching a few episodes of the TV series, finally decided to purchase the set. The books themselves are perfect but the outer box enclosing the set is very thin paperboard, not really strong enough to hold the books (and was already torn on arrival).

I have finally read Elena Ferrante's Napolitano Novels. It was a great pleasure to follow her storytelling. What a cast of characters! She gives us a wonderful description of all the people in her neighborhood. Worthy of reading.

Rarely, if ever, have I been so swept away by the breadth of a literary work as I have by this quartet. An indeterminate flow and ebb of psychological possibility; a meditation on the impact of social evolution on the history and myth that precede it; the profundity and purpose of art; the nuanced tributaries of feminism and antifeminism alike: These novels are heady and informative enough to belong in a classroom, readable enough to belong in a beach tote bag, and honest enough (sometimes excruciatingly so) to belong in one’s own self-reflection.In short, read these books, and don’t put them down until you’ve finished!

I loved the four books in this Neapolitan series. Ferrante makes the characters come alive; you care for them even though some of them are unpleasant--to say the least. The realism of the book makes a long-lasting impression. And the stories are captivating. Ferrante writes with ease and intensity of narration. The writing itself (even in translation) is beyond reproach. Ferrante's writing is some of the best I have ever read. I taught literature for over four decades and would put these four books near the top of my top ten books you need to read.

I enjoyed that intense feelings, actions, and reactions were explored, expressed or repressed according to each character's unique personality. There was a protagonist, but other characters were very much present and accounted for throughout.