Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighbourhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante's four-volume story of the Neapolitan Novels spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery and unforgettable Lila and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflicted friendship. This first novel in the series follows Lila and Elena from their fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence. Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighbourhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between two women.

Release #322 for 2024..