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Staff Pick
The Lying Life of Adults

The Lying Life of Adults

Current price: $26.00
Publication Date: September 1st, 2020
Publisher:
Europa Editions
ISBN:
9781609455910
Pages:
324
Usually Ships in 2 to 5 Days

Staff Reviews

As Giovanna approaches adolescence, she is intrigued and even tormented by the idea that she is like her estranged Aunt Vittoria. Meeting this infamous aunt for the first time coincides with Giovanna leaving behind childhood and understanding the realities of the adults around her. Elena Ferrante has once again crafted a novel that draws the reader deep into the psyche of a teenage girl and holds you there while Giovanna explores the good and the bad in people, in her home town of Naples, and most of all, in herself. It is full of restrained passion and I thoroughly enjoyed delving into Ferrante's world once again. Fans of the My Brilliant Friend series will not be disappointed - I think I liked this novel even better! 

 

— Claire

Ferrante’s latest novel gives an insightful and intriguing look at the life of a budding Italian teenage girl, both internally and externally. I found Ferrante’s ability to delve into Giovanna’s psyche fascinating, especially since I’ve never parented a girl and don’t always feel like I understand them. Her sensitivity to the myriad of issues and the fragility of Giovanna’s relationships make for a marvelous read. Ferrante is a gifted writer, and this latest offering does not disappoint. I loved this story! Fabulous read!

Stephanie Crowe, Page and Palette, Fairhope, AL
September 2020 Indie Next List

Description

A NEW YORK TIMES & NATIONAL BESTSELLER

A BEST BOOK OF 2020
The Washington PostO, The Oprah MagazineTIME MagazineNPRPeople MagazineThe New York Times CriticsThe GuardianElectric LiteratureFinancial TimesTimes UKIrish TimesNew York PostKirkus ReviewsToronto StarThe Globe and MailHarper's BazaarVogue UKThe Arts Desk

A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL set in a divided Naples by ELENA FERRANTE, the New York Times best-selling author of My Brilliant Friend and The Lost Daughter. Soon to be a NETFLIX Original Series.

"Another spellbinding coming-of-age tale from a master."--People Magazine, Top 10 Books of 2020

Giovanna's pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Is she turning into her Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Surely there is a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.

Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves from one to the other in search of the truth, but neither city seems to offer answers or escape.

Named one of 2016's most influential people by TIME Magazine and frequently touted as a future Nobel Prize-winner, Elena Ferrante has become one of the world's most read and beloved writers. With this new novel about the transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, Ferrante proves once again that she deserves her many accolades. In The Lying Life of Adults, readers will discover another gripping, highly addictive, and totally unforgettable Neapolitan story.

"There's no doubt the publication of The Lying Life of Adults] will be the literary event of the year."--ELLE Magazine