The Lying Life of Adults: A Novel Hardcover – September 1, 2020

Voice can make or break a novel; it is the essence of the story, in my humble opinion. Neapolitan author Elena Ferrante’s latest has a fulsome, assertive, witty, emotional, and resonant voice that sears through the narrative and rattled deliciously in my bones. Protagonist Giovanna (Gianni) is a 12 year-old pretty girl, daughter of educated parents. Her parents hobnob with wealthy and influential professors, scholars, and outspoken political dissidents, and have expected that Gianni follow in their footsteps.Giovanni worships her father, but she’s also a critical observer. Things at home begin to break down when she hears her refined father compare her to her Aunt Vittoria, the black sheep of her father, Andrea’s, family, a free spirit and someone Andrea calls “ugly.” When Gianni overhears that, she’s stunned, and immediately concludes that she must be ugly like Vittoria, and demands to meet her. THE LYING LIFE is a gem of a coming-of-age tale.Vittoria seems like a classic Borderline Personality Disorder with hints of an untreated breezy bipolar disorder on the side. Her potty mouth could set a sailor’s teeth on edge or make your grandmother faint. Yet, she evoked empathy in me, with her contrasting and unrealistic eternal love (more like lust) for a boyfriend who died twenty years ago, and who looked coarse and minimally educated. He was a cop and petty grifter with a wife and children, all who Vittoria has grown as close to as family. Vittoria is blatant, blunt, and confident of her perceptions.Gianni, after a shocking discovery regarding her parents, begins hanging out with her aunt, in the seedier part of Naples, and her aunt’s self-made and religious family. Gianni was raised by atheist parents, as were all their friends, who are largely academics. Gianni also meets the blue collar kin that her father rejected.Over the course of the following years, Gianni learns some harsh lessons and hears even harsher secrets about her father and mother. She decides her life is her own to do as she pleases, and becomes the rebellious daughter who shirks her tony friends and gets an education in sex, love, and its full-throated realities. Throughout it all, Giovanni’s voice is riveting, exuberant, and commanding.Themes of identity, betrayal, and all that a bildungsroman contains, in a tight ball of fire. Not one dull moment. Charismatic, engrossing, and bold, it will surely be one of my favorites of the year. “Lies, lies, adults forbid them and yet they tell so many.”

I read reviews that focused on the unpleasantness of reading about a dysfunctional family; it was just this that made the book so eloquent for me, as lived through the of eyes of adolescent Giovanna. The book starts out simply enough, but within a few chapters of an ordinary colorful tale, it soon took on a darker hue, which compelled me to read more, enjoying the writing and translation. I did feel the ending was rushed and unsatisfactory.

First, do NOT listen to the Audible narration. It’s terrible! I listened with great pleasure to the Audible narration of the Neapolitan series. And I was expecting something equally well done for this book. Rather, the narration was overly dramatized to the point of being ridiculous.I struggled with rating this book and finally decided on the 3-star review (rather than 2-star) because, after all, it’s Elena Ferrante. But this book falls so far short of any of the Neopolitan series.None of the main characters are likeable, but perhaps my biggest criticism is that the main character, Giuliana, a teenage girl (14-16 years during the course of the book) is totally unrealistic. She has thoughts, ideas, intentions far beyond any adolescent girl. Psychologically she just doesn’t gel with the story.I suppose this is a coming of age story - at least I believe it was intended to be that. It falls in this regard. Not just due to the poor characterization of the main character, but also the surrounding characters. They are simply all too overdone with nothing subtle about the story.Don’t waste your money. If you want to read this book, borrow it from the library. Or skip it all together and read the Neopolitan series - all superb writing. If you’ve arrived at this book after reading the Neopolitan series, go back and read the series again. Reading this book will simply make you shake your head.

I picked up the first book of the Neapolitan series when staying with a friend and looking for something to read, and never have I been so hooked by a book series. When I finished one book I drove from bookstore to bookstore where they were out of stock until I found the next one, because I couldn't stand to wait a day or two for Prime delivery. So, read those, for sure, probably before you read this. They are phenomenal, and I will say no more -- just trust me.This book is also a beautiful piece of writing. Much simpler, cleaner, by comparison to the epic four book series, but no less gripping and evocative. Ferrante captures the experience of being a young woman and the transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood better than anyone, with an emotional essence and relationship to oneself and the world that is complex, beautiful, painful, confusing, exciting and raw. She also manages to create the feeling of passing time in a way that is so thoroughly felt that I don't think I can explain it to someone who has not read her books. You *really* feel the months, years, decades, pass in her books almost like it is part of your true lived experience.There are parts of this book that are sexual in nature, and some short bits that are quite sexually explicit, but if you have a young adult in this age group that you feel comfortable exposing to those things I think it would be a great story for a person going through many of these same transitions to read. It contextualizes many of the confusing experiences and feelings you have during that time, and I think if I had read it as a 15, 16, 17 year old it would have been really meaningful to hear a fictionalized story of someone I could relate to (even if we were also different in many ways).This is a great story by an absolutely beautiful writer. Definitely worth the read.

Love this book! But I have to admit, I am an Elena Ferrante fan, I adore everything she writes. Her insight into human behaviour and the female experience is exceptional, as illustrated in this novel. However, if you haven’t read her quadrilogy, the first book of which is “my brilliant friend”, you must read that first or at least as well.You are in for a literary delight.

Loved the book, loved the series. It’s not easy to find really good, current fiction so we might as well go with this one.

bellissimo

Great book. Arrived before time. Must buy.

Ferrante is a brilliant writer, there is no doubt. However, she uses the same themes over and over. This novel is no exception. She broaches class issues well and exposes the difficulties these cause within a single family. This is probably her greatest strength in novels. Again set in Napels, again about girls who love, adore and are afraid of each other. Of vengeful family members and idiotic wives/mothers smitten by their intellectual yet unfaithful husbands... Towards the middle I couldn't put the book down. The second half becomes boring, as the main character is blinded by first love and pubescent loathing of her parents. Then the end...have not encountered such an untimely, contrived, and bumpy ending in a novel for a long time. All in all: Entertaining but also slightly annoying.