The Story of a New Name

The Neapolitan Novels, Book 2

By: Elena Ferrante

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

The follow-up to My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name continues the epic New York Times bestselling literary quartet that has inspired an HBO series, and returns us to the world of Lila and Elena, who grew up together in post-WWII Naples, Italy.

In The Story of a New Name, Lila has recently married and made her entrée into the family business; Elena, meanwhile, continues her studies and her exploration of the world beyond the neighborhood that she so often finds stifling. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila, and the pressure to excel is at times too much for Elena. Yet the two young women share a complex and evolving bond that is central to their emotional lives and a source of strength in the face of life’s challenges.

In these Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante, “one of the great novelists of our time” (New York Times), gives us a poignant and universal story about friendship and belonging, a meditation on love and jealousy, freedom and commitment—at once a masterfully plotted page-turner and an intense, generous-hearted family saga.

©2012 Edizioni E/O. Translation © 2013 by Europa Editions (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Phenomenal Favola circa Due Amici

"Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooh you make me live now honey
Ooh you make me live."
You're My Best Friend, Queen, 1975

This is the second of a tetralogy called the "Neopolitan Novels," by the Italian novelist Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym). Ms. Ferrante says she considers the four volumes to constitute one novel. In Italy, the books are so popular that the periodical publications have regularly engaged in a game of speculation on the author's true identity.

The books center on the lives and friendship of two girls from Naples, Italy, Elena Greco (called sometimes "Lenù") and Raffaella ("Lila") Cerullo. Both are intelligent and precocious young students in the first book called My Brilliant Friend, which takes them up to 16 years old. This one, The Story of a New Name carries them to their mid-20s. Elena is the narrator, but it's truly about both of them, and all that relationship entails through the years, including intellectual and sexual competition and envy, and support for each other as they attempt to rise above their poor, vulgar and sometimes violent neighborhood on the Naples outskirts.

In some ways, Ms. Ferrante's writing reminds me of that by the Norwegian Karl Ove Knaussgard in his six-volume My Struggle, so conversational and existential without being overly gloomy. I can't pin down exactly why but I find these books absolutely absorbing and fascinating. I want to keep reading... and reading.... It's like a dip into the soul of the authors, their daily lives, and the intriguing neighborhood interrelationships, friendships, as the authors call you forth, in examining their own lives, to examine yours, your childhood, childhood friends, being an adult, growing older, how sad things turn out for many who could not escape their surroundings, your recollections of certain things but haziness on others, the meaning of art and lit in life and to a full life, the meaning of your upbringing in your life, the ways you are like and differ from your parents when you become a parent, the place you grew up, how it felt to be isolated, in love with someone, to lose them to another, in lust, puppy love, your first sexual encounter, how you felt upon seeing someone again or for the first time in years and years. The Neopolitan novels are full of good and evil and eccentric characters.

I found the first novel a little tedious at times because it mostly involved elementary age kids. Unlike the Karl Ove novels, it is necessary to read these in order. For this second one, I was all in, finding it simply jaw-dropping at times. I'm already halfway through the 3d now, I've enjoyed them so much.

Highly recommended.

good read

I saw the see series on tv and wanted to read. the book is much better

Great!

Loved it! highly recommend, audio reader was clear and concise. Story was exciting and entertaining.

Addictive!

Can't put it down! If you were raised Italian it's a must read. If you were the first educated female in your family, it's especially a must read.

Not just for women

I remember reading the novel about the two girls and really enjoying it but I did not think that I needed further exploration of their world. How wrong I was. The story of their transformation into two women is mesmerizing. The performance is superb and the book flies by. I am going to wait a while before reading the next book in this series about Naples but I have already bought the book and I know the story is on my horizon.