I LOVED this Kolina, this was so well written and fun to read! I am definitely reading ‘My Brilliant Friend’ ASAP, I’m interested to know how it differs from Days of Abandonment!
Thanks so much Martha! They have some similarities in terms of tone and setting, but they’re also SO different! My Brilliant Friend has tons of characters, and you get to know them all well, whereas The Days of Abandonment has only a few. I cannot wait to hear what you think!!!
I’ve been doing a slow read of War and Peace wth @Simon Haisell this year and that has been so awesome. A slow read of the quartet would be cool too. So many writers I can think, “Yep get what you’re doing here, cool” but not Eleana. It’s magic.
I’ve been so curious about those slow reads! My pushback is fear that I won’t understand the book (which I realize is the point of it). Love to hear that it’s going well for you!
The NYT's article title is misleading - but not surprising. Should be "The 100 best C20th books published in US"... The current title implies globally.
What about books published in the UK, Canada, Europe? There are better books published elsewhere than some in this list...
From a Miffed Brit - who happens to have read 14 on the NYT list anyway!
I guess, since it’s an American publication, one should presume it would be about US publications. Had they deigned to go global, then they would have put that on the title. (That said, I don’t think am American publication should be going global. If they had, then people would likely have complained about that — how dare they speak for ‘the world!’
Yeah it's tricky. What complicates it though is that they have books in translation (which I LOVE!) But some of these books were published originally elsewhere. So the line is quite blurry I think.
The Goldfinch was a stand-out for me (enough to read The Secret History and The Little Friend). And I've read a fair bit of George Saunders, most of Ishiguro...
Don’t be ashamed!! She’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. I think start with The Lost Daughter, or just go all-in and read the Neapolitan Quartet!
I LOVED this Kolina, this was so well written and fun to read! I am definitely reading ‘My Brilliant Friend’ ASAP, I’m interested to know how it differs from Days of Abandonment!
Thanks so much Martha! They have some similarities in terms of tone and setting, but they’re also SO different! My Brilliant Friend has tons of characters, and you get to know them all well, whereas The Days of Abandonment has only a few. I cannot wait to hear what you think!!!
I love these books too and I’ve struggled to understand why because they are so different. I loved your insights. Now I might have to reread!
Thanks Jennifer! The Days of Abandonment is an annual re-read for me but I've never reread the quartet. I think this is the year!
I’ve been doing a slow read of War and Peace wth @Simon Haisell this year and that has been so awesome. A slow read of the quartet would be cool too. So many writers I can think, “Yep get what you’re doing here, cool” but not Eleana. It’s magic.
I’ve been so curious about those slow reads! My pushback is fear that I won’t understand the book (which I realize is the point of it). Love to hear that it’s going well for you!
War & Peace is easy! But it does help you keep the character straight
The NYT's article title is misleading - but not surprising. Should be "The 100 best C20th books published in US"... The current title implies globally.
What about books published in the UK, Canada, Europe? There are better books published elsewhere than some in this list...
From a Miffed Brit - who happens to have read 14 on the NYT list anyway!
I guess, since it’s an American publication, one should presume it would be about US publications. Had they deigned to go global, then they would have put that on the title. (That said, I don’t think am American publication should be going global. If they had, then people would likely have complained about that — how dare they speak for ‘the world!’
Yeah it's tricky. What complicates it though is that they have books in translation (which I LOVE!) But some of these books were published originally elsewhere. So the line is quite blurry I think.
I quickly made that assumption, Elle - and I guess they couldn't win either way... But there are some great books on the list!
I agree! Some I’d never heard of before too!
Yes, there are a TON of things this list didn't cover! And it pissed a lot of people off. I love that you read 14 of them! Any favorites?
The Goldfinch was a stand-out for me (enough to read The Secret History and The Little Friend). And I've read a fair bit of George Saunders, most of Ishiguro...
The Goldfinch was high on my own ballot! And Ishiguro.
I have to try to get ahold of the full list. Anyone get a gift link? 😉
I’m trying to login on my phone so I can get it for you but I don’t have my password! 🥵
"Everything" 🥰🥰🥰
Everything is right!
New to Ferrante but excited to dive in, this was lovely, thank you!
Yay! I hope you enjoy her!
Don’t be ashamed!! She’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea. I think start with The Lost Daughter, or just go all-in and read the Neapolitan Quartet!