Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
A journey through friendship and societal upheaval
Elena Ferrante author Ann Goldstein translator
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Europa Editions (UK) Ltd
Published:30th Jul '20
Should be back in stock very soon
This paperback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£14.99(9781609452339)
In Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, the lives of Lila and Elena unfold against a backdrop of social change in 1960s Naples.
Set in the tumultuous backdrop of the late 1960s and 1970s, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay delves deeper into the intertwined lives of Lila and Elena. As they navigate the complexities of friendship and personal growth, Lila finds herself living independently with her son after separating from her husband, while Elena has pursued higher education and achieved literary success. Their journeys reflect the broader social and political upheavals of the time, capturing the essence of a generation grappling with change.
Elena Ferrante masterfully explores themes of identity, ambition, and the bonds of friendship in Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay. The novel paints a vivid picture of Naples, a city that serves as both a backdrop and a character in its own right. The narrative is rich with emotional depth, as both women confront their pasts and the choices that have shaped their futures. The contrast between Lila's gritty reality and Elena's academic pursuits highlights the different paths women can take in a world that is rapidly evolving.
In this third installment of the Neapolitan Novels, readers are invited to witness not only a personal saga but also a reflection on societal changes. Ferrante's prose is both compelling and immersive, making it easy to forget the outside world as one becomes engrossed in the lives of these two remarkable women. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay is a testament to the enduring power of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.
"Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay continues Ferrante's raw exploration of female friendship and ambition, emotional violence and the enduring scars of the second world war."
* The Guardian *"There is a savage honesty to the work of Elena Ferrante that is both unsettling and comforting at once. Here is an author who has poured every ounce of herself onto the page."
* Irish Times *The older you get, the harder it is to recapture the intoxicating sense of discovery that comes when you first read George Eliot, Nabokov, Tolstoy or Colette. But this year it came again when I read Elena Ferrante’s remarkable Neapolitan novels, chronicling a friendship between two women, Lila and Elena, that lasts for more than six decades.
"Tolstoyan in its sweep and ambition.... Novel by novel, Ferrante’s series is building into one of the great achievements of modern literature."
* The Independent *"Ferrante depicts the pain of uncertainty but also its potential."
* The Times Literary Supplement *"Nothing you read about Elena Ferrante's work prepares you for the ferocity of it."
* The New York TimISBN: 9781787702684
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
400 pages