LAST BOOK LETS GOOOO!!!!
This has been a wild ride. I’d like to thank my classmates, teachers, and TAs for their hard work and for reading so many blogposts and also to us for reading the books and for writing all the blog posts. Good job all. We made it. Also this class significantly contributed to my Goodreads goal so I’m grateful for that (I am now 20 books towards my goal of 50 for this year, not that anyone asked). Also shoutout to my grandma because she read me some of this book in the car while I was driving.
I think the theme and exploration of class in this book was very interesting. Seeing the choices that characters made and their different paths, particularly the contrast between Lila and Elena, was interesting to watch as it developed over time. Not only class but also just the reckoning of a community and neighborhood after the war, particularly the exploration of this violence and tension in families that later bleeds into their friend groups. I was so shocked when Lila’s dad literally throws her out the window?! Like… what. When Elena steps out of her neighborhood and goes to see her high school with her dad, I thought it offered an insight into her mind and thoughts as her world almost got bigger: “Was it possible that only our neighborhood was filled with conflicts and violence, while the rest of the city was radiant, benevolent?” (137).
I found myself rooting for her and also for Lila because I wanted them to get what they wanted and “escape” in a sense so when Elena went away I thought it was a beautiful time away for her that was probably needed even though it was overshadowed by her experience with Nino’s dad and I don’t really want to get into all that because he’s just… ugh. But also Nino was a strange character for me because I almost rooted for him and Elena at the beginning but then I couldn’t really understand what he wanted or if he even liked her. It made me curious to see who she ends up with (because I think it mentioned in the beginning and I could be wrong that she and Lila both get married) or what path her life takes.
The world of this book felt very expansive because there were a lot of different characters to keep track of. The tensions in the friend group were also interesting because their group and the people they interacted with were filled with so many clashes. My grandma and I spoke briefly about the “macho-ness” particularly during the New Year’s scene because there was so much competition and the boys almost felt like they were playing a role and the girls were, too. These themes of coming-of-age and of particularly Elena coming into her body, appearance, sexuality, personhood and womanhood were really compelling for me because I felt I don’t often read stories that talk about these topics frankly and honestly. The writing style helped convey what Elena was thinking/feeling very clearly and I felt it was put in terms that I could understand and sometimes relate to.
Her and Lila’s friendship felt a bit like a rollercoaster simply because there was a lot of comparison and jealousy between the two of them and because they went through a lot of life events together. I actually thought this depiction of friendship was really honest and I think the ending really brought to mind this idea of diverging paths and how life can take people in different directions, and that Elena was almost mourning this image of her friend that she had in the past, but also trying her best to support her as she transitioned into this new stage. I think I related to her in that sense a bit so maybe that’s why I felt connected to the ending of the book. I was honestly so shocked and touched when Lila called Elena “my brilliant friend” (312) because it almost flipped the tables and I was curious about what would happen next for the two of them.
Memorable quote: “We were girls, even if we imagined ourselves wickedly daring” (243).
My question for the class would probably be: what theme or idea (class, friendship, ambitions, family, gender roles) stuck out to you the most?
I’ll explain my choices of emoji just in case it does not compute:
- Quill: obvs bc Elena decides to write about her friend
- Two girls: because they’re besties, could also represent the dolls
- Number one: represents the competition between the girls, as well as the other people in their classes and among their friend group, to be number one, to be the best, etc
- Student: represents Elena/her efforts in school and the teachers
- Fairy: there were a few references to fairies and specifically the story that Lila writes so I thought I would include that
- Car: represents the Solara’s 1100 and also the car Stefano says he buys for Lila
- Shoe: um, there were shoes in this book, so… kinda important
- Fireworks: New Year’s party and the guns (again the themes of competition)
- Island: When Elena goes away and gets a bit of freedom on Ischia
- Bride: represents Lila and the new life she steps into
That’s all for now. Give yourself a pat on the back for making it to the end of this blog and also to the (almost) end of term!!!!
Peace,
Maia
Hi Maia! I also had weird feelings about Nino because he liked her so much and then was weird later on and then the whole thing with his dad which was soooo gross. I also really liked this book and congrats to you too for getting to the end of the course:) (My Goodreads goal was also helped by this course, 19 out of 40 lets go)
Hi Maia!
I love your little emoji explanations 🙂 Congrats on getting to the end!
I think in terms of themes within this novel, the one that seems most prevalent is friendships. I think this might be because I relate to it the most. Female friendships are beautiful but are also incredibly complex. There are moments were girls unintentionally judge each other, fight, compare themselves and more all because of the expectations that society and the people around us impose on each other, I think this is why Elena experiences so much internalized struggle and emotional turmoil.
Thanks,
Nadia Ulanowska
“Elena was almost mourning this image of her friend that she had in the past, but also trying her best to support her as she transitioned into this new stage”
This is a nice way of putting things, I think. I end up wondering what happens in the next three books (this is the first of a quartet), as in some ways here at the end it feels as though they have really gone in different directions… though I guess we already have the sense that neither of those directions will work out of them, at least in the short term. (Lila’s already been betrayed by her husband, in that he gave Marcello those shoes.)
hello thank you for the post and the awesome emoji summary to answer your question I think what stuck out to me most through reading this is the idea that sometimes sheer willpower and stubbornness aren’t enough to escape your crappy situation and just because you dream of something coming true doesn’t mean it will.
– Vibha Jayaprakash
Lovely emojis as always! I really enjoy them at the end of your blogs. I would have to say what stuck out to me was the idea that plans change. Sometimes things happen outside of our control. With Lila for example, her father’s misogyny is something that is outside her control and completely shifts the course of her life.