My Brilliant Friend: Book Club Discussion Questions
- Anita
- Aug 3
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 10
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is a captivating and emotionally rich novel that explores friendship, identity, ambition, family, class, and womanhood through the lives of two girls growing up in post-war Naples.
Set in a working-class Neapolitan neighbourhood, the novel follows Elena Greco and Lila Cerullo as their intense friendship evolves from childhood into adolescence. As they navigate education, family expectations, poverty, and social constraints, their bond is shaped by admiration, rivalry, and resilience. Through vivid prose and deeply layered characters, Ferrante examines the lasting impact of friendship, the pursuit of self-determination, and the forces that shape our lives.
The My Brilliant Friend book club discussion questions below were created by our Chapter 25 team of dedicated readers. This acclaimed novel is perfect for readers who enjoy literary fiction, coming-of-age stories, historical fiction, and complex female friendships. These prompts are designed to spark conversation about identity, class, ambition, memory, gender, and the enduring influence of childhood relationships.
Book Club Discussion Questions:
Would you have picked this book up if it wasn’t a Chapter 25 pick? Why, or why not?
What was your initial impression of the book?
Who was your favourite character, and why?
What did you think of Elena and Lila’s friendship? Was it genuine? Was it healthy? How did it change as they grew up?
Elena’s understanding of herself is closely entwined with Lila. How does her friendship shape the way she sees herself over time?
The book is written in the style of a memoir. What did you think of this choice? How do you think the narrative would have changed if we were following the characters while they were children, rather than an adult reflecting on her
childhood?
Why do you think Lila continued to check out many books from the library after leaving education? Why do you think she then stopped?
On the topic of their education, Lila’s is cut short while Elena is able to continue on and gets extremely good grades, and yet both are often able to understand the same topics. What do you think this says about formal education?
The design and manufacture of the Cerullo shoes becomes a prevalent topic; what do you think they represent?
The neighbourhood becomes a microcosm with any trips beyond it being very exciting, and sometimes scary. Why do you think the neighbourhood is so self-contained (or seems that way to the children)?
How does the novel depict violence as an ordinary part of daily life, rather than as exceptional events? Are there any key moments that you think reflect this?
In what ways are intelligence, ambition, or defiance treated differently in boys and girls in the neighbourhood? In what ways are they treated the same?
It is alluded to that Lila never ventures far from Naples even later on in life. Why do you think this is? Are there any events or characteristics of Lila’s that foreshadow this?
Were you satisfied with how the book ended? As this is the first in a quartet, are you likely to read the next in the series?
If there were books released from different POVs, who would you most like to hear from the perspective of?
This book has already been adapted to TV. If you were the casting director for the production, who would you have cast for each role?
Would you recommend this book? What kind of reader do you think this book best suits? How would you sell it?
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