"My Genius Girl" is the first part of Elena Ferrante's "Naples Tetralogy", which tells the story of the girlhood of two heroines, Lila and Elena. At the beginning of the story, Elena, who is already successful, receives a call from Lila's son Rino, saying that his mother has completely disappeared. Elena remembered Lila's prophecy about her destiny, so she wrote the story of their lives...
Lila and Elena grew up together in a run-down community in Naples. They have been inseparable since childhood and trust each other, but they each regard the other as their own secret mirror and secretly compete with each other.
Lila is smart and beautiful. She can confront the boys who bully her without fear, or she can go to Achille, whom everyone fears. Karachi wants back the toys he took away; Elena envies Lila's learning talent and superhuman decisiveness, and has been secretly imitating Lila.
Her family did not support Lila's continued education, so she worked in the shoe repair shop that her father and brother struggled to maintain, and faced the pursuit of several dandy boys. Elena continued her studies alone with love, jealousy and understanding for her friends, but was still unable to face the loss of competing with Lila.
Finally, sixteen-year-old Lila decided to marry the butcher shop owner, but at the wedding banquet, she discovered her husband's betrayal. And Elena is also standing at the entrance to the adult world, worried about her future and also hesitant because of her vague attraction to the forward-thinking Nino.
Reader comments
Tomato, you are on your way, you have all the Naples tetralogy, this is 1, leave a footprint!
I don't remember when the film and television drama character Lenon broke into my sight on social platforms. She was ordinary, yet difficult, mixed with the ordinary and the extraordinary.
I don't remember Lila, or rather, she didn't appear much. I only remember my genius girlfriend. The misunderstanding the name brought to me at the beginning was absurd, stupid and funny.
One of the protagonists must be a male, so making a judgment before you understand it will naturally be a slap in the face. Maybe there is this factor in my decision not to make a random decision. Later I found out that I still haven't been exposed to it.
Puberty is a very strange thing. The story ends here. I don't understand much yet. But this morning, I had a sudden idea and decided to watch the first part, so I opened "My Genius Girlfriend"
I have forgotten the misunderstanding about the name, and various discussions about Lila and Lenon in my mind took turns to attack my mind, replacing other things and hindering me from reading. At first, my only thought was, "Don't do this next time." It was very uncomfortable, because there were many words that disturbed me when I was reading.
But I was looking forward to it silently. Now look, what will it bring to me?
The answer is, nothing.
I just finished reading it. Even if I have read hundreds of books before, it is useless and nothing. I need time to settle, and I need to continue reading the remaining three books.
The story of shoes makes people's minds wander around them.
I saw Lila, I admired her, and at the same time my chaotic thoughts called me to pay attention to Lenon, and my other self said, she is always there, she is the teller of this story, I did not ignore her!
Lila is very shining, and Lenon is not bad either. I don't remember if I have seen it elsewhere, or if this is just my idea. Lila and Lenon complement each other and achieve each other's success.
As for what happened next, I can't say for sure, I've seen it before, but right now Lenon and Lila are like mirrors to each other, and at the same time, there are inexplicable things surrounding them.
At the beginning of the book, I thought of the French novel "Little Miss Guess"; but the author quickly got out of that kind of romance, so I thought of "The Sea of Life" again, the black and white ignorance brought about by poverty or the current situation; at the same time, it has the core of the mirror image of the two protagonists of "July and Ansheng".
I always put myself into Elena
I really like the TV series My Genius Girlfriend, now let's listen to the original version.
It's the kind of story that gets better the more you watch it. It uses flashbacks at the beginning, which may be a bit abrupt in time. Later, it slowly recalls the period from childhood to adolescence. The sequence is very interesting. The story of Lila and me. It is inevitable that I will become better because of Lila. Lila's beauty will also make me feel inferior. I also hope that Lila can't compare to me. I hope Lila will live a good life in the future.
Read it on July 24, 2026, recommended by an elder.
I was extremely envious of Elena and Lila's emotions, even jealous. Jealousy, admiration, dependence, and ultimately destined to be attracted to them, just like Elena to Lila.
No one dislikes Lila. Her determination is like a giant ax that pries open the world, like breaking through the pages of a writer's book. I followed Elena through their childhood of fighting against fear and their youth that impacted their destiny. The feeling of being led by Lila seemed to appear in me too, making me eager to make changes.
I personally feel my fragility and insignificance in front of them, and I just commemorate this and thank God for allowing me to encounter this book.
I admire Lila's intelligence and bravery. She never flinches when faced with difficulties. And Elena's envy and hesitation also resonated with me. The author seems to really understand the inner world of us girls! I feel like this book is not only about friendship, but also about growth and self-discovery. I can't wait to read the rest of the story!
Lenon and Lila have always followed each other and supported each other.
I first heard the title of the play because it was about love, but I didn't expect it to be about the friendship between two girls. Lila, what a pity
Lenore and Lila are each other's genius girlfriends
Ah! It ended abruptly, but there was a lot of sadness.
It's very beautiful. Reading the author's words feels like Greco reading the letter written by Lila.
Must-read for adults
If it's not so unjustifiable
The author uses delicate language to boldly and without modification describe the protagonist's inner description, allowing him to see a more authentic self.
Tomato, you are on your way, you have all the Naples tetralogy, this is 1, leave a footprint!
I don't remember when the film and television drama character Lenon broke into my sight on social platforms. She was ordinary, yet difficult, mixed with the ordinary and the extraordinary. I don't remember Lila, or rather, she didn't appear much. I only remember my genius girlfriend. The misunderstanding the name brought to me at the beginning was absurd, stupid and funny. One of the protagonists must be a male, so making a judgment before you understand it will naturally be a slap in the face. Maybe there is this factor in my decision not to make a random decision. Later I found out that I still haven't been exposed to it. Puberty is a very strange thing. The story ends here. I don't understand much yet. But this morning, I had a sudden idea and decided to watch the first part, so I opened "My Genius Girlfriend" I have forgotten the misunderstanding about the name, and various discussions about Lila and Lenon in my mind took turns to attack my mind, replacing other things and hindering me from reading. At first, my only thought was, "Don't do this next time." It was very uncomfortable, because there were many words that disturbed me when I was reading. But I was looking forward to it silently. Now look, what will it bring to me? The answer is, nothing. I just finished reading it. Even if I have read hundreds of books before, it is useless and nothing. I need time to settle, and I need to continue reading the remaining three books. The story of shoes makes people's minds wander around them. I saw Lila, I admired her, and at the same time my chaotic thoughts called me to pay attention to Lenon, and my other self said, she is always there, she is the teller of this story, I did not ignore her! Lila is very shining, and Lenon is not bad either. I don't remember if I have seen it elsewhere, or if this is just my idea. Lila and Lenon complement each other and achieve each other's success. As for what happened next, I can't say for sure, I've seen it before, but right now Lenon and Lila are like mirrors to each other, and at the same time, there are inexplicable things surrounding them.
At the beginning of the book, I thought of the French novel "Little Miss Guess"; but the author quickly got out of that kind of romance, so I thought of "The Sea of Life" again, the black and white ignorance brought about by poverty or the current situation; at the same time, it has the core of the mirror image of the two protagonists of "July and Ansheng". I always put myself into Elena
I really like the TV series My Genius Girlfriend, now let's listen to the original version.
It's the kind of story that gets better the more you watch it. It uses flashbacks at the beginning, which may be a bit abrupt in time. Later, it slowly recalls the period from childhood to adolescence. The sequence is very interesting. The story of Lila and me. It is inevitable that I will become better because of Lila. Lila's beauty will also make me feel inferior. I also hope that Lila can't compare to me. I hope Lila will live a good life in the future.
Read it on July 24, 2026, recommended by an elder. I was extremely envious of Elena and Lila's emotions, even jealous. Jealousy, admiration, dependence, and ultimately destined to be attracted to them, just like Elena to Lila. No one dislikes Lila. Her determination is like a giant ax that pries open the world, like breaking through the pages of a writer's book. I followed Elena through their childhood of fighting against fear and their youth that impacted their destiny. The feeling of being led by Lila seemed to appear in me too, making me eager to make changes. I personally feel my fragility and insignificance in front of them, and I just commemorate this and thank God for allowing me to encounter this book.
I admire Lila's intelligence and bravery. She never flinches when faced with difficulties. And Elena's envy and hesitation also resonated with me. The author seems to really understand the inner world of us girls! I feel like this book is not only about friendship, but also about growth and self-discovery. I can't wait to read the rest of the story!
Lenon and Lila have always followed each other and supported each other.
I first heard the title of the play because it was about love, but I didn't expect it to be about the friendship between two girls. Lila, what a pity
Lenore and Lila are each other's genius girlfriends
Ah! It ended abruptly, but there was a lot of sadness.
It's very beautiful. Reading the author's words feels like Greco reading the letter written by Lila.
Must-read for adults
If it's not so unjustifiable
The author uses delicate language to boldly and without modification describe the protagonist's inner description, allowing him to see a more authentic self.