My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferranteby Elena Ferrante
Shares rank 74 of 122 novels by recommenders
People recommend it as an absorbing novel, with several saying the English translation reads well and is enjoyable to read.
People recommend it as an absorbing novel, with several saying the English translation reads well and is enjoyable to read.
3 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 3
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 3 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Translation reads well in English
“the English translation, at least for me specifically, is a monumental achievement”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Dostoyevsky Isn't Difficult” “Finally I just read it in English and enjoyed myself.”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Dostoyevsky Isn't Difficult” Enjoyable and absorbing to read
“Finally I just read it in English and enjoyed myself.”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Dostoyevsky Isn't Difficult” “Aww, I loved My Brilliant Friend”
Comment from 25 Jun 2026 in “Dostoyevsky Isn't Difficult”
Other novels people recommend
The four most recommended other novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 39 | 9 | 81% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Brothers Karamazovby Fyodor Dostoevsky | 28 | 8 | 78% | 5 | — | Approved |
| Infinite Jestby David Foster Wallace | 26 | 5 | 84% | 9 | 10 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald | 24 | 9 | 73% | 6 | — | Approved |
| My Brilliant Friendby Elena FerranteThis page | 3 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 3 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the English translation, at least for me specifically, is a monumental achievement”
“Aww, I loved My Brilliant Friend”
“Finally I just read it in English and enjoyed myself.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.