“It’s hard to imagine fans of the books feeling short-changed; Saverio Costanzo’s production looks and feels wonderfully authentic, from the girls’ handmade frocks and the dowdy 1950s settings to the vibrant Neapolitan dialect interspersed with more formal Italian.  At the head of a troupe of exquisitely natural young performers, the two girls in the central roles are vastly impressive. Elena, known as Lenù (Elisa Del Genio), is taller, blonde, reserved but with an inner core of rebellion, while the fiery and self-possessed Lila (Ludovica Nasti) is like a tiny version of Sophia Loren.”

And “A huge part of the books’ appeal is the way they chart the changing role of women over the decades. This broader story of Italian life and culture is woven skilfully into a more intimate and complex consideration of the effects of a life-long tie to someone who is both sweetest friend and harshest rival.”