The Beach at Night
By Elena Ferrante, Mara Cerri and Ann Goldstein
3.5/5
()
About this ebook
One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year.
Readers of Elena Ferrante’s The Lost Daughter may recall the little doll—lost or stolen—around which that novel revolves. Here, Ferrante retells the tale from the doll’s perspective.
Celina is having a terrible night, one full of jealousy for the new kitten, Minù; feelings of abandonment and sadness; misadventures at the hands of the beach attendant; and dark dreams. But she will be happily found by Mati, her child, once the sun rises . . .
“Everyone should read anything with Ferrante’s name on it.” —The Boston Globe
Elena Ferrante
Elena Ferrante is the author of The Days of Abandonment (Europa, 2005), Troubling Love (Europa, 2006), and The Lost Daughter (Europa, 2008), now a film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley. She is also the author of Incidental Inventions(Europa, 2019), illustrated by Andrea Ucini; Frantumaglia: A Writer’s Journey (Europa, 2016); and a children’s picture book illustrated by Mara Cerri, The Beach at Night (Europa, 2016). The four volumes known as the “Neapolitan novels” (My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child) were published by Europa Editions in English between 2012 and 2015. My Brilliant Friend, the HBO series directed by Saverio Costanzo, premiered in 2018 and is in its third season. Ferrante’s most recent novel is the instant New York Times bestseller, The Lying Life of Adults (Europa, 2020).
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Reviews for The Beach at Night
45 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A quick sweet read of the scary adventures of a doll left behind on the beach.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sad story of a little doll’s plight as she accidentally gets left on the beach by her distracted “Mama” and Mama’s new cat. What a frightening adventure as late day turns into night and all kinds of dangers assault her. She thinks she has been forsaken and it is oh so sad.
This looks like a children’s book, but is not really. There are some bad words and scenes that are not appropriate for children. A children’s story for adults perhaps. Beautifully illustrated! - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a really charming little children's book with Ferrante's story supplemented by nice illustrations by Mara Cerri. I've never before read anything by Ferrante, and I have to confess that I didn't buy this one – I read it cover-to-cover sitting at a table at a Barnes & Noble. The story's ending isn't quite credible, but so what, it's sweet.It's modestly priced at $13 so I might buy it sometime. I've never before read anything by Ferrante, and I've got so much else on my plate that I doubt I ever will, but I did enjoy my quick read at B&N. Admirers of Ferrante might be disappointed if The Beach at Night is something that they don't expect from their author, but as a newcomer to Ferrante, I enjoyed it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What a brief and delightfully mysterious little story about a little girl's doll who gets left on the beach. It's simple and short, but not a children's book, necessarily—surreal and quirky with a side of creepy.
Book preview
The Beach at Night - Elena Ferrante
ALSO BY
ELENA FERRANTE
The Days of Abandonment
Troubling Love
The Lost Daughter
Frantumaglia
MY BRILLIANT FRIEND
(The Neapolitan Quartet)
My Brilliant Friend
The Story of a New Name
Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
The Story of the Lost Child
Incidental Inventions
Europa Editions
214 West 29th St., Suite 1003
New York NY 10001
www.europaeditions.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2007 by Edizioni E/O
First publication 2016 by Europa Editions
Translation by Ann Goldstein
Original Title: La spiaggia di notte
Translation copyright © 2016 by Europa Editions
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Cover Art by Emanuele Ragnisco
www.mekkanografici.com
ISBN 9781609453718
Elena Ferrante
The Beach
at Night
Illustrations by
Mara Cerri
Translated from the Italian
by Ann Goldstein
gattoMati is a five-year-old girl who talks a lot, especially to me. I’m her doll.
Her father has just arrived—he comes to the beach every weekend.
He’s brought her a present—a black-and-white cat. So until five minutes ago Mati was playing