struggle as "battles with death", implying the death of the soul and of female psychological freedom. This intimate turmoil also manifests itself in the actions of the characters created by the author, who become weak, unreliable and irrational; most of the events narrated revolve around these difficulties of theirs. In the author's first novels, this theme is very evident. The character of Delia and, in parallel, that of her mother Amalia are presented in detail according to this interpretation. Reception The book was well received by the critics, who praised its psychological insight into a mother / daughter relationship. The book won the Procida-Isola di Arturo-Elsa Morante Prize, and was nominated for the Strega Prize. David Lipsky, writing for The New York Times, said “Halfway through my second reading of Elena Ferrante’s “Troubling Love” — 70 more pages to go in seamy Naples — I tore the book down the middle. It's the first time a novel ever made me get physical, and it was the first good mood I'd been in for weeks." he praised the book's mysterious theme "'I had forgotten nothing,' she explains, gathering evidence, 'but I didn't want to remember'.", and "Ferrante is fascinated by the moments when a personality — like a wire stretched too far from its power source — shorts and corrodes." Bibliography In Italian: L'Amore Molesto, 1992, Edizioni e/o, Roma, ISBN 978-88-66326403. Republished as Cronache del mal d’amore, in a volume that included also the novels The Days of Abandonment and The Lost Daughter. Cronache del mal d'amore. 2012, Edizioni e/o, Roma, ISBN 978-88-6632-192-7. In English: Troubling love, translated by Ann Goldstein. 2016, Europa Editions, ISBN 978-1933372167. Film adaptation The book was adapted into the Italian film of the same name, released in the UK as Nasty Love and in the United States as Troubling love. L'Amore Molesto won 3 David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress, Best Director and Best Supporting Actress and was nominated for 2 for Best Film and Best Producer. It was also nominated for a Palme D'or by the Cannes Film Festival for director Mario Martone. References 1992 novels Italian-language novels Novels by Elena Ferrante Italian novels adapted into films Edizioni E/O books