My Brilliant Friend: Childhood: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis

Lenù and Gigliola begin attending private study sessions at Maestra Oliviero’s house in order to prepare for the exam. Lila, whose parents have refused to pay for such lessons, does not accompany them—but she remains insistent upon taking the admissions exam. She declares that if she gets into middle school, she’ll simply use Lenù’s books rather than pay for her own.

With the money from Don Achille, Lila buys a copy of Little Women instead of a new doll. Lila has already read the book several times—it is her favorite. The girls begin meeting in the courtyard to read and reread the book over the next several months. Lila doesn’t feel she can keep the book at home without incurring Fernando’s wrath, so Lenù keeps it at her home instead.

Many arguments about Lila’s academic future continue to unfold at home. Rino, who is about 16, defends her each time, but his own fights with his parents about their failure to pay him for his work in the shop discredits him and draws his parents’ ire. Rino wants money so that he can pay for Lila to go to school. Fernando thinks it is preposterous for a girl to attend school, and Lila never speaks out against her father—she seems to sagely understand his reasons for keeping her home, even if she remains determined to go to school anyway.

Wealth becomes Lila and Lenù’s “obsession” throughout their last year of elementary school. They dream of being rich ladies when they grow older, and they think of ways to amass a great amount of wealth and glittering treasure. Lila believes that if they write books, they will become rich. She suggests the two of them write a novel together—but when Lenù is distracted with preparations for the exam, Lila, bursting with energy, writes a novel on her own. When she shows the book, which is called The Blue Fairy, to Lenù, Lenù is deeply impressed with the depth and complexity of the work. Lenù suggests Lila give it to Maestra Oliviero to read, but Lila refuses.

One day, at Maestra Oliviero’s house, Lenù gives the teacher Lila’s copy of The Blue Fairy and excitedly tells her how great it is. The teacher replies that Lila should be studying rather than wasting her time with fanciful novels. Lenù is confused by Maestra Oliviero’s attitude—and she’s upset when Maestra Oliviero still has not read the book after several days. Maestra Oliviero asks Lenù if she knows what the “plebs” are. Lenù says she does. The teacher replies that if a man “wishes to remain a plebian, [then] he, his children, and the children of his children deserve nothing.” Oliviero urges Lenù to forget about Lila and focus only on herself.

In the aftermath of writing The Blue Fairy—and learning of Maestra Oliviero’s failure to read it—Lila becomes reserved and disheartened, yet determined to write another, better book one day. At the final class competition of the year, Lila beats out both Lenù and Gigliola—but during the last question, she falters and declares that there is a problem with the equation. Maestra Oliviero becomes angry with Lila and scolds her in front of the entire classroom.