My Name Is Lucy Barton

A Novel

By: Elizabeth Strout

Narrated by: Kimberly Farr

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • A simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the tender relationship between mother and daughter in this “spectacular” (The Washington Post) novel by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Olive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys.

“An aching, illuminating look at mother-daughter devotion.”—People

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, The Washington Post, The New York Times Book Review, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Minneapolis Star Tribune, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Miami Herald, The Guardian Slate, BookPage, LibraryReads, Kirkus Reviews

Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn’t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy’s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy’s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable.

A story of all the places loves resides in

I didn't think I would like this story. Too domestic, too seeming to tug at the sleeve of sentimentality, I thought. Then in came the sullen mother, or was she hiding / mulling something she couldn't utter? Then came the daughters, little girls, who appeared to be so brave beyond their years. Still, and furthermore came the unnameable disquieting spells which sneak up on one on a rainy day and between all these elements (events and situations) of life I found myself listening intently to the narrative as it led me to the mirror. The mirror where you see yourself and if you look closer many other faces too. A universal story to me. A story full of truths, not all pleasant but necessary to confront. Layers falling away as life unfolds. A deliberate effort to see what is happening, to avoid the distraction. A deeper understanding of what life is, what it can be perhaps.

The language is simple and hence uncomplicated. Complicated enough is the inference of the longing to belong, to mean something to another - ones place even - and all this the author manages with simplicity and composure. Dignity.

Does this story have gravitational pull for me because here is a woman addressing her life with no fear for the eventual judgement? She realizes she is being judged and measured (like the encounter with a male figure while away in school, to name but one instance) but we see her lose her fear of this and in this she is a modern hero. Afterall, are not the vast swathes of Instagram culture an appeal to be seen in the favorable light, curated and varnished so that the judgement won't lead to being cancelled, or cast aside?

The performance allowed me to believe I was hearing the authors voice and that to me is in this type of literature a plus.

A real story.

Exceptional

Well well-written account of a troubled life when even success can't erase the years of hurt, rejection and desire to be loved by the only ones that matter, family.

Good storyline

Interesting story, I found that I could relate to it; always searching for that approval or love from a distant parent.

If you like depressing stories

Very dark and depressing but does provide a view regarding some lives that remain unfulfilled.

A story for writers of stories

I liked the way Strout explored the ambiguity of relationship with her imperfect mother. There were one or two aspects of the story that stretched credulity. I feel like I missed something about the hospitalization, about her failed marriage, the incompleteness of her mentor’s story. I learned a thing or two about fiction and that is a valuable lesson.