My Name Is Lucy Barton
By Elizabeth Strout
- Release Date: 2016-01-12
- Genre: Literary Fiction
Description
#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.
Reviews
love this
5By michellekrlove this book. i just finished and bought the other four books in this series. i want to read every single thing the author ever wrote. her writing is beautiful and profound. love this book.Disappointing
3By One more irate userA long short story. Elizabeth Strout is a beautiful writer but this should not have been presented as a stand alone book. Many pages consist of one or two short paragraphs, which felt like a money grab. Regarding the story, the character Lucy Barton in Stroud's other books is engaging and interesting but in this story I found her unlikable and self indulgent. Many statements about her deep love for her daughters but few places were that love showed in her actions. For a writer and deep thinker Lucy had such little insight. Made me miss Olive Kitteridge!Wonderful author
4By 5612053Elizabeth Strout honestly cannot write a bad book. I would recommend reading her books though in chronological order. Her Olive books are truly amazing.It was a mix for me….
3By bostonpiesSome parts were relatable, but many other parts left me hanging. I guess I like closure. Just meh.Disappointed
3By LenoxloveThe book wasn’t as good as her others, which I adored. It is disjointed and hard to follow. It was just words without the intense insight. It is an easy read but not the kind of book you need to read to finish.My Name is Lucy Barton
5By RistikayA rags to riches story of sorts, beginning with childhood psychological abuse, physical abuse, parental abandonment, being shamed and bullied to two marriages, two daughters and a divorce. Lucy is a broken adult; yet more intelligent, loving and lovable than she knows.Loved this book as much as her others!
5By NowayhomieI'm so glad I found this wonderful author. I have inhaled every one of her books!doc d
3By Papal FatherBVice
3By ssaqssefdqgdSTyler twqcye rxe usb scqweseeqaGood read
5By tinabethchapI really enjoyed this read! I felt like I could actually hear Elizabeth Strout voice. Now I’m on line searching for more reads by Elizabeth Strout.Annoying.
2By Cut woodI found the dialog annoying and repetitive.A tender story of a life's truth
5By LyndAndFriendsI'm reading this book on my iPad. I will buy it so I have it on my shelf, to share, to savor. Lucy left her hard, rural, poor childhood life to attend college. Her relationships with her family of origin were strained, always, but moving beyond the family norm left a deep resentment. Personally, many things Lucy went through, felt, questioned, needed, lost, are things I have experienced. This book, this story, is a written so beautifully. Lucy admits to her vulnerable memories. Maybe this was how things were, maybe this is what happened. It's a book I want to have friends read and then talk about it. And talk about it some more.My Name Is Lucy Barton
2By Perky tooTwo words...."very strange ". I usually like this author but this was a big letdown. There is no plot or story line and her writing style is very different. If you want to read something very entertaining from Strout read The Burgess Boys or Isabelle and Amy.parent child relationship
3By Toni FGMAMTC3.5 stars This story kept my interest the entire time, but I don't really know what the point was. I felt like maybe it was about how we all make mistakes or how we have to love our parents even if they weren't always good parents? I really just don't know. It's like a lady just telling random things in her life.Hmmm.....
3By The Pilot's DaughterWell at least I got it on sale as an e-book. My first book by this author, and it was so fragmented that were it longer I would have lost track of the different characters/ situations. Not a light book, in fact dark enough to warn me away from reading her other stories. We all have darkness and despair in our lives, but such is the theme of the main character, that I'm not sure she ever truly let the light in.Not one of my favorites.
3By Knit NammyI know this book is about relationships, and how childhood experiences affect our adult lives, but I had a difficult time caring about any of the characters in this book. I'm not sure how this book became a best seller. I felt the story rambled at times, although, I understood Lucy's mother showed Lucy she loved her in the only way she could, and that she was, and always would be, blind to the damage she and Lucy's father inflicted on their children. Lucy alluded to (sexual abuse?) "that THING" that happened. Or was it the snake in the car? Or was the snake in the car mixed up in her mind with sexual abuse? I had to force myself to finish this book, which tends to make me want to just get it over with and on to something else. Therefore, being an avid reader of higher quality fiction, I have to say, that book just wasn't one of my favorites.Dismal
2By Dogsbody67Such a dismal story with very little insight into why characters are so awful. Not much point in reading it at all.My name is Lucy Barton
1By Audiobook hookedI found this book boring. It drones on and on and often times I fall asleep. Learned nothing. Maybe I just missed it, but this book is absolutely not worth purchasing. Sorry about that.Wish there was less than one star to give
1By SagewageIt was a waste of time and money to buy and read this. She rambles on and then the very short book ends abruptly
