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My Name Is Lucy Barton
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
- Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout, read by Kimberly Farr.
A mother comes to visit her daughter in hospital after having not seen her in many years. Her unexpected visit forces Lucy to confront her past, uncovering long-buried memories of a profoundly impoverished childhood, and her present, as the façade of her new life in New York begins to crumble, awakening her to the reality of her faltering marriage and her unsteady journey towards becoming a writer.
From Lucy's hospital bed, we are drawn ever more deeply into the emotional complexity of family life, the inescapable power of the past and the memories - however painful - that bind a family together.
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What listeners say about My Name Is Lucy Barton
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Louise Christie
- 15-08-16
A great pleasure!
I loved it from start to finish, I couldn't stop listening until it was finished. Will be recommending this for my next book club and to anyone who will listen!
9 people found this helpful
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- judy tweddle
- 22-03-16
'All life amazes me,' says Lucy Barton. <br />
and Elizabeth Strout tells her story so gently yet powerfully: complex, insightful and painfully loving. It amazes me.
6 people found this helpful
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- Patrick
- 21-02-16
A subtle tapestry of family relationships
What made the experience of listening to My Name Is Lucy Barton the most enjoyable?
Like all of Elizabeth Strout's works this is beautifully written. The anecdotes that make up Lucy's past are fascinating to listen to.
What did you like best about this story?
This is not a novel of action, more of meditation. I feel you could listen to any part of it and be moved.
Which character – as performed by Kimberly Farr – was your favourite?
The novel is told in the first person so it is Lucy's voice we hear.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Too many to mention but the last few lines are really moving.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall
- S. Corner
- 26-08-17
Absolutely brilliant. Please read it!
Such a good book and the relatively slow narration really works well. I found it hard to put it down. We all love imperfectly and this tale is about the love of a child whose parents are not the best but still the love finds a way. Not sentimentally but with understanding of why her parents maybe are as they are. And with the best will in the world we too love imperfectly . This story is lucy's and her life as a child, her marriage and her joy of life. And her kindness towards others. Looking forward to the next book which I have already downloaded. I will be buying copies of this book for presents for friends and family.
3 people found this helpful
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- Stella
- 04-07-19
beautifully read melancholy story...
enjoyed this - another tale of struggle with poverty in US rural life - thoughtful, unexpected , insights into Lucy who is herself a writer....
2 people found this helpful
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- BenC
- 12-06-17
Just Brilliant
Story beautifully told in a wonderfully appropriate voice. The conversation between mother and daughter in the hospital was particularly moving.
Thanks
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-03-18
Perfection
Such a beautiful, sensitive story and so exquisitely read. Listen to it and you'll see.
1 person found this helpful
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- Michaela Mekler
- 23-04-17
Have not been able to make sense of this
The story develops somewhat purposelessly and leaves the listener wanting for more until the end.
The characters are relatable and realistic but the detail is missing. Often this seems like a first draft rather than a finished book.
The narration is awful, I only managed to get through it on 1.25 speed otherwise this would have lulled me into a deep sleep...
1 person found this helpful
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- K
- 12-10-16
Disappointing lack of depth in mother daughter relationship for me
There were some really interesting snippets fold stories in this book but I felt it jumped around too much and left too much unexplained to allow the listener to get to know the characters or heir experiences to any real depth.
It had such potential to expose the relationship between mother and daughter but didn't give it the exploration I was hoping for.
I didn't find myself able to relate to any of the characters well. I wanted to know them more.
5 people found this helpful
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- J
- 22-08-20
Disappointing considering the good reviews.
Someone recommended this author to me so I thought I'd read her most applauded novel first. It is very sensitively written and captures the effect on a child brought up in poverty in America in the 1980s. However, the author's reflections are far too self indulgent for me. There was no passion or 'bite' or 'guts'. For me, this book was the equivalent of a very limp handshake!
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- Neva Pinillos
- 31-10-16
Geeat!
la autora ha conseguido sumergirme rápidamente en su historia. Los momentos más memorables son cuando Lucy quiere acercarse a los recuerdos más dolorosos de su infancia y cómo reacciona su madre