Beautifully expressed with sparse prose, my name is lucy barton left me breathless and, i have to admit, a bit teary by books end. Lucy recalls that her earliest memories of her parents are accompanied by a feeling of loneliness. My name is lucy barton is a book of deep insight, of delicate feelings, fine writing and elusive events. Ellen emry heltzel is a writer and book critic who lives in portland. My name is lucy barton, by elizabeth strout, is written as a fictional memoir of a famous author. My name is lucy barton by elizabeth strout overdrive. Miss strout has more than one story to tell, but her stories return to many of the. My name is lucy barton by elizabeth strout book club. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Jan 05, 2016 from pulitzer prize winning strout the burgess boys, 20, etc. The story is told in a series of flashbacks, beginning with lucys time in the hospital when she was younger.
Jan, 2016 my name is lucy barton, on writing dont make the mistake of blurring the line between fiction and truth, a novelist named sarah payne warns in elizabeth strouts latest book, my name is lucy barton. Lucy barton is written in a strikingly spare firstperson voice, a contrast to the knowing, sophisticated omniscience of the narrators of ms. Jan 10, 2016 the narrator of strouts powerful and melancholy new novel, my name is lucy barton, might be a distant relation of olives, though she is raised in poverty outside the small town of. Theres something about being in the private world of a book that is intensified by the bustle of the real world right next to it. Theres a veil of ambiguity over the whole novel that made me constantly question what i was reading. My latest book, olive, again, will be available oct 15. Premiering in 2020 is season 3 of ozark, a netflix original series where she plays wendy byrde opposite.
So in order to do this and i, you know, we spoke about, you know, elizabeth strout herself has actually didnt have this kind of experience growing up. Still, my name is lucy barton is much larger and far more resonant than the sum of these parts. My name is lucy barton is, as its title suggests, a search for identity. It starts with the clean, solid structure and narrative. Elizabeth strouts new book, my name is lucy barton, is. The boston globe it is lucys gentle honesty, complex relationship with her husband, and nuanced response to her mothers shortcomings that make this novel so subtly powerful. And yet its a powerful addition to strouts body of work.
Elizabeth strouts novel my name is lucy barton is the story of a writer. Outside of a couple of harlequin romances i was once forced to read, this was probably the worst reading experience of my life. Now, in my name is lucy barton, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all the one between mother and daughter. My name is lucy barton is a title that announces itself with call me ishmael forthrightness. Its clear that lucy s mother, lydia, remembers certain things very differently to the way lucy does. My name is lucy barton, on writing dont make the mistake of blurring the line between fiction and truth, a novelist named sarah payne warns in elizabeth strouts latest book, my name is. This is a magnificent book, one that explores much hurt and darkness without ever relinquishing its compassion or. Lucys husband asked her mother to visit her in the hospital, and paid for her trip.
The narrator of strouts powerful and melancholy new novel, my name is lucy barton, might be a distant relation of olives, though she is raised in poverty outside the small town of. The story begins with lucy, now a published fiction writer, remembering a time, 20 or more years ago, when she was felled by an undiagnosable disease, a sort of visitation of sickness, and ended up in a new york city hospital for a prolonged stay. She was most recently seen in the highly anticipated netflix revival of tales of the city, for which she served as an executive producer and stars opposite olympia dukakis and ellen paige. The burgess boys, named one of the best books of the year by the washington post and npr. Laura linney is an american actress who works in film, television and theatre. While her daughters are still quite young, lucy is taken ill and spends 9 weeks in. Elizabeth strouts followup to lucy barton is a master. Jan 04, 2016 my name is lucy barton is smart and cagey in every way. Laid up in a manhattan hospital bed, battling a lifethreatening illness after a routine appendix operation, its. The author elizabeth strout on lucy barton and how her. A new book by pulitzer prize winner elizabeth strout is cause for celebration. Elizabeth strouts my name is lucy barton the new york. The author of the burgess boys and olive kitteridge thinks the president should read barbara pym to give him a few minutes to completely relax. Jan 10, 2016 my name is lucy barton is a short book, not even 200 pages.
Strouts new novel is about a girls unquestioning, almost animal love for her mother, and her mothers love in return. The title character of my name is lucy barton, rona munros crystalline stage adaptation of elizabeth strouts 2016 novel, is hardly a woman of mystery. Elizabeth strouts my name is lucy barton the new york times. During this period her mother visits her and stays with her although she refuses to meet the son in law. Exploring family trauma in my name is lucy barton the new. Jun 07, 2018 my name is lucy barton is, as its title suggests, a search for identity. My name is lucy barton weaves a delicate balance the. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. A a drably illustrated childrens story about a brave pilgrim girl who keeps her chin up and her white cap starched. The pulitzer prizewinning author of olive kitteridge says she was a bad lawyer before turning her energies to writing.
I loved strouts olive kitteridge with an uncommon passion, so i decided to read her more recent bestseller my name is lucy barton and oh my god. This is the story of lucy who has to stay in the hospital for nine weeks. Melissa rochelle the expected publication date is january 12, 2016. The book details the complicated relationship between the titular lucy barton and her mother. Jan 15, 2020 the title character of my name is lucy barton, rona munros crystalline stage adaptation of elizabeth strouts 2016 novel, is hardly a woman of mystery. In strouts novel, lucy barton wakes from surgery to find her estranged mother by her bedside. It is brief 207 pages but memorably intense, with an eponymous protagonist who is a worthy successor to. From pulitzer prize winning strout the burgess boys, 20, etc. My name is lucy barton is a 2016 new york times bestselling novel and the fifth novel by the american writer elizabeth strout. Pulitzer prizewinning author of olive kitteridge, my name is lucy barton, and other novels. Lonely was the first flavor i had tasted in my life, and it was always there, hidden inside the crevices of my mouth, reminding this book. A couple of years ago, the actor laura linney got a call from her agent with exciting news. And elizabeth strouts haunting new novel is, in fact, a kind of bookwithinabook, framed as a memoir or possibly an autobiographical novel.
The narrator of strouts powerful and melancholy new novel, my name is lucy barton, might be a distant relation of olives, though she is raised in poverty outside the small town of amgash, ill. Feb 02, 2016 my name is lucy barton confirms strout as a powerful storyteller immersed in the nuances of human relationships, weaving family tapestries with compassion, wisdom and insight. Mar 28, 20 theres something about being in the private world of a book that is intensified by the bustle of the real world right next to it. My name is lucy barton by elizabeth strout, much raved about by all readers did not turn out to be an enjoyable read for me. My name is lucy barton by elizabeth strout alibris. Apr 27, 2016 and this book contains the story of lucy barton, the story of this marvelous doctor, the story of her family, the story of these domestic moments with the women.
The burgess boys, named one of the best books of the year by the washington post. What role does the gossip lucy and her mother share play in the book. For me, therefore, this was a book about love of both family and self. Nevertheless, after finishing elizabeth strouts new collection of linked stories, anything is possible, i had to reread her previous book, my name is lucy barton and then i went. Simplicity and restraint make lucy barton shine elizabeth strouts new novel, about an estranged mother and daughter reconnecting during the daughters illness, is. Feb 11, 2016 my name is lucy barton is a book of deep insight, of delicate feelings, fine writing and elusive events. In lucy barton, a kiss not givenlike an i love you never spoken or a glance turned toward the windowilluminates a lifetime of affection withheld.
My name is lucy barton by elizabeth strout, 9780241248775, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. In her spare and mesmerizing novel my name is lucy barton, elizabeth strout elegantly probes the chasm between what is said and what is felt as a daughter and her undemonstrative mother shyly reconnect. There was a distance from the events that was unsettling. Do you think that was a gesture of love on his part. Jan, 2016 simplicity and restraint make lucy barton shine elizabeth strouts new novel, about an estranged mother and daughter reconnecting during the daughters illness, is a marvel of quiet simplicity. Her latest novel, my name is lucy barton, is about an aspiring writer.
Linney in my name is lucy barton at londons bridge theater. In elizabeth strouts my name is lucy barton, a simple hospital visit is a portal to the most tender relationship between mother. The burgess boys my name is lucy barton is a 2016 new york times bestselling novel and the fifth novel by the american writer elizabeth strout. Lucy lies in a new york city hospital suffering from an undiagnosed illness when her mother unexpectedly arrives from rural illinois, where lucy grew up. Lucy barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. The author elizabeth strout wanted to dramatize her novel my name is lucy barton, and felt that. It is both a book of withholdings and a book of great openness and wisdom. Jan 22, 2016 i was in lucy bartons head from the very first page. My name is lucy barton, longlisted for the man booker prize. My name is lucy barton confirms strout as a powerful storyteller immersed in the nuances of human relationships, weaving family tapestries with compassion, wisdom and insight. How does lucy and her mothers relationship evolve over the. San francisco chronicle a short novel about love, particularly the complicated love between mothers and daughters, but also simpler, more sudden bonds. My name is lucy barton is a short, sparse novel and every word, every incident related is carefully chosen.
Its rare when this happens when the words of a book hypnotize you. Discussion points my name is lucy barton is a novel about the complex love between mothers and daughters. Dec 11, 2016 my name is lucy barton is published by viking. Elizabeth strouts my name is lucy barton i loved strouts olive kitteridge with an uncommon passion, so i decided to read her more recent bestseller my name is lucy barton. Although the tone reflected the fractured way we feel and think about our past not like a logical story so in that way it was unique and emotional. Her bestselling novels, including olive kitteridge and the burgess boys, have illuminated our most tender relationships. My name is lucy barton random house 2016 by the 2009 pulitzer prize winning author elizabeth strout, is a touching and troubling story concerning a young married woman, lucy barton, who lives in new york in the 1980s with her husband and two daughters. Yet, for all her outward coldness, the mother is too subtly drawn, too vulnerable to be condemned.
It was first published in the united states on january 12, 2016 through random house. The eponymous narrator looks back to the mid1980s, when she goes into the hospital for an appendix removal and succumbs to a mysterious fever that keeps her there for nine weeks. It is also about poverty and abuse, as defining experiences that make us who we are. Its clear that lucys mother, lydia, remembers certain things very. My name is lucy barton is smart and cagey in every way. I was in lucy bartons head from the very first page. Her mother, to whom she hasnt spoken for many years, comes to see her. In my name is lucy barton, elizabeth strout shows how a simple hospital visit illuminates the most tender relationship of all. My name is lucy bartonlike all of strouts fictionis more complex than it first appears, and all the more emotionally persuasive for it.
My name is lucy barton by elizabeth strout, paperback. Longlisted for the man booker prize 2016 and the baileys womens prize for fiction 2016 the new york times number one bestseller an exquisite story of mothers and daughters from the pulitzer prizewinning author of olive kitteridge lucy barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. The story is told in a series of flashbacks, beginning with lucy s time in the hospital when she was younger. Praise for my name is lucy barton a quiet, sublimely merciful contemporary novel about love, yearning, and resilience in a family damaged beyond words. Elizabeth strouts followup to lucy barton is a master class on class the new york times strout s new novel, anything is possible, is profound in its rendering of the stories we hide, and. And this book contains the story of lucy barton, the story of this marvelous doctor, the story of her family, the story of these domestic moments with the women. Jan, 2016 the pulitzer prizewinning author of olive kitteridge says she was a bad lawyer before turning her energies to writing. My name is lucy barton is a short book, not even 200 pages. In the novel lucy narrates, she takes center stage and describes writing a book successful. Elizabeth strouts followup to lucy barton is a master class on. This is certainly true of lucy barton, the books main voice, as well as of her mother, father, siblings, and childhood acqaintances.
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