My Name Is Lucy Barton begins with our narrator, Lucy Barton sharing details about how in New York City in the 1980s, an infection after routine surgery for removing her appendix leads to her being hospitalized for nine weeks. Her estranged mother, whom she hasn’t seen for years, travels to New York City from Amgash, Illinois and stays with her for five days, never leaving her bedside. Her mother’s presence triggers Lucy’s memories of her past, inspires her to reflect on her present and motivates her to contemplate her future.

“This must be the way most of us maneuver through the world, half knowing, half not, visited by memories that can’t possibly be true.”

Lucy’s childhood was one marked by abject poverty and abuse. Dysfunctional family dynamics, no friends and being looked down upon by her peers on account of her family’s poor living conditions (her family in the garage of a relative till the age of eleven), push her to concentrate on her books and academics, an endeavor results in her winning a scholarship to college. She is able to make a good life for herself away from the bleak memories of her past. Given her humble beginnings and unhappy childhood, Lucy is sensitive to how other people treat her. She acknowledges and remains grateful for even the smallest gestures of kindness she has experienced from teachers, neighbors and others in the course of her life. Lucy's relationship with her mother is complicated. They have been estranged for years and her mother is now at her bedside after Lucy's husband calls her. Her mother's bedside conversations revolve around news and gossip about cousins, neighbors and other people in their hometown. Though Lucy does bring up more personal topics including her accomplishments as a writer having recently published two stories, her mother does not engage in any deep discussion of Lucy’s childhood or openly appreciate her accomplishments as an adult. The visit is short and her mother abruptly decides to leave after five days. It is not as if mother and daughter reconcile or suddenly become close friends, but there is no denying the fact that Lucy loves her mother deeply and her mother does care for Lucy. Lucy craves affection from her mother, and though her mother remains reserved in her demeanor in this regard, this visit impacts Lucy’s life in that her mother’s presence, the sound of her voice and even the moments spent in silence provide Lucy with comfort and enable her to confront her own emotions, also reflecting on her own role as a mother of two daughters and take stock of her marriage which isn’t exactly perfect. Families are complicated and mother-daughter relationships can be more so and the author does a magnificent job is exploring the same through Lucy and her mother. Love might not always be expressed or may be expressed in a manner different from what we may be able to comprehend, which is painful – but that does not mean it is not there.

“ Because we all love imperfectly.”

Elizabeth Strout’s My Name Is Lucy Barton is a short but impactful novel. The author’s prose is simple yet beautiful and elegant. Though Lucy’s memories are shared through a series of non-linear, often disjoint flashbacks, the author manages to paint a beautiful picture of Lucy's life. In Lucy Barton, the author creates an emotional but resilient character who feels real and relatable. This is a beautifully written story, concise, with a fluid narrative and superb characterization. I’d been planning to read this book ever since its release in 2016 but have been procrastinating. I’ve always believed in the cathartic effect that reading the right book at the right time could have on you. I found this to be a moving and thought-provoking read that struck a personal chord with me and I am glad I finally picked it up. I look forward to reading Elizabeth Strout’s other books featuring Lucy Barton.

“But I think I know so well the pain we children clutch to our chests, how it lasts our whole lifetime, with longings so large you can’t even weep. We hold it tight, we do, with each seizure of the beating heart: This is mine, this is mine, this is mine.” ( )

A perfect book for my spring break road trip. The voice of Lucy Barton drew me in and her vivid, simple storytelling kept me by her side. Instead of lush prose and enchanting cadence, the words stand on the page as awkward, soft, insightful, and confused as the feelings and relationships they convey.

Note to self: remember and revisit this book, this structure, this voice when ready to write about the first year of my own marriage.

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This was kind of a bland book. I didn't have it. I didn't love it. It wasn't offensive, but it wasn't thought provoking either. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Thanks so much to Libro.fm, Random House and Penguin Random House Audio for letting me listen and review this book. This was a very short and quick read, but very poignant, deep and thoughtful.
I found myself deep in thought and identifying more than I expected to with this story.
I related to the character being in the hospital after a serious health concern arises that she has to have taken care of with surgery with her appendix and being alone in the hospital then waking up to find her mother there, who she has a strained relationship with and hasn't been in touch with for a while it seems.
This short book is the story of this character's stay in the hospital while she recovers from her appendix having been removed and complication of minor infection and how her mother shows up for her even though they have a strained and complicated relationship. Of course what mother/daughter isn't complicated to some extent.
The character, Lucy Barton, reflects a lot on her childhood and growing up, her parents, how she was raised and how she is with her own two children. She talks a lot with her mother while in the hospital since her husband hates hospitals, is working and taking care of the kids - he's the one who calls and asks her mother to sit with her in the hospital while she's recovering.
Her husband comes and visits and brings the kids, they talk and visit and leave, but there are these other deep, poignant feelings that are brought out in conversations and by spending all this time with her mother while in her hospital bed. She tries to confront and talk with her mother about things from the past, but can't always find a way to talk with her mother about them and also talks about feeling lonely from her life especially from growing up and not feeling as much love as she wanted from her mother and trying to figure out how to be a writer, writing, publishing, being a mom, being herself and everything else and I can relate so much to this on a lot of levels.
I was very surprised by how much is packed into this short story and how deep, thoughtful and poignant it all is.
I can't really explain it all, but it's worth checking out and it doesn't take long to listen to and it will definitely leave an impression on you that you likely won't forget, I know I haven't. ( )

What a lyrically written story, read by a great narrator. ( )