The Guardian compared the book favorably to Strout's earlier book, Olive Kitteridge, saying it 'confirms Strout as a powerful storyteller immersed in the nuances of human relationships, weaving family tapestries with compassion, wisdom and insight.' In a review with the New York Times, author Claire Messud praised the book's 'beautifully too-human characters' and also drew favorable comparisons to Strout's earlier work. During her stay, her mother comes to visit and the two reconnect after years of not speaking to each other.Ĭritical reception for My Name Is Lucy Barton was positive and the work received praise from the Washington Post and the AV Club. Years later Lucy is hospitalized after she develops an infection following an operation.

When she came of age, Lucy quickly fled the family home. As a result Lucy would frequently take solace in reading, which led her to realize that she wanted to become a writer. Her father was abusive and while her mother loved Lucy, she was unable to protect her or her siblings from their father's mercurial mood swings and violent nature. Growing up in a dysfunctional household, Lucy Barton had a difficult childhood. The novel was also adapted for the theatre by Rona Munro as a one-woman show, with an acclaimed 2018 London production starting Laura Linney which transferred to New York in January 2020. The book was also shortlisted for the 2018 International Dublin Literary Award. In July 2016, the novel was longlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize. The book details the complicated relationship between the titular Lucy Barton and her mother. The book was first published in the United States on Januthrough Random House. My Name is Lucy Barton is a 2016 New York Times bestselling novel and the fifth novel by the American writer Elizabeth Strout.

My name is lucy barton