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A review by fkshg8465
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book. Reviews were all over the place, and the negative ones were enough reasons that I almost walked away. Those were the same reasons I might’ve hated this book because I’ve hated other books for these reasons (weak-willed women, lack of action or plot). But I considered the really strong reviews on the opposite end of the spectrum, and I’m glad I read it.
Lucy reminds me so much of my mom - self-effacing, resilient, steady, and insisting on being heard on her terms even in a world that does everything it can to minimize and infantilize women. I liked Lucy also because she continued forward despite her past, her husband’s monetary and family origins, her own dysfunctional family, and having to make it on her own within the walls of the patriarchy. She’s quietly persistent, open to the kindnesses of the world, and someone I might like to be friends with. I look forward to the second book in the series.
Lucy reminds me so much of my mom - self-effacing, resilient, steady, and insisting on being heard on her terms even in a world that does everything it can to minimize and infantilize women. I liked Lucy also because she continued forward despite her past, her husband’s monetary and family origins, her own dysfunctional family, and having to make it on her own within the walls of the patriarchy. She’s quietly persistent, open to the kindnesses of the world, and someone I might like to be friends with. I look forward to the second book in the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism