Book cover of My Name Is Lucy Barton

Book description

LONGLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER PRIZE 2016 AND THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2016. A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.

An exquisite story of mothers and daughters from the Pulitzer prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge

Lucy is recovering from an operation in a New York hospital when she wakes…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked My Name Is Lucy Barton as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Here’s is a book book I took out of the library, read, and then had to buy so that it could sit behind me on the shelf.

It is hard to describe Lucy’s voice. Deceptively simple, understated, so deeply personal and reflective that it is hard to believe this book is not a memoir. Lucy’s voice, her experiences, and her emotions blended directly into my mind and into my heart, and stayed with me for days after, as if I had lived them myself.

I fell so deeply in love with Lucy that I quickly read all the other Lucy…

Sometimes a mother fails. In My Name is Lucy Barton, the title character fled her home because of her abusive father. Although her mother loved Lucy and her siblings, she was unable to protect her children. Many years later when Lucy falls ill and her mother visits her, the two reconnect and develop a shared understanding. Strout addresses the imperfection of a mother while retaining the magnetic pull between mother and daughter. 

If you love My Name Is Lucy Barton...

Book cover of Shearwater Storm

Shearwater Storm by Arthur Winer,

Charlotte Rose’s quiet life on a remote island is forever changed the day Michael Cordero, injured and bleeding, steers his ketch, Shearwater, into her cove. Charlotte tends to Michael’s wounds, using the skills she’s learned caring for her husband and son, who are away fishing for salmon. As Michael recovers,…

Want books like My Name Is Lucy Barton?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 77 books like My Name Is Lucy Barton.

Browse books like My Name Is Lucy Barton

Book cover of Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Book cover of Little Fires Everywhere
Book cover of Watch Me Disappear

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like My Name Is Lucy Barton, you might also like...

Book cover of Her Daughter

Her Daughter by Fran Hawthorne,

Alice Wilson wants children; her husband, Dan, doesn’t. So Alice "accidentally"  gets pregnant, trusting that Dan will eventually go along—and he seems to, at first. But as their marriage falls apart, Alice realizes that, even from the beginning, Dan has cruelly used small criticisms and belittling comments to undermine her…

Book cover of Astral Travel

Astral Travel by Elizabeth Baines,

Jo Jackson believes she has put behind her difficult childhood with a charismatic but sometimes violent father. One day, however, out of the blue, she is moved to write about him. Immediately she comes unstuck, face to face with things that don't add up, and a growing sense of mystery…

5 book lists we think you will like!