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My Name is Lucy Barton
PRESENTING AN ORIGINAL AUDIOBOOK PERFORMANCE OF THE STAGE PRODUCTION OF 'MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON', STARRING ACADEMY AWARD AND TONY NOMINEE LAURA LINNEY.
Praised as "deeply affecting" and "heartbreaking" by 'The Guardian' (UK), this is a faithful adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout's best-selling novel of the same name.
Unsteady after an operation, Lucy Barton wakes to find her mother sitting at the foot of her bed. She hasn't seen her in years, and her visit brings back to Lucy her desperate childhood, and her escape to New York. As she begins to find herself as a writer, she is still gripped by the urgent complexities of family life.
Published as the play comes to Broadway after a highly-acclaimed UK run in 2018, this is a unique opportunity to hear Laura Linney's "simply superb" ('The Times' UK) performance of this haunting, dramatic monologue.
'My Name Is Lucy Barton' was originally produced by Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr for the London Theater Company at the Bridge Theatre in June 2018. Produced on Broadway by the Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, Barry Grove, Executive Producer, and The London Theater Company, in association with Penguin Random House Audio.
RUNNING TIME ➼ 1hrs. and 30mins.
©2016 Elizabeth Strout (P)2019 Random House Audio
Praised as "deeply affecting" and "heartbreaking" by 'The Guardian' (UK), this is a faithful adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout's best-selling novel of the same name.
Unsteady after an operation, Lucy Barton wakes to find her mother sitting at the foot of her bed. She hasn't seen her in years, and her visit brings back to Lucy her desperate childhood, and her escape to New York. As she begins to find herself as a writer, she is still gripped by the urgent complexities of family life.
Published as the play comes to Broadway after a highly-acclaimed UK run in 2018, this is a unique opportunity to hear Laura Linney's "simply superb" ('The Times' UK) performance of this haunting, dramatic monologue.
'My Name Is Lucy Barton' was originally produced by Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr for the London Theater Company at the Bridge Theatre in June 2018. Produced on Broadway by the Manhattan Theater Club, Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, Barry Grove, Executive Producer, and The London Theater Company, in association with Penguin Random House Audio.
RUNNING TIME ➼ 1hrs. and 30mins.
©2016 Elizabeth Strout (P)2019 Random House Audio
52 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
About the author
Rona Munro
76 books15 followersRona Munro is a Scottish writer. She has written plays for theatre, radio, and television. Her film work includes Ken Loach's Ladybird, Ladybird (1994), Oranges and Sunshine (2010) for Jim Loach and Aimée & Jaguar (1999), co-authored by German director Max Färberböck. Her television work includes the last Doctor Who television serial of the original run to air, Survival (1989), episodes of the drama series Casualty (BBC) and the BBC film Rehab., directed by Antonia Bird.
Her play Iron which has received many productions worldwide. Other plays include Strawberries in January (translation) for the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Mary Barton for Manchester Royal Exchange, Long Time Dead for Plymouth Drum Theatre and Paines Plough, and The Indian Boy for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Munro contributed eight dramas to Radio 4's Stanley Baxter Playhouse: First Impressions, Wheeling Them In, The King's Kilt, Pasta Alfreddo at Cafe Alessandro, The Man in the Garden, The Porter's Story, The German Pilot and The Spider.
In 2006 the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith presented Munro's adaptation of Richard Adams' classic book, Watership Down.
Her play, The Last Witch, was performed at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival, directed by Dominic Hill, and in 2011 by Dumbarton People's Theatre. Her history cycle The James Plays, James I, James II and James III, were first performed by the National Theatre of Scotland in summer 2014 in a co-production with Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Scotland.
Her play Iron which has received many productions worldwide. Other plays include Strawberries in January (translation) for the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Mary Barton for Manchester Royal Exchange, Long Time Dead for Plymouth Drum Theatre and Paines Plough, and The Indian Boy for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Munro contributed eight dramas to Radio 4's Stanley Baxter Playhouse: First Impressions, Wheeling Them In, The King's Kilt, Pasta Alfreddo at Cafe Alessandro, The Man in the Garden, The Porter's Story, The German Pilot and The Spider.
In 2006 the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith presented Munro's adaptation of Richard Adams' classic book, Watership Down.
Her play, The Last Witch, was performed at the 2009 Edinburgh Festival, directed by Dominic Hill, and in 2011 by Dumbarton People's Theatre. Her history cycle The James Plays, James I, James II and James III, were first performed by the National Theatre of Scotland in summer 2014 in a co-production with Edinburgh International Festival and the National Theatre of Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 19, 2024
October 18, 2024 Update Saw "My Name is Lucy Barton" in its stage adaptation tonight in Toronto. A spellbinding performance by Maev Beaty as Lucy Barton.
January 7, 2023 Update Checked links under Trivia and deleted one non-working and confirmed other is still in place.
Laura Linney Shines
Review of the Audible Audio audiobook (Feb. 2020) of the one-actor theatrical adaptation of the original novel My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016)
I started keeping an eye out for the theatrical works of Rona Munro ever since I saw her 3-play cycle The James Plays (2014) performed live in a single day at Toronto's Luminato Festival 2016 in a touring production by the National Theatre of Scotland. It was admittedly exhausting, but exhilarating nevertheless with a much needed adrenaline rush provided late evening by the company starting off James III: The True Mirror with a rollicking Scottish hoedown version of Lady Gaga's Born This Way for the opening party scene.
Aside from her original work, several of Munro's recent productions have been collaborations and adaptations such as Rebus: Long Shadows (2018), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (2019) and now this 2019/2020 adaptation of Elizabeth Strout's 2016 novel.
Having read Munro's pretty much perfect distillation of Frankenstein into a 90 minute stage work, I could anticipate that she would hit on all of the best dramatic bits of Lucy Barton for its stage version. The required distillation being somewhat less, as Lucy Barton was already a novella-length work and requires about 4 hours and 12 minutes of reading in its original unabridged audiobook edition. I did not have the sense of anything being left out, although obviously 2/3rds of the original must have been dropped somewhere.
The performance by Laura Linney was excellent. This is a studio recording under controlled conditions without audience or other ambient sound.
Trivia and Links
There is a promotional website for the Broadway performances of the play in Jan-Feb. 2020 which is still available for viewing here (Link deleted as it is no longer active). The link may not be active for very long as the play has since closed.
A series of promotional YouTube videos can be viewed here. (Link to videos is still active and videos are still posted.)
January 7, 2023 Update Checked links under Trivia and deleted one non-working and confirmed other is still in place.
Laura Linney Shines
Review of the Audible Audio audiobook (Feb. 2020) of the one-actor theatrical adaptation of the original novel My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016)
I started keeping an eye out for the theatrical works of Rona Munro ever since I saw her 3-play cycle The James Plays (2014) performed live in a single day at Toronto's Luminato Festival 2016 in a touring production by the National Theatre of Scotland. It was admittedly exhausting, but exhilarating nevertheless with a much needed adrenaline rush provided late evening by the company starting off James III: The True Mirror with a rollicking Scottish hoedown version of Lady Gaga's Born This Way for the opening party scene.
Aside from her original work, several of Munro's recent productions have been collaborations and adaptations such as Rebus: Long Shadows (2018), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (2019) and now this 2019/2020 adaptation of Elizabeth Strout's 2016 novel.
Having read Munro's pretty much perfect distillation of Frankenstein into a 90 minute stage work, I could anticipate that she would hit on all of the best dramatic bits of Lucy Barton for its stage version. The required distillation being somewhat less, as Lucy Barton was already a novella-length work and requires about 4 hours and 12 minutes of reading in its original unabridged audiobook edition. I did not have the sense of anything being left out, although obviously 2/3rds of the original must have been dropped somewhere.
The performance by Laura Linney was excellent. This is a studio recording under controlled conditions without audience or other ambient sound.
Trivia and Links
There is a promotional website for the Broadway performances of the play in Jan-Feb. 2020 which is still available for viewing here (Link deleted as it is no longer active). The link may not be active for very long as the play has since closed.
A series of promotional YouTube videos can be viewed here. (Link to videos is still active and videos are still posted.)
February 22, 2020
My Name is Lucy Barton was one of my favorite novels of the past few years. I was fascinated when I learned that it was being turned into a play starring Laura Linney playing both Lucy Barton and her mother. It opened in London and then came to Broadway. I would have loved to have to seen it but couldn't. Therefore, I was overjoyed when I heard that Linney had done her performance in an audiobook production. I've just finished and she doesn't disappoint. As Lucy, Linney is incomparable. She brought back all of the reasons why I loved the writing. I finished the book in tears as, once again, I heard that longing from a grown woman for her mother after an incredibly deprived childhood. My only small criticism was the way she voiced the mother. I grew up in central Indiana so I have some feeling for the accents of the middlewest. Linney gave the mother's voice so much nasality that it was usually over the top and distracting. Despite that, it definitely rates 5 stars.
March 10, 2020
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I didn't notice that it was only a spare 1.5 hour presentation. It was moving, and much sadder than I expected. Laura Linney does a fantastic performance, and I know some people have thought the mother's accent is a little over the top. It wasn't - especially when you consider that this isn't just supposed to be an accurate rendition of Lucy's mother, but a version of what Lucy hears and remembers. In many ways, I thought this would compliment a non-fiction story like Tara Westover's Educated for it's bleakness, but also for its underlying truth.
December 11, 2025
All right, that's enough Elizabeth Strout for the year
Great tale and production but just an overload of wretched self centered uncommunicative parents, that you begin wondering if life has a point.
The mother here, played or rather voiced well by Laura Linney is fixated on this person or that person, her mind made small by thinking of people, not events or ideas.
And eesh you begin to wonder if there is a point to existence.
But recovery is quick from this tale and still, it's a great tale and production so five stars.
Great tale and production but just an overload of wretched self centered uncommunicative parents, that you begin wondering if life has a point.
The mother here, played or rather voiced well by Laura Linney is fixated on this person or that person, her mind made small by thinking of people, not events or ideas.
And eesh you begin to wonder if there is a point to existence.
But recovery is quick from this tale and still, it's a great tale and production so five stars.
February 12, 2020
Read 3x, saw the Broadway show last month, and just finished the audiobook. Laura Linney was so fabulous in this one woman performance live and for this recording. This show lent itself to audiobook format and I was really hoping it would be announced soon. And it's here and it's amazing, especially after seeing the live performance. It's like I can relive the experience again and again.
April 26, 2021
Upon beginning this book I seemed to remember reading it before but this was a dramatic production and so, different. It was wonderful, the story, Laura Linney's interpretation, simply beautiful in its simplicity. There were questions left unanswered, stories not complete and as with all of us secrets unshared. But such a beautiful rendering.
March 12, 2022
WOW is about all I can say about this stage production starring the talented Laura Linney. I read Lucy Barton when it was published and this audio version brings it to life. It would be perfect to listen to this one before reading Oh William!
February 26, 2020
Laura Linney is magnificent in this dramatic adaptation of Elizabeth Strout’s spare and thought-provoking novel.
February 28, 2020
I think I'm hovering around 3.5! I liked this narration and it's cool to learn this is a one woman show on broadway!
March 4, 2020
This emotional book explores love and relationships in a refreshing way. It is at times heartbreaking and the performance by Liney is exceptional.
March 14, 2020
Fabulous audio!
April 1, 2020
Unbelievably good! Brilliantly performed.
August 30, 2021
Wonderful performance of a sad beautiful story about stories.
October 25, 2022
I love Laura Linney and I also love this book. So this was was perfect! I just wished it was longer.
February 4, 2023
Laura Linney is a master actor.
Elizabeth Strout is one of my absolute favorite writers.
Together, are heaven.
Elizabeth Strout is one of my absolute favorite writers.
Together, are heaven.
February 27, 2024
laura linney forever
April 16, 2024
Wow, this was a powerful production, I laughed and cried and cried once more. I loved this.
April 23, 2025
Listened to the audiobook
February 15, 2026
Libby audio. Glad I gave this book a try. A well written story.
April 15, 2026
This is depressing and a weird book. Thank goodness it was short.
September 30, 2020
A fantastic tale of a powerful mother daughter relationship. Im not sure if the book is set up with the same framing device of the daughter reflecting on her relationship but I love this framing device!
February 19, 2020
Thank you Libro.fm, Random House and PRH Audio for this free audio book for my review.
⠀⠀
I have heard about this book in bookish talk for awhile and I’m glad I finally checked it off my list thanks to Libro.fm. It is an interesting reflective look at Lucy’s life through the lens of her experience being in the hospital with her mother at her beside. I thought the narration was excellent and added such depth. I was totally sucked into the audio book and it is quite short (1 hr 25 minutes) so I polished it off in one morning.
⠀⠀
I have heard about this book in bookish talk for awhile and I’m glad I finally checked it off my list thanks to Libro.fm. It is an interesting reflective look at Lucy’s life through the lens of her experience being in the hospital with her mother at her beside. I thought the narration was excellent and added such depth. I was totally sucked into the audio book and it is quite short (1 hr 25 minutes) so I polished it off in one morning.
May 27, 2023
This is a spectacular adaptation of the novel. The script — a one-woman stage play — covers all of the important scenes and dialogue from the novel, and tightens the pace by eliminating some of the slower, more rambly areas that caused the book to drag a little. Laura Linney is excellent as the voice of Lucy, and Linney’s portrayal of Lucy’s impression of her mother had me laughing out loud numerous times. A truly moving character study made greater through a brilliant performance from Laura Linney.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews