Summary of My Name Is Lucy Barton: by Elizabeth Strout | Includes Analysis

by Instaread Summaries

  Preview : My Name Is Lucy Barton tells the story of the title character and her relationship with her family, particularly her mother and first husband. It considers the perception of poverty by those who live both inside and outside of it. Much of the story takes place in a hospital in New York City, where Lucy Barton goes to have her appendix removed. Instead of going straight home, Lucy becomes ill and remains in the hospital for nearly nine weeks. Lucy was born into poverty, and grew up with her mother, father, older brother, and older sister in the garage of their uncle’s home. She didn’t have loving relationships with her parents or her siblings. They lived in isolation, both physically, as they had no neighbors, and culturally, as they did not have a television, newspapers, or magazines in their home. As a result of her isolation, Lucy often felt socially awkward for not understanding cultural references or not always knowing how to act in certain social situations…     With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways, summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

34 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 2, 2016

About the author

With Instaread, you can get the summary and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, summarize and analyze it for your convenience.

Reviews

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

too much negative for covid.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This summary is thorough and it seems clear that it was written by someone with a deep background in literary analysis. It opens with a lengthy summary of the book, the setting is the last half of the twentieth century. The first clue as to the timeframe is when we are told that Lucy meets her future husband when she goes to college and he is the son of a German POW from World War II.
The main plot device is that Lucy grew up extremely poor and had to deal with social stigmas because of it. She was a bright girl that loved to read, so she was able to go to college and become a writer. Lucy never had a good relationship with either of her parents, they expressed no pride in her success or any affection towards her. Despite her upbringing, or maybe because of it, Lucy never develops any real desire to acquire money.
The summary is followed by a list of the main characters, summaries of the two main characters of Lucy and her mother and descriptions of the key relationships in the life of Lucy. This is followed by a list of the main themes of poverty, money, love, loneliness and isolation, the judgement Lucy faces and how she judges others, the making of an artist and the darkness of bad memories.
This summary is so good that it is easy to envision students that are required to read the book reading this instead and being able to get by with it.

This book was made available for free for review purposes.

[Charles Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout is the story of a woman born into poverty who was able to work her way out of it, but could not totally shake the deep impact poverty made on her psyche. Lucy Barton, rejected by her parents, picked on by outsiders because she is poor, and finally in an unsatisfactory marriage, finds her way through life despite the handicaps. In some ways, the indelible impression poverty has left on her contributes to her success as a writer, and makes her more sensitive to the suffering of others.
Instaread’s Summary of My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout is a comprehensive analysis of the book that explores the main themes and character relationships as well as a discussion of the author’s style. It is a boon to the busy reader who wants an unbiased opinion about the many books available on the market today, and will be immensely helpful in making the decision to buy or not buy.
I received a complimentary copy of this analysis in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Jared Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My Name Is Lucy Barton" is a novel about the titular character and her relationship with her mother and first husband. After going to New York to have her appendix removed, Lucy's life begins to unravel as complications arise and her stay in the hospital is increased. The themes of poverty and familial strain are explored as Lucy comes to terms with her new life.

This Instaread review of Strout's novel summarizes the plot, analyzes the main characters and their relationships, explores the themes and motifs, and reflects on the author's style. This review is perfectly written for book reports, book clubs, and procrastinating students. I highly recommend.