"My Name is Lucy Barton" by Elizabeth St
GROUP MEETING 21st September 2023
DISCUSSION OF THIS MONTH'S Book ~
“My Name Is Lucy Barton” by Elizabeth Strout
(led by Terry M Wyatt).
(this is general report so no details, that could act as spoilers for others wanting to read the book, are given)
BOOK SCORE (2.67) out of Five (5)~Range ( 4 ~ 1.5) 3 Scoring
“Book :- My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Reviewed 21st Sept. 2023
About the Author :- About the author: Elizabeth Strout (born January 6, 1956) is an American novelist and author. She is widely known for her works in literary fiction and her descriptive characterization. She was born and raised in Portland, Maine, and her experiences in her youth served as inspiration for her novels–the fictional “Shirley Falls, Maine”; is the setting of four of her nine novels.
Sound bites ~ Treats social issues around poverty with empathy.
Thought provoking.
Discussion :- One person thoroughly enjoyed the book and felt it dealt with social issues around poverty and peoples reactions to it in a thoughtful and pleasant way, although the ending wasn’t so good as it left everything up in the air.
Another one struggled and took several attempts to finished it while others gave up ¾ of the way.
Short chapters meant the book was very disjointed.
Minor characters were not given much strength of characterization
It was a mystery to one reader how it got to be "long listed" for the Booker prize.
Favourite Characters was Lucy.
Least Favourite Character Lucy's Father and mother.
Only one reader would read other works by this author.
Washington Village U3A Reading Group three.