Preview
  • The Story of a New Name

  • The Neapolitan Novels, Book 2
  • By: Elena Ferrante
  • Narrated by: Hillary Huber
  • Length: 19 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (4,482 ratings)

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The Story of a New Name

By: Elena Ferrante
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
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Publisher's summary

The follow-up to My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name continues the epic New York Times bestselling literary quartet that has inspired an HBO series, and returns us to the world of Lila and Elena, who grew up together in post-WWII Naples, Italy.

In The Story of a New Name, Lila has recently married and made her entrée into the family business; Elena, meanwhile, continues her studies and her exploration of the world beyond the neighborhood that she so often finds stifling. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila, and the pressure to excel is at times too much for Elena. Yet the two young women share a complex and evolving bond that is central to their emotional lives and a source of strength in the face of life’s challenges.

In these Neapolitan Novels, Elena Ferrante, “one of the great novelists of our time” (New York Times), gives us a poignant and universal story about friendship and belonging, a meditation on love and jealousy, freedom and commitment—at once a masterfully plotted page-turner and an intense, generous-hearted family saga.

©2012 Edizioni E/O. Translation © 2013 by Europa Editions (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Story of a New Name

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Rolling right over into the next book....

Literature for the ages, to read again and again. As T.S. Eliot said, "We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

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3 people found this helpful

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The story is totally absorbing and addictive!

The narrator became my new best friend. She does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and compels us to live through her.

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1 person found this helpful

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A masterpiece

I read the first book in print and loved it and I think the second is even better in audio. The narrator really brings this amazing book to life.

Looking forward to listening to the next one!

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I hung on every word

I love how this story explores the interior life of a girl as she slowly develops into a woman. There is such detail in the story that I feel like I am her! I also love the exploration of the other characters in the book, especially the "best friend" with whom she has her closest bond.

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Sublime

Ms. Ferrante’s prose is magnificent. Her subtlety is noteworthy and contributes to the plot and tension of the story in a way I can only describe as exponentially expansive. The narrator’s voice lends itself masterfully to the wonderful and horrible aspects of the characters. Highly recommended.

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  • Overall
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Seasoned speaker

Reader was too breathy. She sounded sexy and pathetic. It would have been better if the voice was as if she was speaking to the reader.

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Extremely good series

What a wonderful sequel to My Brilliant Friend! I can’t wait to read the next one! I hope this too will be an HBO Original series!

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loved it!

great book. really enjoyed the narrator as well. can't wait to listen to the next one.

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Excellent

One of the best book I have ever read!
This book should be on every women's reading list.

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10 people found this helpful

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Top reads

Loved absolutely everything about this second book. Was filled with anxious moments and thrilling moments. You get a great feel for all the protagonists and their day to day struggles and emotions.

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