The Story of a New Name

The Neapolitan Novels, Book 2

By: Elena Ferrante

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

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.

Excellent

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

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.

All I've ever wanted in a novel

Where does The Story of a New Name rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

All I can say is that I'm so glad there are four in this series. I will need to have a day to mourn the loss when they're over.

very interesting... very dark

I enjoyed this book immensely. very dark full of delicious detail..what a difficult life and rich witchery well described interpersonal relationships. read excellently!.

Excellently Written

This book series has drawn me in completely. It is excellent, very descriptive writing. The narrator is the perfect voice for the heroine. I highly recommend it.

So long but worth it

This novel is so very, very long. And the performer reads so slowly — I listened to the whole thing in double time, something I’ve never done before! But all in all, this story is beautifully written and so moving! If you’ve ever had a friendship like theirs, it’s incredible. Love seeing the character growth in this one and can’t wait to listen or read the rest of the series.

shoe factory not very believable

in retrospect the shoe factory wasn't realistic, I don't believe someone would spend so much money on an enterprise, get into debt only to get a girl.

My favorite of the four Neapolitan novels

This was my favorite of the four books, the most intensely narrative, the one I could not stop reading both day and night. I would have preferred a reading with a narrator whose voice was less flat midwestern and more dramatic but I highly recommend the experience of reading or listening whichever way you can. I found the darkness of the story a welcome relief as it felt so authentic and true.

Phenomenal Favola circa Due Amici

"Whenever this world is cruel to me
I got you to help me forgive
Ooh you make me live now honey
Ooh you make me live."
You're My Best Friend, Queen, 1975

This is the second of a tetralogy called the "Neopolitan Novels," by the Italian novelist Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym). Ms. Ferrante says she considers the four volumes to constitute one novel. In Italy, the books are so popular that the periodical publications have regularly engaged in a game of speculation on the author's true identity.

The books center on the lives and friendship of two girls from Naples, Italy, Elena Greco (called sometimes "Lenù") and Raffaella ("Lila") Cerullo. Both are intelligent and precocious young students in the first book called My Brilliant Friend, which takes them up to 16 years old. This one, The Story of a New Name carries them to their mid-20s. Elena is the narrator, but it's truly about both of them, and all that relationship entails through the years, including intellectual and sexual competition and envy, and support for each other as they attempt to rise above their poor, vulgar and sometimes violent neighborhood on the Naples outskirts.

In some ways, Ms. Ferrante's writing reminds me of that by the Norwegian Karl Ove Knaussgard in his six-volume My Struggle, so conversational and existential without being overly gloomy. I can't pin down exactly why but I find these books absolutely absorbing and fascinating. I want to keep reading... and reading.... It's like a dip into the soul of the authors, their daily lives, and the intriguing neighborhood interrelationships, friendships, as the authors call you forth, in examining their own lives, to examine yours, your childhood, childhood friends, being an adult, growing older, how sad things turn out for many who could not escape their surroundings, your recollections of certain things but haziness on others, the meaning of art and lit in life and to a full life, the meaning of your upbringing in your life, the ways you are like and differ from your parents when you become a parent, the place you grew up, how it felt to be isolated, in love with someone, to lose them to another, in lust, puppy love, your first sexual encounter, how you felt upon seeing someone again or for the first time in years and years. The Neopolitan novels are full of good and evil and eccentric characters.

I found the first novel a little tedious at times because it mostly involved elementary age kids. Unlike the Karl Ove novels, it is necessary to read these in order. For this second one, I was all in, finding it simply jaw-dropping at times. I'm already halfway through the 3d now, I've enjoyed them so much.

Highly recommended.

good read

I saw the see series on tv and wanted to read. the book is much better