Pulitzer Prize Author Elizabeth Stout's Novel "My Name Is Lucy Barton"

Stout (b. Amer 1956) is a skillful Pulitzer winning writer (Olive Kitteridge '08.)  "My Name is Lucy Barton" is a deceptively insightful novel.  In a fleeting, ephemeral form, we envelop the life of Lucy Barton.  She is born into a poor, rural family who are stingy with effusive, demonstrative shows of emotions & affections.  Lucy rises above her impoverished midwest upbringing through her studies, scholarships and diligence to become a successful writer living in NYC with her husband & 2 daughters.  "Who would have guessed me living in NYC," marvels Lucy at her fortuitous situation.  Distance from her family does not entirely sever her familial bonds, nor does she desire to dissolve these ties.  While in college, Lucy lands a wealthy husband.  At the wedding, her mother-in-law thoughtlessly tells a guest "Lucy comes from nothing."  No offense is taken by Lucy who understands  "No one in this world comes from nothing."  Stout's sly story about a small town girl rising above her station in life is deceptively a master class in writing and a poignant grasp on the value & precariousness of every individual's life.  Stout's lofty writing is miraculous.  Her character absorbs the beauty that surrounds her "the land is still available to the eye with such softness…the sky lingering, lingering, then finally dark.  As though the soul can be quiet for those moments.  All life amazes me."