The Lying Life of Adults Audiobook By Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein - translator cover art

The Lying Life of Adults

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The Lying Life of Adults

By: Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein - translator
Narrated by: Marisa Tomei
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Soon to be a NETFLIX Original Series.

A POWERFUL NEW NOVEL set in a divided Naples by ELENA FERRANTE, the New York Times best-selling author of My Brilliant Friend and The Lost Daughter.

“There’s no doubt [the publication of The Lying Life of Adults] will be the literary event of the year.”—Elle 

Giovanna’s pretty face is changing, turning ugly, at least so her father thinks. Giovanna, he says, looks more like her Aunt Vittoria every day. But can it be true? Is she really changing? Is she turning into Aunt Vittoria, a woman she hardly knows but whom her mother and father clearly despise? Surely there is a mirror somewhere in which she can see herself as she truly is.

Giovanna is searching for her reflection in two kindred cities that fear and detest one another: a Naples of the heights, which assumes a mask of refinement, and a Naples of the depths, a place of excess and vulgarity. She moves between both in search of the truth, but neither city seems to offer answers or escape.

Named one of 2016’s most influential people by TIME Magazine and frequently touted as a future Nobel Prize-winner, Elena Ferrante has become one of the world’s most read and beloved writers. With this novel aboutthe transition from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, Ferrante proves once again that she deserves her many accolades. In The Lying Life of Adults, listeners will discover another gripping, highly addictive, and totally unforgettable Neapolitan story.


A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2020
The New York Times Book Review ・ Vogue ・ Entertainment Weekly ・ ELLE Magazine ・ BuzzFeed ・ The Millions ・ The Seattle Times ・ USA Today ・ Town & Country ・ Thrillist ・ Publishers Weekly ・ Library Journal ・ Harper's Bazaar ・ BookPage ・ Literary Hub ・ BBC Culture Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Psychological Women's Fiction Italy
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Featured Article: From Page-to-Screen: January 2023’s Biggest Book Adaptations


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Featured Article From Page to Screen January 2023’s Biggest Book Adaptations

Editor's Pick

Ferrante Fever
When I think about the experience of reading Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels, it’s almost as if I’m recalling a past life, with Lenù and Lila, Nino and Enzo, the streets of Naples writhing with life and violence, beauty and spite. In the years since the final book in that series, I, too, have joined the Cult of Ferrante, making the arrival of her new novel, The Lying Life of Adults, akin to a religious experience. The story opens in the 1990s, when twelve-year-old Giovanna Trada overhears her father, in a fit of anger, compare her to her estranged Aunt Vittoria, a revolting and mysterious woman she’s never met. Giovanna sets out to find this aunt of hers, believing it’s the only way to know what her father meant. It’s through Vittoria that Giovanna is able to see who her parents really are, and this clarity undoes and, ultimately, remakes her over the next few years of her adolescent life. Translated to English by the great Ann Goldstein and performed by Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei, Lying Life—like the Neapolitan novels—seems to ask: If we’re destined to become our parents, how far can we stray before our fate is sealed? —Andrew E., Audible Editor

All stars
Most relevant
I loved the Neapolitan series and decided to purchase this latest book. I found the book disappointing because it was full of anger, with characters whom I could not relate. I also miss the original narrator from the series. Perhaps if read instead of listening, I may have liked it better.

Disappointing

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Excellent narration and an emotional, psychological story that will delight fans of Ferrante’s other works

Marisa Tomei is amazing

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Marisa Tomei is so painful to listen to I couldn’t even finish the book. The parts of the book that I did get through were good which makes this even more frustrating that I just couldn’t get pat her off putting tone and accents.

I can’t get past the storyteller

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I love reading Ferrante's books but Marisa Tomei is a better reader than I am. Her best role ever!

Pure pleasure

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Adult content but accurate representation of growing up with lies.
Teen exploration and self discovery journey that is honest.

An honest look at growing up

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