• 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 (4,386 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Story of a New Name  By  cover art

The Story of a New Name

By: Elena Ferrante
Narrated by: Hillary Huber
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.46

Buy for $19.46

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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.

Featured Article: The top 100 series of all time


The feeling of discovering that your favorite new listen is actually the start of a series is euphoric. That you can immediately hit play and re-enter a beloved new world, or love story, or era from history is a gift to the devoted listener. But how to pick just 100 of these unique and immersive listening journeys? We defined a series as having a minimum of three books, and—after some debate—we decided the titles had to be anchored in fiction. From YA to horror to historical fiction, from fresh voices to seminal tales, hours of discovery await.

What listeners say about The Story of a New Name

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,153
  • 4 Stars
    944
  • 3 Stars
    229
  • 2 Stars
    36
  • 1 Stars
    24
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,902
  • 4 Stars
    743
  • 3 Stars
    179
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    20
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,759
  • 4 Stars
    826
  • 3 Stars
    215
  • 2 Stars
    40
  • 1 Stars
    25

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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."

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it!

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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Heavy and engaging

This book will suck you in, pull you down, wind you up. It's sad and fascinating and frustrating but incredibly engaging. I feel like I know each character personally, like I live and grew up there. The narrator builds the feeling and characters with just the slightest change in her tone. I'm intrigued to continue on in the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Second Novel of The Quartet

These novels are very good and this is an excellent follow up to the first novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful