The Story of the Lost Child

The Neapolitan Novels, Book 4

By: Elena Ferrante

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

The Story of the Lost Child concludes the dazzling saga of two women—the brilliant, bookish Elena and the fiery, uncontainable Lila—who first met amid the shambles of postwar Italy.

In this book, life’s great discoveries have been made; its vagaries and losses have been suffered. Through it all, Elena and Lila’s friendship remains the gravitational center of their lives. Both women once fought to escape the neighborhood in which they grew up. Elena married, moved to Florence, started a family, and published several well-received books. But now, she has returned to Naples to be with the man she has always loved.

Lila, on the other hand, never succeeded in freeing herself from Naples. She has become a successful entrepreneur, but her success draws her into closer proximity with the nepotism, chauvinism, and criminal violence that infect her neighborhood. Yet, somehow, this proximity to a world she has always rejected only brings her role as unacknowledged leader of that world into relief.

©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks

sad it's over

These books are loaded. Long, emotional, and beautifully written. The turn this took really surprised me. I am sad it's over though - this series was a warm blanket and a comfort during quarantine. I will relisten in a few years and probably be reminded of where I was (home) and what I was doing (cooking constantly). Picking up my headphones to listen to this everyday was a welcome reprieve from this strange season. I love these books! The pace is slow but so are my days right now, so that works out. This narrator is in my all time top 5, what a comfort. I wonder if I'll ever be able to separate her from Elena Greco should I ever listen to anything else she's ever read.

Intense and Brilliant. Totally immersive.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Extraordinary characters, so intricately developed-- You can't help but be enriched by the intensity, the drama, and the everyday life of these characters. The self examination of the narrating/main character, and her revelations of those that surround her are endlessly thought provoking. This fabulous series would have been ruined with the wrong Narrator-Hillary Huber is perfect. Words fail me. She conveys every mood perfectly.

What does Hillary Huber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Unbelievably nuanced mood shifts, beautiful voice, quiet and intense.

i can't believe it's over....

you'll find yourself missing the characters, thinking about them during the day, hoping they find some peace.. but they don't.
also in this (incredible and amazing) book, Ferrante is unforgiving to her characters, and they have hard hard lives, with harsh consequences. i did not want this book to end, i loved the feeling i had while listing to all 4 books, but this one, as it holds another secret book inside, and an oh-so emotional epilog, is by far the best one.
also, because we have to say good by to elena and lila.

you'll love it. don't miss out

Beautifully written and translated

I’ve listened to all four Neapolitan novels. My family is northern Italian so I thought I might identify with these books. At first I didn’t. In fact I disliked what I thought were stereotypes. But I stuck with each book, in large part because of the beautiful writing (and translation.) Once invested, I couldn’t stop. Ferrante masterfully pulls the reader into the lives of the characters, weaving their stories through modern Italian history. This body of work represents feminist themes in a nuanced and real-world way. The performance was good, although Huber frequently mispronounced Italian words so I would have preferred an Italian-speaking narrator.

Another Triumph for Ferrante!

This last book in the series was as gripping as the prior 3 books. I loved the characters and am sad to leave them. I am new to the author and will be finding her other writings.