The Lying Life of Adults cover art

The Lying Life of Adults

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Lying Life of Adults

By: Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein - translator
Narrated by: Marisa Tomei
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £14.37

Buy Now for £14.37

About this listen

 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
All stars
Most relevant
I found Marisa Tomei's narration hard going, jarring even. I understand the character is clearly not likeable and very troubled but the aggressive narration really didn't suit the story. The narration also appeared very stilted at times with pauses in the reading that were out of place with the dialogue. I started listening and had to stop for a long time before going back to it. I wish I had just read the novel instead.

Ferrante's story is another enjoyable portrait of Neapolitain life, and having lived there myself, I can see the stories are very well drawn and emulate aspects of Neapolitain life very well indeed. Just not the right choice of narrator for me. As with Hilary Huber.... Please choose better narrators for Ferrante's novels. They deserve better.

Problematic narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
From start to finish I devoured this book, also the narrator was perfect to bring the characters nuances to life. Highly recommend

Stunning

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This was an absolutely brilliant listen. There is something so vivid and earnest about the way she writes girls on the cusp of adulthood that transports me back. It ends rather abruptly so I hope this means there will be another in a series! In particular I loved the allusions to dialect and how that was something she wanted to master and become proficient in. Also her confusion at the lives of her parents and her attempts to understand from her perspective. It was so beautifully and elegantly done!

Reminded how much I love Elena Ferrante’s writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Marisa Tomei is an academy nominated actress but yet her voice detracted from this story. it just didn't reasonate. it felt like she was projecting the characters from the neopolitan novels rather than bringing a new character to life. it ruined the story for me. she sounded like Lila at her meanest. I had considered stopping and buying the book, but that would have cost an additional e25 for the hardback. such a pity. I had soooooo looked forward to this story that I bought on preorder

at best, like neopolitan novel #2

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved the beginning of this book and exploring the family dynamics. personally, i felt it ended really abruptly. having listened to it rather than reading it, I lost track of how far I had got. and it just suddenly finished. I thought I had accidentally skipped a. chapter. anyway, i wasn't blown away but I did enjoy the book.

ended abruptly

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews