Showing results for "the-names" in Coming of Age

The Story of a New Name is an extraordinary novel about two young women, Lila and Elena, growing up in Naples in the early 1960s. At 16 Lila marries the shopkeeper Stefano. She is filled with pleasure at her new wealth and horror at the life she has chosen. Elena’s own attempts at romance seem to be sabotaged by Lila’s turbulent affairs. As she tries to plot her way out of poverty via academic and literary success, her constant anxiety is that she is just a shadow of the brilliant Lila.

Meet Maddie. To her mostly absent mum, she's Maame, the woman of the family. To her dad, she's his carer—even if he hardly recognises her. To her friends, she's the one who still lives at home, who never puts herself first. It's time to become the woman she wants to be. The kind who wears a bright yellow suit, says yes to after-work drinks and flirts with a 30-something banker. Who doesn't have to Google all her life choices. Who demands a seat at the table.