Elena Ferrante’s book 2 in the Neapolitan Quartet is The Story of a New Name. It follows My Brilliant Friend and continues the story of Elena and Lila. If you are buying the next volume, choose the complete novel in your preferred format: paperback, ebook, or unabridged audiobook.
The English editions discussed here use Ann Goldstein’s translation. This guide keeps the plot discussion to the publisher’s basic premise, so you can choose a copy without learning the ending.
Which book comes second?
The Europa Editions listing identifies The Story of a New Name as book two. The complete reading order is:
- My Brilliant Friend
- The Story of a New Name
- Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay
- The Story of the Lost Child
Start with My Brilliant Friend if you have not read it. Our recommendation is to read the quartet in order: the second volume continues an existing friendship, family network, and neighborhood history. Buying book two because it has a familiar cover is easy; understanding where it sits in the sequence is more useful.
Paperback: a straightforward choice for reading and gifting
For an English-language physical copy, look for Europa Editions, ISBN 9781609451349, also recorded as ISBN-10 1609451341. Europa’s publisher catalog identifies this ISBN as the paperback. The Nashville Public Library catalog confirms the English edition and Ann Goldstein’s translation.
Europa Editions The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante, English Paperback ISBN 9781609451349, 1 Book
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Choose this format if: you want to lend the book, give it as a gift, mark passages on paper, or keep it alongside the rest of the quartet. The specific ISBN matters more than an abbreviated listing title.
Check before ordering: the selected format, language, ISBN, and condition. Used listings may describe notes, creases, or an alternative cover. If a matching set matters to you, compare the actual cover and dimensions with your existing volumes rather than assuming all Europa paperbacks have identical packaging.
A listing for one paperback supplies this volume alone. Do not assume it includes the other three novels because the series name appears in the title or description.
Ebook: convenient for adjustable text and carrying the series
Europa identifies the English ebook with ISBN 9781609451479. A separately cataloged Kindle edition carries ASIN B00ETSEZDC; the edition records identify it as the English Europa edition translated by Ann Goldstein.
Choose this format if: you already read in the Kindle ecosystem and value changing the text size, searching for names, or carrying several books on one device. Make sure the storefront is offering the ebook for your account’s country before purchasing.
Check before ordering: the title, author, translator, language, and selected digital format. An ebook ISBN identifies an electronic edition, but it is not interchangeable with every retailer’s product code. Paperback and audiobook offers displayed on the same shopping page are separate formats.
Download the sample if you are unsure about the typography or reading app. For book-club discussions, agree on chapter references where possible, since page references can be awkward when participants use different formats.
Audiobook: choose the complete English narration
The English Blackstone Audio unabridged recording is narrated by Hillary Huber. Audible’s series listing gives a running time of approximately 19 hours and 4 minutes. The downloadable Audible edition is cataloged under ASIN B00WHGCYZO.
Choose this format if: listening is your preferred way to read, or you want to continue the series during time when holding a book is inconvenient. Listen to the narration sample before choosing, particularly if you plan to spend many hours with the recording.
Check before ordering: narrator, language, unabridged status, and delivery format. A downloadable audiobook, standard audio CD, and MP3 CD are different purchases. If you want discs, check both the disc format and your player’s compatibility; the downloadable edition above is not a CD set.
Also distinguish a one-time audiobook purchase from any membership or trial offer shown by the retailer. Review the actual purchase terms rather than treating a promotional trial price as the permanent price of the book.
What is The Story of a New Name about?
At the start of book two, Lila is married and Elena continues her education. Their paths diverge while their friendship remains central. The publisher describes a story concerned with belonging, ambition, jealousy, love, and the pressures that shape the two women’s choices.
If you are deciding whether to continue after book one, that relationship is the key consideration. This is the next stage of Elena and Lila’s story. Readers looking for a self-contained introduction should begin with the first volume rather than expecting this one to establish everything from scratch.
How to avoid buying the wrong edition
- Match the author and full title. Look for Elena Ferrante and The Story of a New Name, with the Neapolitan series identified as book two.
- Confirm the language. Similar cover art or a translated title does not mean the text is in English.
- Buy the novel itself. A study guide, summary, or commentary may include the novel’s title prominently without containing the complete work.
- Use identifiers to check the format. The paperback ISBN above identifies a specific physical edition; the digital editions have their own identifiers.
- Check the selected offer. Condition, seller, delivery format, and purchase terms can change independently of the book’s bibliographic identity.
Our recommendation
Choose the Europa paperback if you want a physical copy to keep or give. Choose the English Kindle edition if you prefer reading on a device, or Hillary Huber’s unabridged recording if you prefer listening. The important decision is the format you will enjoy using: each option is a route into the same second novel, and none requires buying an entire boxed set.
Image note: AI-generated editorial illustration; not a photograph of the named product.
