I am grateful to Penguin Random House, NetGalley, and Pulitzer Prize–winning author extraordinaire Elizabeth Strout for the privilege of being an early reader of her latest incredible novel, Tell Me Everything. Readers return to picturesque Crosby, Maine during autumn for an interesting intertwining of characters that remain with you long after you finish reading the last word. There is a great deal of attention to detail and a lot of characters to keep straight. The novel's pace picks up halfway through as there is also a murder mystery to be solved, and deep soul searching as characters ponder their live’s meanings and the bigger questions of the universe. Eloquent, poignant, and a page-turning crossover of the Barton, Burgess, Goodrow, and Kitteridge characters I have long enjoyed, this novel enlightens readers with perspectives of morality from beginning to end. Love, loss, empathy, suffering, healing, old loves, friendship, trauma, and an infinite wonder of what impact you might have on the world are just some of the themes encompassed in this novel. As Lucy Barton puts it: "What does anyone’s life mean?” We are reminded of the intrinsic value of storytelling as the world evolves around us, and how profoundly relationships give us purpose as the characters Bob Burgess, Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, Isabelle Goodrow, William, Matt Beach, Margaret, Bob, Jim, Susan, and Pam interact and intertwine their stories and “unrecorded lives.” I hope there will be a sequel to this healing novel, as I did not want this story to end. 4/5

In Tell Me Everything, Elizabeth Strout brings us back to Crosby, Maine with a focus on two of her recurring characters, Bob Burgess and Lucy Barton. This is a book about relationships, feelings, and love - in all of its complications and challenges. Ms. Strout's writing is beautiful, as always. The story takes place approximately two years after Lucy By the Sea. Although there are several sub-plots to the story, the main theme is that everyone has a story to tell and that one can learn a lot about love and life by people's stories. Having grown up in a northern area, Ms. Strout really captures what it's like to have your life centered around the seasons - the short, dark winter days and the longer, happier summer ones. Many of her past book characters appear in this book and they feel like old friends. This is a beautiful book and I couldn't put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book by an author I love. IT was great revisiting these characters of Olive, Lucy, Bob as they are faced with a crime in their midst. We are taken to Maine in August and lawyer Bob is trying ti unfold a murder in the town....Bob and Lucy develop a relationship and the story goes from there. This is a sweet, character driven story with a sense of excitement added with the mystery of the murder. I love that this book was about their relationships but also about bigger topics of grief, lonlieness, aging, friendship, death etc. It's a very deep book in that sense. The title is fitting as she tells everything but the reader still wants more!

In Tell Me Everything, the latest book by Elizabeth Strout, we are once again in Crosby Maine, where the sun glints off the water, or it’s achingly cold, or we watch the signs of the change of seasons.
And once again we are in the company of Lucy Barton and Olive Kitterage, together at last with the Burgess boys, exploring stories of unrecorded lives and what meaning a life has.
In this universe kindness and love, support and understanding, aging and loss, family relationships and (surprise) a murder mystery help to reveal the lives people have borne, survived or celebrated.
Barton shows us that it is through our own stories and the lives of others that we come to understand that love; romantic, family or friendship gives meaning to our existence. It’s a small, apolitical world that Strout creates for her readers. And a comforting one. Demonstrating to us those things that are really important.

Welcome to Crosby, Maine! This is a fantastic novel about wonderful people telling stories, and wonderful people who are really willing to listen to them. The relationships between these amazing characters is so tremendously touching. To sit down, or take a walk with a friend and have them tell you their experiences, and will also allow you the same privilege is such a joy.
I have enjoyed all of Elizabeth Strout’s work, but this gem “Tell Me Everthing”, is far and above her best writing to date. I will be highly recommending this novel to all my patrons.
Thank You, to NetGalley, the Author Elizabeth Strout and the Random House Publishing Group for allowing me me this honor to review this wonderful novel for my honest review.

I have enjoyed the Lucy Barton and Olive Kittredge books in the past and it was so nice to see these two characters come together. Strout uses simple language but the stories are deeply thought provoking. Tell Me Everything is full of well developed characters, but my favorite was Bob Burgess and what he does for Matt Beach without even realizing it. He sees him! And in seeing him, he allows Matt to finally see himself. A beautiful story that will stay with me for a long time.

As the opening line says, “This is the story of Bob Burgess …” a 65-year-old, mostly retired lawyer in Crosby, Maine who is a “sin-eater” according to his walking companion, Lucy Barton. A sin-eater carries the burdens of others in a deep, empathic manner.

While Bob Burgess features prominently in the novel, we get many scenes with Olive Kitteridge (now 90) and Lucy Barton, as well as Pam (Bob’s first wife) and Jim (Bob’s brother), along with cameos of many Shirley Falls and Crosby residents. It is 2022 in the aftermath of the pandemic; folks are easing back into social settings, some still wearing masks.

Lucy Barton and Olive get together on regular intervals to tell each other “stories of unrecorded lives.” Some of those stories seem to suggest that Bob and Lucy may be growing fond of each other. There is also a murder of a local resident, and Bob ends up defending the man suspected of the crime.

Family secrets, a murder investigation, and unforgettable characters – this quiet book covers so much ground in a small New England town. The author’s observations of the human condition are spot on. I often found myself identifying with a character and thinking, “Yes! I have had that experience. Is Elizabeth Strout spying on me?” And then there are some casual lines, not really key to the plot, but oh, so filled with pathos – for example, how older people who live alone “might appreciate the touch of another human being.”

I loved catching up with these beloved characters. I find their intertwined, unrecorded lives to be deeply satisfying.

In "Tell Me Everything", Elizabeth Strout brings together the protagonists in two of her beloved series with aplomb and grace.

In the quiet town of Crosby, Maine, Lucy Barton and her ex-husband William have settled in after leaving to flee the pandemic in NYC. Her friendship with Bob Burgess, a retired lawyer, has deepened in to a close friendship despite their older ages and his own marriage to Margaret, a pastor. However, Bob is called to action when a senior woman by the name of Gloria Beach is found dead, and the primary suspect is her adult son, Matt Beach, who lived with her and served as her primary caretaker. The unraveling of this mystery serves as the central plot for this novel, as Bob begins to learn more about the Beach family and the series of events that led to this ultimate end.

This is not just a murder mystery, however. The novel focuses on the complicated relationship developing Lucy and Bob and also pulls in the storylines of the individuals around them, including Bob's ex-wife Pam and her struggles with her own husband and alcoholism; Bob's brother Jim and his family as they face a devastating loss; and Lucy's new friendship with Olive Kitteridge. While the number of characters and backstories may be daunting at first for new readers, they are integrated smoothly and seamlessly throughout the chapters. They serve to bolster the story's main focus - on the breadth and depth of human lives and stories, and the beauty and fragility of the connections that form between people. Strout's writing is engaging and diverse, at times humorous and glib, other times deeply sad and moving. Her primary characters have such depth and complexity it's almost impossible not to develop empathy for them and the trials they go through.

Very much a recommended read for when "Tell Me Everything" is published in September 2024!

Elizabeth Strout is the master of the mundane, and, in "Tell Me Everything," she works her practical magic to show us how ordinary moments can tell a powerful story. Through stark, yet stunning, prose and quirky characters, she captures the essence of life through the untold stories of ordinary people. A continuation of the Lucy Barton series, "Tell Me Everything" is anchored by string of meeting between mousy Lucy and cranky, 91-year-old Olive Kitteridge. The two women share stories about their families and the people they have met during their lives, discussing insights about each story -- and wondering about their context to meaning of life. Subplots (including a murder mystery) with other characters highlight all kinds of struggles, joys, loves and losses in life, and call us to embrace our fellow humans with compassion and curiosity. To live well, we need to be heard and to listen so we can better understand the lives others. That's why we need to ask, 'Tell me everything."

What a beautiful book to bring all of our friends together again. I have enjoyed Strout's books and really liked being with these characters again in Maine.
I like the even keel of Strout's writing. It has its own level of drama and excitement, but it's quieter, gentler, steady. I really have enjoyed her books and I liked this one as well.
I liked see Lucy and Olive interact and the talk of stories and writing.
I like this quiet sleepy little town and the intertwining of their lives.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Deceptive in its simplicity, this fourth book in Strout’s Amgash series is lovely, with its focus on Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess, but also their partners, children, siblings, the people in their world in the small town in Maine where Lucy has settled with her ex-husband William, and Bob has spent his whole life, long married to minister Margaret. Olive Kitteridge is here as well, a friendship of sorts between she and Lucy predicated on telling each other stories about life and love and great loss and terrible harm, stories of those lives that go unrecorded. Perhaps Lucy is a stand-in for Strout, and although I’ve never quite believed that Lucy is a writer, I so enjoy being with these characters, how they see the world and themselves. It’s a thoughtful place, a gentle place, one of friendship and good deeds, even as it’s roiled by what is broken in others and themselves, their individual desires and hurts, and by the world. Reading this was a kind of tonic for the soul.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the arc.

I enjoyed Elizabeth’s Strout’s latest novel, but enjoyed some parts more than others. While a big fan of Olive Kitteridge, she wasn’t the central character here—but I think that was a plus. The book focuses on character Bob Burgess, who breathes new life into Strout’s stories of encounters with people around them. Bob makes this completely readable even when I wasn’t interested at all in the relationship with Lucy Barton or in the relationship between Olive and Lucy. I would have preferred the story to focus on Bob and Matt’s story, which I found to be most interesting. This is still a must read for Strout fans, even though I was getting mixed up about character names that I thought I saw from other books but couldn’t completely remember.
Thank you NetGalley for a ARC.

Loved, loved, loved. Elizabeth Strout is such a gift to this world. Filled with love and wisdom and so fun to see all her characters together in one book. Thank you for the privilege of getting to read it.

WOW. Elizabeth Strout knocked it out of the ballpark with this novel. I have read all her previous books, and this wonderful book was like revisiting all my old friends. Especially olive Kittredge! This is a book filled with stories upon stories about ordinary people yet I savored every single word. The relationships between Bob and Lucy was so fascinating. Thank you so much for my advanced copy. As always, I will be waiting for Elizabeth Strout’s next novel.

Elizabeth Strout fans ….
….and new fans….
***ooh la la la la***
“Tell Me Everything” is intimate and beautiful. It’s packed filled with great stories — in the context of connecting.
…the storytelling (*fabulous*stories: a couple are unbelievably funny),
will have readers glued to each page….
EVERYTHING is magnificent: the characters, the themes: seriousness and depth,
Envy, Arrogance,
Loneliness, Narcissism,
Hurt pasts, trauma,
Fears, Guilt, Being heard
Patience, Craving another person, Being self-absorbed. etc.
Love, friendships, marriage, humor, children, hopes, loss, betrayal, death, murder, suicide, healing….
Ha…. and the secret to the meaning of life. 😉

Save the date: August 13th, 2004 — Strout’s tenth novel will be published.
Re- visit our favorite characters— Lucy Barton, Olive Kittridge, Bob Burgess, William > old & new friends.

Elizabeth Strout outdid herself — pulled out all the stops…. nothing held back!!!

“It’s just funny about life” - Lucy said.
“You mean how it doesn’t work the way you think it will? Bob asked.
“Exactly!

One more excerpt (but no spoilers):
“Lucy stared straight out at the river for a long time, and then she said, ‘Bob, I think that we are standing on shifting sand. She did not look at him as she spoke. I mean, we don’t ever really ‘know’ another person. And so we make them up according to when they came into our lives, and if you’re young, as many people are, when they marry, you have no idea who that person really is.
And so you live with them for years, you have a house together, kids together—‘She
stopped and said, Sorry”.
“No, no, go on”, Bob said.
Their conversation was real, intimate, meaningful, and very thought-provoking…..
and the conversation does go on—
Walking & Talking -
Discover unrecorded stories—

Perhaps other readers (most of us) have unrecorded stories.
Just because they’re not written on paper, doesn’t mean they’re not incredibly worthy and interesting.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC (unexpected gift!): I adored this book. I found it both timeless and timely: Strout deftly portrays the post-pandemic/endemic/increasingly fraught and polarized world with her deceptively light, poetic writing. Lucy Barton meets with Olive Kittredge to share stories--at 91 and 66. Lucy and Bob develop a deep friendship that illuminates and stresses their relationships. The main characters are navigating late middle age to old age, and it rang true. Most of Strout's characters are in this book, in a natural organic circle. Yes, it helps to have read her previous books, but I don't think it's necessary. I treasured this book. I consider it one of her best.

In "Tell Me Everything" the whole gang is alive and well in Crosby, Maine with some side action in New York City. Bob Burgess (married to Margaret Estaver, a Unitarian minister) has a deep friendship (not physical) with Lucy Barton. Lucy still lives with William. Olive Kitteridge (90 years old) develops a friendship with Lucy Barton. Lucy visits Olive and they tell each other true stories.There is a murder sub-plot, and a chance that Margaret will lose her job. Bob's brother, Jim, lives in NYC and suffers some tragedy. To tell more gives away too much. Strout has remained true to her/ her character's fundamentally humane/humanist view of life. Strout is following them for another year, post-pandemic. There is not a compelling plot or plot device. If you like Strout's previous work, you will like this book. I did. However, this book seems like it is either a winding-down or swimming in place. "Olive Again" and "Oh, William" had much more propulsion than "Tell Me Everything". I wonder and hope for what is next from Elizabeth Strout. It is remarkable that she has tied these characters together.

No one does it like Elizabeth Strout. It was so special to dive back into the world of Olive Kitteridge and Crosby, Maine. I can’t wait to reread Tell Me Everything once it’s published this fall!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you @netgalley for the copy of Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. These books are like catching up with old friends. I find the stories engaging and comforting. Elizabeth Strout even manages to turn a story about a death to be uplifting. I love how the characters all care for each other. I do wish we had more of Olive because I find her interesting, but she isn’t the focus of this book. This focuses on Bob Burgess and Lucy Barton, but even Lucy is confined mostly to her interactions with Bob. Lucy and Bob have become friends and their friendship blossoms into a bit more. While they navigate their relationship as well as their current partners, Bob becomes enraged in a case of a murder investigation. Of course this isn’t a thriller, but how people interact and care for each other.

Elizabeth Strout is one of my most favorite authors, and Tell Me Everything did not disappoint! This book brings together the characters from her previous books -- Bob Burgess, Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, and all the other characters in their orbits -- into one lovely, exceptionally readable story. Lucy and William are still living in their pandemic getaway house in Maine. Lucy and Bob Burgess have struck up a close friendship, and their friendship is one plotline of this book. Lucy and Olive also get together and share stories with each other. Bob takes on a curious local legal case that provides another main plotline. Throughout it all, we get the pleasure of Elizabeth Strout's wonderful storytelling that brings these characters fully to life, with all their foibles and flaws, doubts and misunderstandings, and lots of love. Lucy Barton describes it best: "People and the lives they lead. That's the point."