"Meditative. Reflective. Soulful."

Elizabeth Strout returns following Oh William! with her latest LUCY BY THE SEA (Amgash #4), featuring her complex character, Lucy Barton. A divorced couple escapes to Maine during the lockdown pandemic while the world falls apart and experiences a new kind of "normal" with renewed hope for the future amidst troubling times.

Lucy married her husband, William, and they divorced and remarried. They have two grown daughters, Chrissy and Becca. William is now divorced and has a younger child with his second wife.

Lucy remarried David, which is now deceased. It is COVID, and the world is crazy, including New York. William encourages Lucy to join him in Maine at a small house on the coast.

Lucy suffers from asthma, and she cannot risk getting the coronavirus. It is now in Europe and making its way to the US. William also encourages the two daughters to join them. Chrissy and her husband leave New York, but Becka and her husband do not.

The author takes us on a journey of frightful and uncertain times as they two get re-acquainted with their new home and surroundings while remaining safe and distant from others in these challenging times.

We learn more about Lucy's daughters, their relationship with their parents, and their spouses. Lucy is still grieving from her second husband and always thinking of her past and childhood memories which are not so pleasant.

Lucy surrounds herself with new friends and some old ones and comes to count on William and their new relationship. William had secrets in the past, and of course, she worries as well as the daughters about the future.

Lucy and William have a complicated past, but they seem to be able to move beyond their past difficulties.

The author explores many emotions- isolation, anxiety, fear, panic, grief, uncertainty, loss, and love—all part of the pandemic.

As always, I adore Strout's writing style as she openly shares what is going on inside Lucy's head from one scene and moment to another. She is complex and struggles with her past, her childhood, and the present, even though she is a successful author with a loving family.

While some of Strout’s characters from her previous novels are referenced in this story, we also meet a few familiar characters.

"We are all in lockdown, all the time. We just don't know it, that's all. But we do the best we can. Most of us are just trying to get through."

If you want to read a pandemic novel, Elizabeth Strouth would be the author to read. Insightful, thought-provoking, introspective, and relatable, a beautifully written story of second chances and the importance of family, friends, survival, and our well-being.

Highly recommend all of Strout's books. LUCY BY THE SEA could be read as a standalone; however, I recommend reading the previous books in the Amgash series to get to know the honest Lucy.

A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Sep 20, 2022
Sept 2022 Must-Read Books

Usually, I enjoy reading Elizabeth Strout’s novels. But, this book “Lucy by the Sea” was too depressing for me. I guess I didn’t want to be reminded of the pandemic, especially since some of us are still feeling the effects of this pandemic. Also, I found some details about this timeframe were not fact checked. Even though it is a work of fiction, it still involved actual events, I found some facts that just were just incorrect. Therefore, I only gave it 3 stars.

This book is a follow-up to Oh William! In this book, we follow Lucy from her apartment in New York City to a small town in Maine to escape the worst days of the Covid pandemic.

Imagine experiencing those first days of lockdown and fear after being whisked away from your home to spend quarantine in a seaside cabin with your ex-husband. This is a situation ripe for self-reflection, existential crisis, and social commentary.

I really enjoy this author’s relaxed conversational style of narrative. If you are looking for a lot of action or thrills, this one isn’t for you, but if you enjoy genuine dialogue and living in another person’s head for a while put this one on your TBR. I like characters that feel unabashedly authentic and Lucy Barton is a superb blend of mess and mentor.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of Lucy by the Sea for my unbiased evaluation. 4 stars

What a beautiful, heart tugging novel! A divorced couple stuck together during lockdown, explores life, love, loss, and grief in a captivating story that is brilliantly written. Rich characters that are relatable and easy to empathize with, character driven and thought provoking. Elizabeth Stout is a master storyteller and this one packs a punch.

Lucy by the Sea is another installment in the Lucy books and Strout does not disappoint. Her writing is subtle and clean and easy to read. This story interestingly, takes place almost exclusively in Lucy's head. The dialogue is so natural it feels like the reader is chatting with an old friend,

We find Lucy once again in the company of her ex husband William and this time its the start of the pandemic. He talks her out of leaving NYC and the story takes place as the two of them enter into Covid lockdown together.

This is a very quiet, easy enjoyable story. Strout is a master storyteller and this book does not disappoint fans.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC which I was provided in exchange for an honest review.

In her latest book, Strout confronts Covid and does it with sensitivity and creativity. A natural for a bookclub selection.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout.

If Strout wrote it, I'm reading it, those is the rules.

What's funny is looking back on my reviews of the first three of this series, my reviews are incredibly mixed! But whatever hang ups I had on the previous books have all been forgiven and forgotten because of this beautiful flower arrangement of a book.

Lucy is in her later years living alone in NY when the pandemic hits. After the insistence of her ex-husband William, she finds herself staying with him in a small Maine town, right by the water. There she learns a whole new way of living, while struggling to maintain a relationship with her daughters, her new neighbors, William, and herself.

I don't want to say much more about this except that it was SO relatable. Reading about the pandemic when we're still in the fresh aftermath feels especially poignant right now. Add a hearty dose of love, humanity, fear, guilt, and sacrifice, and baby, we got us a stew going!

A mixed bag. Strout, is, of course, brilliant and her first Lucy Barton book a masterpiece. Lucy now, years later, has begun to seem somewhat self-indulgent and repetitive. And the structure here seems too loose and flabby. And yet, shafts of perception pierce the gloom, notably the late one when Lucy’s sense of William’s unreliability is underscored. Not her best book, but still pretty fine.

This book is perfect for our Covid lockdown year. Lucy Barton lives in Manhattan and makes a decision to abandon her life there and move to a small house on the coast of Maine. Her ex-husband accompanies her on this journey away from the city and into the country. The descriptive passages in this book are lovely as we accompany Lucy on her daily walks. She befriends a neighbor along the way and we see some positive changes in her as she lives her days reading books and enjoying her view of the riley ocean right out of her window.

Elizabeth Strout continues Lucy's story in the present day. Interesting to read a fiction book about the COVID pandemic! I always enjoy learning about Lucy's inner thoughts. Fun to read!

Oh my goodness, I did not think Elizabeth Strout could surpass her previous books! This could be a stand alone work, but the richness of being familiar with Lucy Barton and her family made for a spectacular read. I have sometimes shied away from novels set during the pandemic. But seeing the past few years through Lucy’s eyes made me laugh and weep, and reinforced the joy of reading as a balm for weary hearts.

I read this in one day because it’s such an easy style of writing. Lucy’s thoughts all flow into one another. I didn’t know this story would take place during the pandemic and almost quit it as soon as I started. I stuck with it, though, because I enjoyed Oh, William! so much. I wanted to see how Lucy would navigate this time in her life. Strout does such a super job with characterizations. I wonder if I’d like Lucy in real life. I think I would even if she’s sad sometimes and a bit dim about the world.

I was provided this book by Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley.

This is the first book that I read that is placed in the COVID 19 time period. I loved that it followed a main character that I already knew through that time period and included characters from Elizabeth Strout's other books. I found the book to be engaging and poignant. The range of events and raw and varying emotions expressed in the book seemed vert realistic and relatable. The book brought up interesting themes related to family and free will. I am very grateful to Net Galley and Penguin Randomhouse for the ARC.

Elizabeth Strout is a gem! I am in awe of how good a writer she is, and how keen her observation skills are. This story begins at the beginning of the pandemic, and features Lucy and William; Strout often features many of the same characters from previous novels, and it feels like visiting with old friends.
Although I recommend reading the author’s previous novels for the characters’ backstories, this book can easily be read as a stand-alone.
Highly recommended!

Lucy by the Sea
By Elizabeth Strout

This is the ongoing saga of Lucy Barton (which began with "My Name is Lucy Barton" and continued through "Oh, William!") and her clan – ex-husband William; deceased husband David; daughters Chrissy and Becca; and assorted other characters. Not being a big fan of Strout's work, I will say that I think this book, taking place during the covid pandemic, is the best of the three.

While Strout's books are nominally standalone, they are dependent upon sections of backstory to bring the reader up to speed. These sections seem to repeat in each book. Additionally the author feels the need to bring in characters from other books like Olive Kitteridge. I'm not sure why; references to Olive really do not enhance this story.

The author, through Lucy, presents many different thoughts and ideas about what is wrong with our society and what we might do to improve the situation. Unfortunately Lucy becomes muddled as the book goes on, seemingly unsure of what she thinks and feels and not knowing who, besides herself, she can trust. Thus many situations are left unresolved.

It is obvious by the abrupt ending that there will be another installment of the Lucy Barton chronicle. I was disappointed at how little was resolved in this one. It could have been a better book.

Very timely and very Lucy. I liked this book far more than expected. Handled the recent challenges of the world well, her relationship with William and her girls felt real. Lucy's feelings for other characters made me giggle a bit and her thoughts of her mom/relationship/childhood broke my heart. This is a must read book for fans of Lucy and her life.

I love Elizabeth Strout and her interest in ordinary people. I am an ordinary person, as is just about everyone I know. Yet in her beautiful mind and writing the ordinary is extraordinary, fascinating, worth exploring. To me this is the epitome of being a humanist and a humanistic author of fiction, and I am here for it!

This novel concerns the pandemic and I have read many reviews that are critical because of this subject matter. So maybe if you don't want to read about covid skip this one. This was not a problem for me and I consider this one of Strout's better novels. YMMV.

Another installment in the life of Lucy Barton. Lucy and her family are living their separate lives in New York on the eve of the pandemic. As March, 2020 begins, William, a scientist, convinces Lucy to go to Maine where they move into a house by the sea. Although divorced, they find their way back to a different kind of couple-ship, and work together to make it through the weird times, and parent their grown daughters as well as William's younger daughter from afar. This is a thoughtful story that addresses the weird time, as well as navigating life and love in one's later years.

Lucy by the Sea is perhaps Elizabeth Strout's best Lucy Barton book in that not only does it continue to develop her relationship with "Oh, William" and her daughters, but the reader is caught up by Lucy's original naiveness which mimics much of the public's reaction to the virus vs. those who were instantly overzealous in responding, the lock down and its various impact on people, and the inner workings of Lucy's mind and how those thoughts color her interaction with others and her own emotional behavior. Strout uses descriptions of Maine and things and people in and around a house that is rented sight unseen both to describe the terrain, but also to reflect Lucy's evolution. My only complaint was that I started the book too late in the evening because I couldn't put it down until I finished it in the early hours of the morning. Note: I received an advance copy of this from Net Galley, but the review is my own.

I go back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for this one. The writing style was difficult for me - it was so straightforward and the sentences were so short and concise. But at the same time, there was a rhythm to the way the story was read.
Lucy by the Sea takes place during the first year of the Pandemic when nothing felt right or normal and everyone was a bit depressed and unsure of what was going to happen next. I could feel that from Lucy. Countless times Lucy tells us what she remembers or what she remembers feeling which felt normal but also annoying at the same time. Was that intended?
It's hard for me to recommend this book to someone unless they're specifically asking for a book about the Pandemic. I don't think we're far enough away from it to want to look back and remember or experience what others were going through. At least I'm not there yet.