I'm such a fan of Elizabeth Strout's writing in general, but I absolutely adore the Lucy Barton books. After reading <i>Oh William</i> last year, I was so surprised to see a follow-up this year already. <i>Lucy by the Sea</i> sees Lucy rushed out of New York City by William, who has quickly realized how bad the pandemic is going to be. The two set up house in Maine, and Lucy must navigate not only the pandemic but her relationship with her family as the distance between them increases.

I loved so much about this book. Lucy remains Lucy with all of her frustrating and charming traits. Strout has such a beautiful way of writing her characters where we can see the faults but also be deeply understanding of how their flaws and histories have shaped them.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

<b>I LOVE LUCY!!!</b>

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<u>My Name is Lucy Barton</u> was the very first book by Elizabeth Strout that I ever read, and I completely fell in love with that character. I identified with so many parts of that bashful but talented ingenue.

Now, Lucy and William are die-hard New Yorkers, forced to flee New York City because of the looming pandemic. William all but abducts Lucy and brings her to a cliff-top house in rural Maine, of all places.

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I agree with Bob Burgess (0ne of the many characters from Strout's other novels who keep popping in and out of this story) that Lucy, for all her protestations that she always feels frightened, is indeed a very brave woman. She literally "came from nothing" as her mother-in-law used to proclaim to her dinner guests as she would introduce her new daughter-in-law.

Lucy surpassed even her own limited expectations (she never felt that she was special in any way.) But Lucy found love not once, but twice, and, as her daughters pointed out to her: her second husband, David, had adored her - and she him. Her first husband remained her loyal, steadfast friend and confessed that a world without her in it would be unendurable. This confession finally convinced Lucy to heed William's fear-mongering and remain in isolation with him in Maine.

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As you may have gathered by now, this new installment of the times and trials of Lucy Barton takes place during COVID isolation/lockdown. Lucy makes an interesting observation that in many ways, because of her childhood, she had always lived in some form of social or personal lockdown. Lucy is so incredibly wise - and kind. No wonder we all love to spend time with her.

Olive Kitteridge is another character who is frequently mentioned in this story. In usual Olive style, she managed to make me laugh at her off the page antics: Olive is such a curmudgeon!

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Politics and the tension of the last election - as well as the insurrection - were mentioned in some detail. It was interesting to me that Lucy and William decided to have compassion for the unheard "Have Nots." I, personally, had no sympathy for the rioters, but if the French Revolution taught us anything, it is that the downtrodden will only stand by for so long before taking up arms - as partly happened in the U.S. capitol.

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Although I tend to stay away from COVID-themed novels, I would have read Elizabeth Strout's shopping list if necessary! (Come to think of it, there WAS a shopping list,or two, compiled or mentioned here and there! Quite engrossing, too!)

And that cliff-hanger of an ending!!!! I do hope that this means there is yet ANOTHER installment in the making! I can just hear the crowds roaring: <b>Lucy! Lucy! Lucy! Lucy!......</b>

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My rating: All the Stars! My thanks to the author, Elizabeth Strout, her publisher, Random House, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review! I loved it!
(Release date: September 20, 2022.)

“Who knows why people are different? We are born with a certain nature, I think. And then the world takes its swings at us.”

The character of Lucy Barton has lived inside me for years, ever since reading the first book in this Amgash series. The deprivation of her childhood, the deep loneliness of Lucy’s spirit, the resilience to survive - I have loved and admired Lucy for a decade.

This book is the story of Lucy, her ex-husband William, her two daughters, and the people with whom she connects during the penultimate year of 2020.

I get that Strout is not everyone’s cup of tea; she is sparse, not wasting one word on verbose description. She embodies the quirkiness of Lucy in her writer’s voice, and it is often uncomfortable. And yes, I believe that is the point. Lucy makes us look ourselves and our lives, ugly spots and all, not just the parts we’d like to show on social media.

But Strout is my kinda author - I would purchase her grocery list.

Do you have to read the earlier books to enjoy this one? Honestly, I would say Yes. Going into this one cold, not knowing the background of Lucy, would be challenging, imo.

But oh my, if you want to sink into another person’s soul, to see life through their eyes, then Strout and her Amgash series is for you.

“I understood - that the childhood isolation of fear and loneliness would never leave me. My childhood had been a lockdown…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.”

I've read several books now involving he pandemic/lockdown and this is by far my favorite. Beautifully written, Lucy has become a part of my life by now! A great story and such beautifully fascinating characters

I wasn't sure if I was ready for a novel about the pandemic, but I didn't want to miss a new Elizabeth Strout book!. Lucy by the Sea is a lovely exploration of Lucy's continuing relationship with her ex-husband William as they wait out the pandemic in Maine. While the pandemic is definitely a part of the story, the narrative focuses more on their relationship and their relationships with others. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this title.

I am usually a fan of Elizabeth Strout's work, but this one fell short for me. Other than the protagonist, I felt the characters were fairly one-dimensional and it was hard to care about their individual situations. The descriptions of the early days of the pandemic as well as coastal Maine were spot on, however.

This is the newest book in the Lucy series by Elizabeth Strout, about Lucy and her first husband being stuck in lockdown during the COVID pandemic together. Strout is a master storyteller, and I quite enjoyed this book.

Some of the themes the book deals with are loneliness, loss and grief, and well as the whole COVID pandemic situation. As well as the comfort Lucy and Willem find in each other together. Highly recommended if you enjoyed the previous novels of this series!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a DRC.

Probably my second favorite in the series, the original Lucy Barton book being my favorite.
Though it was difficult reliving the pandemic lock down, this was a good character study.
The book is deeply introspective and, to some, the narrative may seem mundane. But that is the point, ultimately. That our lives are always somewhat mundane. The problems we encounter are really no different from what others face. Strout weaves troubled political times into the narrative as a device to teach us that that we all "think as ourselves " ALL the time, and it is precisely failing to look into another's head that keeps us isolated from one another, even when there's no pandemic physically separating us.
Added bonus--my favorite Strout character, Olive Kittredge, has cameo appearances.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Life and love in the time of Corvid. What a perfect book for these times! It was so relatable. This book is the 3rd in the Lucy Barton series. I love the narrative voice of Lucy! I can identify with her. One of the car lights was our so Lucy had to drive the car with the lights on high because they both worked that way. When on coming cars flashed their lights se felt terrible. " I have always been frightened of doing something wrong, of being inconsiderate; it is a real fear I have".
Me too Lucy! Me too!!

Sprout is a great writer with a fine eye for detail. In the novel, Lucy says she writes about old people and it is really limiting her audience. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone under 70. Set in the present, she covers how she deals with Covid as well as current politics, and I found it to be too typical to be interesting. I wish she’d find a new character.

Thanks to Netgalley who gave me this book in exchange for an honest review. First, if you haven’t read My Name is Lucy Barton, read it. Then read all the Lucy books concluding with this one. William, Lucy’s first husband, insists that she leaves New York with him a couple weeks before everyone else understands what is happening with the pandemic. So, what happens to two people who secluded in a cute little house on a cliff in Maine? I suspect that this will be a last book about Lucy. Did Strout save the best for last

Lucy by the Sea, Elizabeth Strout

Reading this novel was like visiting old friends from a social distance. We got to know Lucy and William both in prior novels (My Name is Lucy Barton, Oh William!, Anything is Possible) and revisit characters introduced in Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again, and even The Burgess Boys. And that is lovely, as we have come to know that Elizabeth Strout’s voice is true and authentic, we can trust these characters just as we trust our own friends. Strout let’s our friends Lucy and William experience the pandemic on the coast of Maine, as physically isolated from Lucy’s beloved New York as they can be. This book isn’t for anyone still experiencing pandemic PTSD, because in her honesty, Strout brings us right back to the uncertainty of 2020 and the horror of separation from those we love most.
Personally, I love these characters and Strout’s writing style, which is probably apparent from my familiarity with her books and recommend Lucy by the Sea to anyone else who fell in love with the characters in other books. But the book also stands alone for anyone who has not read the others, as these characters don’t depend on their past iterations to come to life. As yet another pandemic book, this one stands out as a chronical of what was, and how emotional humans, especially older ones, can thrive, and survive.
An ARC of Lucy by the Sea was provided to me by the publisher, Random House, and will be released September 20, 2022.

I’m not sure what to make of this book. It got a lot of 5-star reviews but it wasn’t doing it for me. Lucy starts out in NYC with her ex-husband William and they travel to Maine at the start of the pandemic. Fast forward to 2022 and we read all about the pandemic and then some. We’ve all lived it the last 2 1/2 years, not to thrilled to read about it so soon. Just being honest. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. 3 stars from me.

"So there was that kind of thing that happened. There were these times, is what I am saying, where the people I met were interesting. And their stories interwove!"

So narrates Lucy Barton in Lucy by the Sea. I was beyond excited to get back into Lucy's head and world after the events of Oh William! In the aftermath of that story, Lucy (and her ex-husband William, father of her beloved adult daughters) are dealing with the onset of the covid-19 pandemic. William has secured a house on a cliff in Maine and they leave New York, settling in together for the duration of the lockdown.

Strout dives right into lockdown memories. Masks, surfaces, no hugs, two-week quarantines. It all comes rushing back as we watch Lucy navigate the new world. The patience William shows is palpable, theirs is a complex relationship with years of history. Lucy starts to write again, and her narration about the process of writing is a gift.

Lucy continues to enchant with her vulnerable observations, her evolving relationships with her daughters, her innocence and earnestness. The narrative felt true to character, grounded in the real world. Oh yeah, I may have squealed out loud when there was mention of another character from Maine.

My thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC. Lucy by the Sea will be published in September 2022.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the electronic copy. This is an innovative novel written by a talented and gifted author. It is character driven with the setting almost a character...The pandemic...it read like a true story...it was happening all over the world...yet it also read like a fiction feel good book...what some people do to keep others safe...I liked this book. I really liked this book. It read in linear time...like that...it did not go back and forth from one year to the next...it did not go back and forth in characters' voices...it just read like a novel...I liked this book...oh, I said that...I would give it plus five stars.

Lucy by the Sea is the latest Elizabeth Strout offering in the Lucy Barton series. This one starts at the beginning of the pandemic and runs beyond the events of January 6. Ms. Strout’s writing is sharp and insightful. She tells the story through Lucy’s unique voice including narrative, her observations, thoughts, and memories. Lucy’s ex-husband, a scientist who understands the implications of the pandemic, convinces her to leave her NYC apartment and move with him to safer Maine. At the same time, he convinces his daughters to relocate to safer spots. What follows is a further exploration of family and relationships and a country in turmoil as Lucy tries to adapt to her new situation. This is the first book I’ve read that uses the pandemic as a backdrop and it is very well done. It illustrates the feelings of being in isolation and living in a world that is anything but normal. Lucy says, “What I am trying to say is that for a few minutes I had what almost felt like a vision: that there was deep, deep unrest in the country and that the whisperings of a civil war seems to move around me like a breeze I could not quite feel but could sense. We got our ice cream and we left, and I told William what I had felt and he said, ‘I know’. It has stayed with me. that feeling I had that evening”. Lucy later opines, “It is a gift in this life that we do not know what awaits us”. And, “I thought about how I had looked at the floor so often watching the news. I thought about how I had just walked out of the room while the Capitol was being ransacked. I thought…I look away too”. She does a great job of capturing some of the emotions people have felt over the last several years. A big thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy of Lucy by the Sea which will be out in September.

What a charming book Lucy By the Sea is! I didn't know if I would be ready to read a book about the pandemic, but it's written in such a real, and loving way that it felt right for right now. I loved Oh William and I loved this one, too.

(3.5 stars rounded up)

I normally don't enjoy books that take place over the pandemic or are about the pandemic, so I was a little hesitant about this book. But like most of Elizabeth Strout's books, this book isn't really about the pandemic and it's more so a character study.

At first, Lucy's inaction bugged me and I found myself rolling my eyes a bit at her and some of her thoughts, but after some reflection, I realized that this is one of the most realistic accounts of the early days of the pandemic; some people took it incredibly seriously, some people didn't think it was serious at all. I also found some of the small details included, like the descriptions of homemade face masks, to strike a chord with me and remind me of my experiences.

Overall, this was a very personal yet relatable recounting of someone's experience with the pandemic and their inner thoughts, and I think in the future, this could be a book that people look back on as a way to remember the pandemic and the average person's experience with it.

I love Lucy oh so much, and Lucy by the Sea was no exception. I felt transported back to the first days of the pandemic and found Lucy by the Sea to be even more relatable than the others in the series. I definitely think the other books are necessary to fully enjoy this one. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm actually quite happy about the relationship events that happen in this book. I can't wait to find out what is still to come in Lucy and her family's journey.

Lucy By The Sea
By Elizabeth Strout

I found myself waiting for Elizabeth Strout to tell me how the pandemic ended. How it all worked out.

In this book, LUCY BY THE SEA, we’re following Lucy and William. They’ve quarantined themselves at the onset of the pandemic, in a small town at the edge of the earth, in Maine.

As the pandemic wrecks havoc through the world and other cultural and political issues bring us to a breaking point of sorts, William and Lucy hold on to the last vestiges of hope.

Strout’s writing is done in a pattern of sorts. She often revisits words and turns of phrases, even within the same sentence, like a reiteration. A coming back to.

And not only does it provide emphasis and clarity it also feels affirming like an Amen or a Hallelujah. To me, it feels like an enraptured reading experience-a big hug.

There is a line that is written so finitely I had to reread it and highlight it. And sure, they’re just words and sometimes I can be dramatic but there’s something about the carriage of her words that gets me going every time.

This would make an excellent book club choice as there is much to talk about.

LUCY BY THE SEA…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Random House for the advanced copy!