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This is very well written but sadly did not hold my interest as much as it should have. Absolutely loved the others by Elizabeth Strout but this was a bit of a challenge for me. It was a little too flat for me and I think I wanted more of a storyline. There are lots of excellent reviews so I know it must just be me.

Thank you Netgalley.

Elizabeth Strout never writes a bad novel. When I started to read ‘Lucy by the Sea,’ her latest, I was taken aback to find it is set during the pandemic; something I have avoided. But I was soon immersed in the life of Lucy Barton and her relocation from New York to a small seaside town in Maine.
My misgivings about lockdown were reduced because this is a Strout novel. She doesn’t write about the pandemic – apart from occasional mentions of masks and vaccines – she writes about people. This is a finely-judged story about ageing, about grief [new and long-lived], about secrets within families and self-denial of difficult truths. Lucy moves into a large house outside the town of Crosby, not because she planned it, but because her ex-husband William persuades her it will be safer than the city. There they discover new and old acquaintances and reacquaint themselves with each other. William is recently separated; Lucy was widowed a year earlier. Both feel their age and are anxious about the subtle changes, but don’t like admitting it to themselves or anyone else.
Through Lucy’s eyes as she reflects on her own life, and that of her children and family, we see how childhood poverty never leaves you even if you leave that poverty behind. How marriage turbulence is sometimes negotiable, and sometimes terminal. How education saved her but didn’t save her sister or brother, and how she was for years blind to that inequality. It is thought-provoking stuff. Honest. Painful. It makes you consider your own life and how you see it through blinkers gained through your personal experience.
Strout’s novels are all inter-twined through character and place, but always with a light touch. If this is the first Strout book you pick up, please read it. This is not a series, there is no first and last book to be read in order. It is an ensemble. If it were theatrical, it would be a repertory company. The pandemic-forced move to Crosby takes Lucy out of her comfort zone, away from friends, and she rubs shoulders with people she wouldn’t normally meet. As we see Lucy age from novel to novel, ‘Lucy by the Sea’ highlights her new vulnerability and anxiety as she and William work out how to handle the awkward elements of getting old.
This is a more political novel than any of Strout’s previous work. The pandemic setting makes this inevitable. There is a shadow of mask v anti-mask, resident v incomer, plus brief mentions of George Floyd and storming of the Capitol on January 6. But this is not overt and always put into Lucy’s context. Strout places her characters in a time of disruption, fear and death. For everyone who lived through it, the surreal isolation forced by pandemic lockdown was an opportunity for consideration, re-evaluation and truth. A gift for a novelist with the powers of Elizabeth Strout.
Excellent.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

The ongoing saga of Lucy Barton tackles the Covid pandemic in this latest tale, artfully mirroring the confusion, denial, panic, etc that we all went through. At first, like a lot of us did, Lucy thinks it's a lot of fuss about nothing, as she prepares to go on a book tour, however her ex-husband William (who she's friends with once again) persuades her to get out of the city and come and stay with him in a rental in Maine.
And so begins her pandemic odyssey, that sees her navigating the same issues we all did - the masks, the handwashing, the isolation, the separation from family, the loss, the fear, the confusion, and all the other strange experiences that we endured. Strout handles the topic with her customary heart, with family and love front and centre in her narrative.
She wonderfully captures the strangeness of the early days and the ensuing acceptance, establishment of new norms and ennui, along a well-trodden path by a lot of readers. It's an evocative memory of the strangest of times in living history, subtly handled and perfectly captured, Hugely recommended.

Great to be back in familiar territory and as ever Strout draws you into a story that you don't want to finish.

I love Elizabeth Strouts books and I was excited to read more about Lucy Barton. I was definitely not disappointed. If you love well written, engrossing fiction you need to read Strout.

I have loved the Lucy Barton series so much, and am so sad that this is final book in the series.

In this novel, we see Lucy's life in Manhattan uprooted as she moves to Maine with her ex-husband, William, in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. William, as a parasitologist, has a sense of what's coming, and rents a house in the town of Crosby before the country goes into lockdown. Yes, Crosby! The hometown of Olive Kitteridge, one of my favourite fictional characters!

This is such a interesting story, as it not only explores the fear and anxiety that come with being isolated as a result of a pandemic, but it also delves into the corners of reflection and hope and inspiration that having time on your hands can inspire. It also examines how two people with a complex relationship and past can find solace in the comfort of old love, at a time when they both need it most.

One of my favourite things about Lucy Strout's writing is how she perfectly captures the vulnerability and beauty of the human condition and human connection. She writes with such clarity - such emotion - that it is impossible not to be moved by her words.

And I loved reading the connections between this book/series and her other books. The appearance of Olive was such a wonderful surprise!

I will always return to Strout's books and am so glad to have had the opportunity to have read this one.

I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Strout. She's such a beautiful writer, I would happily read her shopping list. But this could have been entitled, "Lucy Barton in the Pandemic" and as much as I admire Strout's writing, I'm not yet at a point in my life where I want to read a fictionalised account of the pandemic. It was bad enough living through it. But if anyone were to take me there, I'd go with Elizabeth Strout.

What a brilliant book. I love Elizabeth Strout’s work and so was very excited to read this. I had steered clear of books including Covid-19 as a topic but this novel has allayed my fears and i found it to be very timely, honest, emotional and was able to connect with a lot of the fear and worries displayed by the characters. A beautiful book!

I was both early and late in jumping on the Elizabeth Strout bandwagon; I read Olive Kitteridge some years ago, liked it, read My Name is Lucy Barton and though I really don’t remember probably thought it was fine without fully appreciating it. Jump to 2022 and Oh William! was one of my books of the year, so there was no question of not requesting Lucy By The Sea (and then getting very behind in actually reading and reviewing it).
LBTS is a natural progression of Oh William! – the style, characters, and even the setting as only a year has passed and it also takes place between NYC and Maine. If you enjoyed the former, you’ll most likely enjoy this one – and vice versa. I should point out that I was disappointed with Anything is Possible and the following two are quite different.

As for the story, on the surface, it’s about a woman sitting out the pandemic with her ex-husband in an isolated house. But it’s also as much about getting older, about family, and about accepting change as it is about the pandemic and pressing social issues of the last few years.

The same characters show up (and even some from other Strout books) and they feel very real to me; they’re nuanced and imperfect and ordinary. This book feels like an end to the Lucy books but I would not be surprised by (or uninterested in) a book from the POV of one of Lucy’s daughters.

I recently read an interview with Amy Bloom who said, “less is more when writing about anything big” and paraphrases Chekhov to say, “in order to write more warmly, write more coolly.” I immediately thought of Strout and what I’ve previously called her deceptively simple writing. It’s unadorned and simple but definitely warm.
As with other books in this series I think you could read LBTS as a standalone, but you’ll want to go back to try to get more information on something or someone referred to in passing. However, this does work best after Oh William as they are very closely connected.

I’ve read 4 of 5 shortlisted novels for the Rathbones Folio Prize and this is by far the standout.

Strout is one of a kind. Each of her books has its own unique identity but there is a core of deep meaning, profundity and humanity that always shines through. Exquisite.

I listened to the audio version as well as reading the digital format, and both as entertaining as the other books in this series. It is relatable, the storyline flows well and I’m confident fans of Strout will inhale this read.

A great read for 2023!

Lucy by the Sea was so raw and real. I thought it would be hard to read a book that included Covid-19 but Elizabeth Strout did it so effortlessly. I think that this was brave writing where lots of people will be able to connect to the characters.
I'd recommend this for readers who are looking for something a bit more challenging, searching for hope in a difficult time in the world.

For most of us enough time has passed from the first upheavals of the COVID pandemic that we can look back in fiction and try to match our experiences with those of others. Through Lucy's unique voice we can recall the fears and early misconceptions many of us had and these are contrasted with William's scientific logic as he takes the family to safety. Added into this mix are the couple's relationships with their adult daughters, extended family and local folk all seen through the enjoyable lens of Lucy's gentle, subtle observations. Highly recommend for all fans of Elizabeth Strout.
Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Lucy By The Sea is the fourth book in Elizabeth Strout's Lucy Barton series.

Strout's skill as a storyteller is particularly apparent in her depictions of human interaction and relationships.

Set during the Coronavirus pandemic, this instalment sees Lucy leaving behind city living in New York at the insistence of her ex-husband who has a greater grasp of the dangers as a scientist.

Although Strout's writing tends toward a relaxing pace with the feeling of a grandma sharing family stories, this is a powerful and immersive portrayal of lockdown and Lucy's reflections on her life and relationships.

Can be read as a standalone but much richer in the context of the full series.

I gotta admit, I picked Ms Strout book bcs she's been listed as Longlist Booker prize 2022 (Oh William!) and I absolutely love her writing style. NG offered Lucy by The Sea so I wasted no breath here!

Relatable enough, Lucy Barton escaped hustle life in city and spend her lockdown bundled away to a small town in Maine, by the sea, by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William from (Oh William, remember?) Imagine being in enclosed space with someone who has seen your best and worse and left you for another woman? Yeah life is rough.

this book is packed with emotion and humour, like how older age women could lose a temper over smallest stuff. The books flows well, and focuses on human connection very well. definitely 5 stars read!

There is a perfect time for reading an Elizabeth Strout book, and we are currently in those perfect conditions - grey, drizzly days, surrounded by blankets and candles, long evenings and bowls of soup.

Reading an Elizabeth Strout is a comfort like sitting down with an old friend, and having a good catch up. On the surface, her books are a relaxed, chatty style but really are books about characters with complex inner lives, dealing with what life sends their way.

Lucy by the Sea is the continuing series of Lucy Barton's life. Reluctantly she leaves her beloved apartment in New York to be in Maine with her ex-husband during the start of the pandemic. Both characters slowly adjust to their new way of life and the pauses in their routines, which leave gaps to discover more about their pasts and their deep love for their family. This is a book about connection not only to each other but the world around us. Lucy deals with the reality of life.

Thank you to @netgalley for the ebook version of this book.

Elizabeth Strout has done it again. This is another powerful little masterpiece set in New York and Maine during the Covid pandemic. As the virus spreads, Lucy and her ex-husband move to Crosby, Maine to wait out the pandemic together. Lucy did da a lot ifvyone reflecting in her life, her family and especially her husband who has just died.

This is an introspective read. Lucy also thinks back to her cruel childhood which she describes as a form of lockdown. But this book is also about wider socio-political issues. America is broken, and William hints about the “whisperings of a civil war”.

I loved this low key book where Strout renders the experience of living in lockdown so perfectly. Masterful, simply masterful.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this eARC in return for an honest review.

Being completely honest I thought I could storm through the three previous Amgash novels and then this one before publication on October 6th. Obviously that was not the case, I burned myself out on the Amgash world and ended up having to take a month long break from it (and then took two months to finish it!)

Despite all this, the world is incredibly described and you feel sucked in. Despite the sometimes uncomfortable situations, entering the world of Lucy Barton again felt like coming home.

“Lucy by the Sea” is set in 2020, where Lucy and her ex-husband William move to Maine to avoid the impacts of the pandemic on New York. I was concerned at first that this would drive me away and feel too close to home considering the very much still happening pandemic; but I actually found it almost comforting, being in a world I know.

I loved this as much as “Oh William!” and I’m finding that the more I’m immersed in this world, the more it interrupts my thoughts to think about the characters and their relationship.

I can’t say I recommend reading the series back to back as I attempted to do but please do pick up this series, it’s great fun and Lucy and William are perhaps my favourite pair in recent reading.

A delightful read about Lucy, reconnecting with her ex-husband William at the start of the pandemic. Leaving their New York lives and ensuring the safety of their adult children, Lucy and William slowly establish a new life together in Maine. An insightful perspective of the realities of life in pandemic New York City and reflection on meaningful relationships, romantic, family and friendship. Whilst I have not read the previous books in this series, this is a standalone work describing endearing characters with whom we empathise.

Thank you NetGallery for the opportunity to review this book.