Fiction

Lucy by the Sea

Lucy by the Sea

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-09-26 00:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Elizabeth Strout
  • ISBN：0241606993
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Summary

From Pulitzer Prize-winning， #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout， comes Lucy by the Sea， a novel featuring Lucy Barton， the indomitable heroine of My Name is Lucy Barton and Oh William！ Lucy is uprooted from her life in New York City and reluctantly goes into lockdown with her ex-husband William in a house on the coast of Maine。 Strout's new novel is a miraculous work of fiction。 A brilliantly sharp evocation of the period we have just lived through， it is a novel that both resonates deeply and consoles us too。

'A superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own' Hilary Mantel

'A terrific writer' Zadie Smith

'She gets better with each book' Maggie O'Farrell

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Reviews

B。 Maureen White ，

Please Ms。 Strout never stop writing about Lucy Barton。 The one thing I didn’t like about the book was I read it in one day so I can’t look forward to reading more of it today。

GONZA ，

Almost three years after the start of the pandemic， reading this latest adventure by Lucy Barton created a strong cognitive dissonance for me， both because what happened in New York is very different from what was happening in Berlin at the same time， and because it is amazing how easily I forgot the worst moments: the lines at the stores， the lack of toilet paper， and especially the constant fear for me and for the people I love。Elizabeth Strout writes as usual beautifully and her words fly acr Almost three years after the start of the pandemic， reading this latest adventure by Lucy Barton created a strong cognitive dissonance for me， both because what happened in New York is very different from what was happening in Berlin at the same time， and because it is amazing how easily I forgot the worst moments: the lines at the stores， the lack of toilet paper， and especially the constant fear for me and for the people I love。Elizabeth Strout writes as usual beautifully and her words fly across the page despite the heaviness of most of the topics covered， it almost makes you believe that it is so easy to be that good。A quasi tre anni dall'inizio della pandemia， leggere questa ultima avventura di Lucy Barton mi creato una forte dissonanza cognitiva， sia perché quello che é successo a New York é molto diverso da quanto succedeva a Berlino contemporaneamente， sia perché é incredibile con quanta facilità mi sono scordata i momenti peggiori: le file ai negozi， la mancanza di carta igienica e soprattutto la paura costante per me e per le persone che amo。Elizabeth Strout scrive come al solito benissimo e le sue parole volano sulla pagina nonostante la pesantezza della maggior parte degli argomenti trattati， ti fa quasi credere che sia facilissimo essere cosí bravi。I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more

GONZA ，

Almost three years after the start of the pandemic， reading this latest adventure by Lucy Barton created a strong cognitive dissonance for me， both because what happened in New York is very different from what was happening in Berlin at the same time， and because it is amazing how easily I forgot the worst moments: the lines at the stores， the lack of toilet paper， and especially the constant fear for me and for the people I love。Elizabeth Strout writes as usual beautifully and her words fly acr Almost three years after the start of the pandemic， reading this latest adventure by Lucy Barton created a strong cognitive dissonance for me， both because what happened in New York is very different from what was happening in Berlin at the same time， and because it is amazing how easily I forgot the worst moments: the lines at the stores， the lack of toilet paper， and especially the constant fear for me and for the people I love。Elizabeth Strout writes as usual beautifully and her words fly across the page despite the heaviness of most of the topics covered， it almost makes you believe that it is so easy to be that good。 A quasi tre anni dall'inizio della pandemia， leggere questa ultima avventura di Lucy Barton mi creato una forte dissonanza cognitiva， sia perché quello che é successo a New York é molto diverso da quanto succedeva a Berlino contemporaneamente， sia perché é incredibile con quanta facilità mi sono scordata i momenti peggiori: le file ai negozi， la mancanza di carta igienica e soprattutto la paura costante per me e per le persone che amo。Elizabeth Strout scrive come al solito benissimo e le sue parole volano sulla pagina nonostante la pesantezza della maggior parte degli argomenti trattati， ti fa quasi credere che sia facilissimo essere cosí bravi。 I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review。 。。。more

Loanne Morris ，

Bought on Audible because I love her other books， Burgess brothers， Oh William， Olive Kitteridge， Olive Again but this book I could not finished because of the story line on Covid 19。 We all experience it so I really didn’t want to read about it in her story。

debra ，

4。5There are quibbles， but overall， I enjoyed combo of author's writing skills and excellent narrator on audio version 4。5There are quibbles， but overall， I enjoyed combo of author's writing skills and excellent narrator on audio version 。。。more

Janet ，

I love Lucy Burton so much。

Marissa Morrison ，

In this fourth book about Lucy， she narrates the recent past rather than old family history。 As the novel begins， COVID is just beginning to spread in America and Lucy's ex-husband William makes her pack up and leave New York City with him。 He rents them a house on the coast in Maine， where they will lock down together。 It's a little bit traumatic revisiting the panic of early COVID。 People change clothes after grocery shopping in handmade cloth masks， and they sanitize mail before opening it。 L In this fourth book about Lucy， she narrates the recent past rather than old family history。 As the novel begins， COVID is just beginning to spread in America and Lucy's ex-husband William makes her pack up and leave New York City with him。 He rents them a house on the coast in Maine， where they will lock down together。 It's a little bit traumatic revisiting the panic of early COVID。 People change clothes after grocery shopping in handmade cloth masks， and they sanitize mail before opening it。 Lucy--who grew up without a TV and never got into the habit of following news--is confused about everything， so she lets her scientist ex-husband lead her every step of the way。 As some old friends and family members get sick， Lucy and William very occasionally meet up with their two grown daughters outdoors wearing masks。 At one point they stage an intervention to keep one daughter's in-laws （just back from Florida） from entering her home。 While in Maine， Lucy and William look back on their lives， annoy each other less than one might predict， and take care of each other。 Other old beloved Strout characters make brief appearances， which is nice。Strout tries to avoid getting political， but it's clear that her characters and I have similar views。 Lucy is sad about George Floyd， stressed out by the 2020 election and stricken by January 6。 In the end， she gets vaccinated but keeps masking and socializing outdoors。 The novel ends with Lucy having a sense of foreboding。 "A tiny shiver of foreboding passed through me then， a shiver of foreboding for myself and also the entire world。" One wonders whether Lucy is referring here to the looming general acceptance of the illness and political extremism that have horrified her in the novel。 Of maybe she's speaking from a more future time about even worse things to come。 The only weird thing is that Lucy never says the word "COVID。" It's always "the virus。" Maybe Strout didn't think her readers wanted to see the word even more than they already had。 I guess it fits Lucy's character， as she's the kind of storyteller who doesn't spell everything out for you。 （Her parents' old quirks get a little more specific in this novel。） 。。。more

Greg Boone ，

Lucy By The SeaI had started reading My Name Is Lucy Barton back when it first came out， but just could not engage with the title character and so after my half hearted attempt， I abandoned it。 Then when Oh William came out I thought of giving it another try but some other book caught my eye and then it simply slipped my mind。 When I heard that this new title in the series was coming out， I was determined to read them。 And so I went back to the first， and I must admit that I was not as impressed Lucy By The SeaI had started reading My Name Is Lucy Barton back when it first came out， but just could not engage with the title character and so after my half hearted attempt， I abandoned it。 Then when Oh William came out I thought of giving it another try but some other book caught my eye and then it simply slipped my mind。 When I heard that this new title in the series was coming out， I was determined to read them。 And so I went back to the first， and I must admit that I was not as impressed as I'd hoped to be。 I found Lucy to be a less engaging character than I'd envisioned- less sure of herself than I'd hoped。 Still， I found it to be a reasonably good story and so I moved on to Oh William， where I found myself more engaged in their story。 I was impressed with how she elevated the ordinary lives of her characters and made it interesting。 And so I began Lucy by The Sea with high hopes， and I was not disappointed。 I thought this was the best of the three。 I felt she was able to capture the ennui of the pandemic that many of us felt。 Having been in lockdown with my wife， while worrying about our adult children and our grandkids， I could keenly relate to the anxieties and challenges that Lucy and William faced while on the shores of Maine。 And once again， she was able to elevate the ordinary and make it intriguing。 I felt as though I knew these people， and on many occasions felt I WAS these people。 For those in my age group （mid 60's） there was a whole lot to relate to （aging and mortality， how to relate to adult children， how to relate to your spouse of many years etc）。 It took me a while， but I'm very glad I gave Lucy Barton another chance。 She turned out to be quite an extraordinary ordinary human being！ 。。。more

Karen ，

Elizabeth Strout is such a gifted writer。 In this book she brings back Lucy Barton and the book feels like catching up with an old friend。 The story is set during the pandemic。 Initially， I wasn’t very interested in reading about this period （since we all have been living through it） but Strout writes with such authenticity and humanity that I loved the book。

Jana ，

Lucy and I go way back。 Listening to this book was like picking up a conversation with an old friend。 I hope we can catch up again soon， but I may just need to reread as this felt like a good ending。 （May I be wrong on that！）The setting is very recent。 And I think this is the 3rd full on “pandemic book” I’ve read。 All three were excellent。 But I really appreciated seeing events through Lucy’s eyes: “If I had known what it would be like the next time I saw them…well…I did not know。 It’s a gift in Lucy and I go way back。 Listening to this book was like picking up a conversation with an old friend。 I hope we can catch up again soon， but I may just need to reread as this felt like a good ending。 （May I be wrong on that！）The setting is very recent。 And I think this is the 3rd full on “pandemic book” I’ve read。 All three were excellent。 But I really appreciated seeing events through Lucy’s eyes: “If I had known what it would be like the next time I saw them…well…I did not know。 It’s a gift in this life that we do not know。” This was in regard to her daughters， and there is so much here on being a mother。 And a friend。 Loved this book。 Love Elizabeth Strout。 Also set during the early pandemic:The Fell by Sarah MossThe Sentence by Louise Erdrich 。。。more

Tom Mooney ，

I think this might be Elizabeth Strout's best book。 And that's really saying something。 Lucy By The Sea captures a moment in time， not just for a woman or a family， but for a country and a world。 Reading about the early days of the pandemic won't be something everyone is ready for yet but here it is handled with care by a terrific writer at the very top of her game。 This is her most wide-reaching and philosophical book。 I'm almost disappointed Oh William！ ended up on the Booker shortlist because I think this might be Elizabeth Strout's best book。 And that's really saying something。 Lucy By The Sea captures a moment in time， not just for a woman or a family， but for a country and a world。 Reading about the early days of the pandemic won't be something everyone is ready for yet but here it is handled with care by a terrific writer at the very top of her game。 This is her most wide-reaching and philosophical book。 I'm almost disappointed Oh William！ ended up on the Booker shortlist because this is even better and more deserving of awards。She is a true wonder。 。。。more

Linda ，

Pandemic related lockdown is the setting for this introspective look back at life from an older person’s point of view。 As is usual with many of Ms Strout’s novels， this one is quietly reflective on not only a single life， but a family’s and a nation’s。 Sometimes sad or depressing， the story doesn’t shirk from exposing what most of us were feeling as we watched or heard the news about Covid deaths， the isolation many felt， the political turmoil， and the social pressures。 But the novel also share Pandemic related lockdown is the setting for this introspective look back at life from an older person’s point of view。 As is usual with many of Ms Strout’s novels， this one is quietly reflective on not only a single life， but a family’s and a nation’s。 Sometimes sad or depressing， the story doesn’t shirk from exposing what most of us were feeling as we watched or heard the news about Covid deaths， the isolation many felt， the political turmoil， and the social pressures。 But the novel also shared joy: of family， of friendships， of feelings of purpose in life， of acceptance and hope。Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC to read and review。 。。。more

Q （offline until early October） ，

Lucy By the Sea。 The dates didn’t take 9/20/22 to 9/23/22。 And review already disappeared 2x。 I wrote GR again about losing reviews etc etc and never heard back。This is a make shift review:It was a wonderful book。Elizabeth Strout is so talented。 And she keeps growing Lucy and William’s characters。 William was a mensch in this this。 A person of integrity and kindness。 They moved to Maine as Covid was starting。 Scientist William wanted Lucy and his family to be safe - to leave NYC。 Their new home Lucy By the Sea。 The dates didn’t take 9/20/22 to 9/23/22。 And review already disappeared 2x。 I wrote GR again about losing reviews etc etc and never heard back。This is a make shift review:It was a wonderful book。Elizabeth Strout is so talented。 And she keeps growing Lucy and William’s characters。 William was a mensch in this this。 A person of integrity and kindness。 They moved to Maine as Covid was starting。 Scientist William wanted Lucy and his family to be safe - to leave NYC。 Their new home is up on a hill overlooking the coast and cliffs of Maine。 They walk most days， often by themselves or if with others with distance between them。 There is that sense of Covid isolation written in and it feels real。 She captured this time so unbelievably well。 And so they walk along the coast and sometimes are quietly nurtured by the beauty of nature and with the changing skies and tides。 Many nights they are glued to tv news and meet all those scary changing Covid updates and George Floyd’s horrific death。 This tv time felt so real too。 It was a very emotional book。 It had many highs and lows and love and fear and intimacy and sadness and grief and Lucy worrying in the way she does and there was much care written in。 There was such a wide range of human experiences。 Elizabeth Strout has such awareness of what it is to be human and live through these difficult times but still finds the truth of life and a richness in life。 The interactions - intimacy between Lucy and William and also with their girls I found dear。 There is an old tower on the coast by their house。 William in his curiosity walks to it。 The scene of William telling Lucy about this was very sweet。 It was one of those unexpected things that created a sense of place and home for him。 I just felt a huge happiness for him。 Elizabeth brings back characters from previous books and inserts them here too; or new characters who know past characters。 I love that she does this。 It makes for a sense of place and community。 Life is filled with interconnections。 And her stories feel so real。 This was a dear and terrific story。 For after you’ve read it - here is interview with Elizabeth Strout dated 9/25/22。 https://www。theguardian。com/books/202。。。 。。。more

Brooke ，

“He thought you were just an older white woman writing about older white women。” And I have to tell you， that stung me a bit。—Lucy by the SeaI cannot think of a more apt description of Strout。 Her writing is so very good。 But when she attempts to frame her writing in terms of race， her myopia is undeniable。I genuinely loved this book; I read in within 24 hours。 The writing is excellent， the characters compelling， the dialogue believable。 However， as well-meaning as Strout is as a human being， he “He thought you were just an older white woman writing about older white women。” And I have to tell you， that stung me a bit。—Lucy by the SeaI cannot think of a more apt description of Strout。 Her writing is so very good。 But when she attempts to frame her writing in terms of race， her myopia is undeniable。I genuinely loved this book; I read in within 24 hours。 The writing is excellent， the characters compelling， the dialogue believable。 However， as well-meaning as Strout is as a human being， her characters’ understanding of race in America cannot eclipse her own。 She seems desperate to empathize with Trump supporters and their feelings of being judged， to the point that Lucy， the narrator and author， writes a novel about a Trump-supporting cop who maims someone and escapes prosecution。 Strout centers the “suffering” of the Trump-supporting populace to the point that she all but forgets their racism and ignorance。This book sits uncomfortably as yet another example of how white comfort is centered and valued more than Black lives。It will not surprise me at all if this review accumulates more than one angry response。 。。。more

Gerald McFarland ，

Sort of a 3。75 rounded off to a 4。 This is the fourth of Strout's books about Lucy Barton。 What's impressive is that Lucy hasn't changed a bit through the four books--this despite all she's been through。 At least three-quarters of the book are very much in character; her life is more governed by external events than by actions she's initiated。 That's true of this last few chapters of this volume too， although the text reads as though Strout was rushing a bit to meet a deadline。 Sort of a 3。75 rounded off to a 4。 This is the fourth of Strout's books about Lucy Barton。 What's impressive is that Lucy hasn't changed a bit through the four books--this despite all she's been through。 At least three-quarters of the book are very much in character; her life is more governed by external events than by actions she's initiated。 That's true of this last few chapters of this volume too， although the text reads as though Strout was rushing a bit to meet a deadline。 。。。more

Johanna Nauraine ，

Lovely bookI've read all 3 of the books in this series and loved each one。 In such a fan of Street's writing。 Her characters are so real。 Just a wonderful writer。 Lovely bookI've read all 3 of the books in this series and loved each one。 In such a fan of Street's writing。 Her characters are so real。 Just a wonderful writer。 。。。more

Barbara Glantz ，

A psychiatrist asks his patient to tell him everything that comes into their mind for the 50 minutes。That about sums up Elizabeth Strout’s new book， Lucy by the Sea。 I am truly flummoxed by this book。 Did I enjoy it？ Sometimes。 Was it relevant to me？ Maybe too much。 There is one question I kept asking myself over and over again。 Why would fiction author write about something current and experienced by her readers。 I see this as a book about how Elizabeth Strout feels about the pandemic， George F A psychiatrist asks his patient to tell him everything that comes into their mind for the 50 minutes。That about sums up Elizabeth Strout’s new book， Lucy by the Sea。 I am truly flummoxed by this book。 Did I enjoy it？ Sometimes。 Was it relevant to me？ Maybe too much。 There is one question I kept asking myself over and over again。 Why would fiction author write about something current and experienced by her readers。 I see this as a book about how Elizabeth Strout feels about the pandemic， George Floyd and Black Lives Matter， police brutality， aging and mortality，etc…。 All spoken through Lucy Barton。 I can’t figure out in my head as to what grade I should give this book。 I’m going to give it a 3。5 representing my middle ground。 。。。more

Lisa ，

I was skeptical about this book when I realized it was set during the beginning of the pandemic we are still navigating through 2 1/2 years later， but I can say definitively this is my favorite Lucy Barton book。 I loved revisiting characters from previous Lucy books （as well as the surprising and welcome mention from another）。 Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review。

Lisa ，

I was skeptical about this book when I realized it was set during the beginning of the pandemic we are still navigating through 2 1/2 years later， but I can say definitively this is my favorite Lucy Barton book。 I loved revisiting characters from previous Lucy books （as well as the surprising and welcome mention from another）。 Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review。

Elaine ，

I loved this book。 It is so beautifully written with powerful meaning and yet so simple and sweet Please Elizabeth Strout， write another book about Lucy。 I need to know more。 I read this from the library。

Joan ，

Such a well written novel and written with such compassion for characters in the challenging pandemic times

Adreeta Chakraborty ，

this is the first novel set in the pandemic that i've allowed myself to read。 never thought i'd do this lol。 but lucy barton's got me :P this is the first novel set in the pandemic that i've allowed myself to read。 never thought i'd do this lol。 but lucy barton's got me :P 。。。more

Christine ，

I just finished “Lucy by the Sea” （Amgash #4）。 As I had hoped and expected， it was terrific。 I actually went back and re-listened to Amgash #1， #2， and #3 in preparation for #4 and I’m glad I did that， but it wasn’t critical。 The story stands on its own。 Bob Burgess gets lots of mention in the story and Olive Kitteridge is mentioned too。 （I’m very tempted to go back and re-read “The Burgess Boys”。） It's always a delight to revisit Elizabeth Strout's cast of characters。 The entire Amgash series i I just finished “Lucy by the Sea” （Amgash #4）。 As I had hoped and expected， it was terrific。 I actually went back and re-listened to Amgash #1， #2， and #3 in preparation for #4 and I’m glad I did that， but it wasn’t critical。 The story stands on its own。 Bob Burgess gets lots of mention in the story and Olive Kitteridge is mentioned too。 （I’m very tempted to go back and re-read “The Burgess Boys”。） It's always a delight to revisit Elizabeth Strout's cast of characters。 The entire Amgash series is terrific and I am hopeful for a #5。 。。。more

Rachel Brown ，

Lucy， Lucy， Lucy， how I love you！ Lucy Barton views every person in the world with such interest and empathy， which inspires me to do the same。I’m so lucky to have gotten to hear Elizabeth Strout speak about this book recently， and it gave me added insight into the vision for this special character and the goodness she spreads in the world。 Lucy is real and raw， and she reminds us that everyone is fighting a battle， whether we realize it or not。

Brigitte ，

Probably the only person who can make me love a book about the pandemic is Elizabeth Strout。

LInda L ，

I have loved every one of Strout's books， but this one is outstanding。 As most of you know， I read a LOT。 Right now， I think this is the best book I've ever read。 That may change tomorrow or next week or next month， but today？？？ It's LUCY BY THE SEA for best book ever。 Strout's writing is unbelievably good -- terse， succinct， beautiful。 I have read all her other books， but it would not be necessary in order to know what's going on。 So many people to love:: Lucy， William， Bob， Chrissy， Becka， and I have loved every one of Strout's books， but this one is outstanding。 As most of you know， I read a LOT。 Right now， I think this is the best book I've ever read。 That may change tomorrow or next week or next month， but today？？？ It's LUCY BY THE SEA for best book ever。 Strout's writing is unbelievably good -- terse， succinct， beautiful。 I have read all her other books， but it would not be necessary in order to know what's going on。 So many people to love:: Lucy， William， Bob， Chrissy， Becka， and others as well。 Loving your children never goes away， nor does the urge to help them。 Whether or not they want it。 This was just a beautiful， beautiful book。 。。。more

Gretchen ，

I held this book so close that it is now behind me。 Elizabeth Strout you win me over every time！ Thank you！PS I am not a fan of spoilers， so will not post one。 But， if you are a Strout fan， one of your favorite characters may have a cameo！ IYKYK！

Cathy ，

Hard to read about the pandemic but I do love these characters。

Pattie ，

My favorite read so far this year。 Amazing book。 So sad that it is finished。 I plan on going back and rereading all the books in the Amgash series。

Kimberly ，

4。5 ⭐️s rounded up！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lucy by the Sea

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lucy by the Sea&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lucy by the Sea&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0