Lucy by the Sea
By Elizabeth Strout
Random House, 9780593446089, September 2023, 304 pp.
The Short of It:
Strout’s books are like a warm, comforting hug.
The Rest of It:
The COVID pandemic is just ramping up and as the world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton leaves her life in Manhattan for a small town in Maine. With her? Her ex-husband-friend, William. William insists that she leave town with him. NYC is too crowded, too dangerous to wait out the lockdowns. Lucy at first feels that William is overreacting but then settles into their decision to go off the grid, so to speak.
This is my third Strout book and let me tell you, I am really liking her writing. It’s quiet, and thoughtful and falls into a genre that I completely made up. I call it “episodic domesticity”. As they learn to live together once again in this tiny place, we are invited into their daily routines, their innermost thoughts about family, politics, the pandemic, the locals in town. I love the minutiae of everyday life.
As the pandemic ramps up, the tension does too. To say that Lucy is unsettled is an understatement. She worries about their adult daughters. Are they doing well? Taking care of themselves? She considers her friends and how the are doing. Loneliness sets in. Yes, she has William but William is a man of few words and yes at times, she feels quite lonely.
This story is filled with fear and isolation but also hope. In these quiet moments, Lucy comes to terms with who she is and who she wants to be. Strout is so good at setting the tone and creating likable characters. Lucy is a person I’d love to meet. She feels that real.
One note, I listened to part of this on audio and I did not feel that the reader captured Lucy well. The image that I had of her in my head did not at all match the voice that I was hearing. That said, I’d stick to print but I highly recommend Strout’s books.
Source: Borrowed
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Book Chatter 
I’m reading this soon so I was happy to read your thoughts on it!
Strout is always so good.
I’ve loved every book by her that I’ve read but I’ve read some reviews that were negative. You’ve never steered me wrong on a genre I like before so I trust your reviews.
I imagine the negative reviews are from people who like more action. I really like contemplative stories so Strout works well for me. Her characters aren’t all fluff, kind of flawed and relatable.
I can only imagine how many books about or set during the pandemic there are or are going to be, and to date, I’ve only read 2 poetry books on the subject.
I’ve read several. It feels a little weird to read about COVID now.
Hmm. I tried to post and it said it couldn’t post so I’ll try again. COVID books sometimes seem to close, but they are so well done since the authors have it all fresh in their minds. I’ve got her latest on my shelves to read.
Reading a book set during COVID times seems so weird to me how. Yes, accurate and brings back all the memories but it also seems a little over the top knowing what we know now.
But just like a closed door mystery, people in quarantine can be interesting.
Elizabeth Strout is perfect for the crazy times we are living in, I think.
I just got my copy of Lucy By the Sea a couple of days ago and have added it to my shelf with all my other Strout books. I read Amy and Isabelle last month (a re-read) and will read Abide By Me this month. Slowly making my way through all of her novels, which is fun. I’ve missed a few over the years, but I think it will be interesting to read them back-to-back, noticing the overlap of characters as they appear.
That should be “Abide With Me.”
Interesting, I have liked the Strout books on audio but that’s just me. I’m glad you liked it — this novel and Tell Me Everything are perhaps my favorites of hers. It reminded me of those pandemic days.
It’s weird. Reading about the pandemic these days feels like it happened sooooo long ago. Ha. During it, it sure felt like forever.
I just think her characters are so real and relatable.
Absolutely. Very real and authentic. I requested all of her books from the library so my work is cut out for me but so looking forward to it.
love these characters – so relatable!
This sounds like an author I should check out (but maybe not this one first, as I’m iffy on COVID books). I have come to appreciate “episodic domesticity” more in my reading lately!
A lot of Strout’s books have the same characters. They all started with Olive Kitteridge. I have yet to read that one! It doesn’t really matter what order because it’s not really a series.
Oh, I’ve heard of Olive Kitteridge but didn’t realize that was this author! Thanks for the info 🙂