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Book Review

Review: Lucy by the Sea

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Lucy by the Sea

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
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Book Review

Review: Bright Young Women

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Bright Young Women

Bright Young Women
By Jessica Knoll
S&s/ Marysue Rucci Books, 9781501153235, August 2024, 400pp.

The Short of It:

A killer, a house full of sorority girls, what could go wrong?

The Rest of It:

Plenty! Knoll wastes no time, we learn very early on what happened to those sorority girls, we just don’t know who did it. Pamela, the sorority president takes her role very seriously. In the aftermath of what’s happened, she feels the weight of the world on her shoulders. Contact the parents, get the other girls to safety, talk to the police and yes, the press.

She is the only one who saw his face. As a law students, she knows the importance of this and knows that cases can go sideways quickly. For that to happen though, they have to have the suspect in custody.

That’s where Tina comes in. She shows up out of nowhere, offers to help. Offers a place to stay. Gives Pamela pointers on who to talk to in the press and who to steer clear from. Tina is a problem. She lost her friend Ruth years earlier and has been hell bent on finding her killer. Tina’s instincts and intentions seem good but is she taking Pamela down the wrong path? Plus, Tina has a horrible reputation with law enforcement so her friendship with Pamela is questioned.

I was very invested in this story for the first half. The details as they unraveled piqued my interest. Pamela is a strong, likable character but Tina is not and her opinions take up much of the story. I also felt that although Pamela’s closeness to one of the victims is what drives her to look for her killer, I did not know enough about the girl to really care for her. Sure, no one wants someone to be murdered but besides her being a sorority sister, what gives?

The author makes some decisions with some of the characters that raised my eyebrows. They felt like an addendum rather than part of the story. Kind of tacked on for mystery’s sake. I didn’t care for it. Also, the sexual orientation of the girls was woven into the story, but I’m not sure it was needed or if it brought anything else to the story, really. My opinion.

My book club chose this book for January’s meeting. I really liked that first half but it left me a little frustrated by the end. I looked back at another book by this author, Luckiest Girl Alive, and felt the same way.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.