Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout is one of those quiet, beautiful books that sneaks up on you and leaves a lasting impact. It’s a collection of interconnected stories about small-town folks, each dealing with their own struggles, but Strout’s writing makes their ordinary lives feel deeply profound.

The characters are so real, and their emotions are raw and relatable. Strout has a way of capturing human vulnerability and resilience in a way that feels effortless. While the stories can be bittersweet, there’s always a sense of hope. If you enjoy character-driven stories with heart, this is a gem you don’t want to miss!

A disappointing collection of short stories, which I found a bit tedious and monotonous.
I was looking forward to these short stories, which I understood all linked together, but I lost interest after the first couple and could not finish the book.

Huge cast of characters live their lives in and around a small town two hours from Chicago. Some know, or are related to, the author Lucy Barton, others appear tangentially in each others' lives. From the former farmer who became a school janitor to the three Nicely sisters, each has a tale to tell.

I have never been a fan of short stories yet this did not feel like a set of short stories as the tales jigsaw together so neatly. I have also not read anything written by Strout before and was wary of her reputation. How wrong can one be! This is a spare book and I devoured it in one evening, the writing is so engaging and the characters so rounded and believable. Now I understand why Strout is so well thought of - this book is magnificent in the way it plays the simple and mundane and contrasts them with huge emotions.

I cannot believe I haven't read Elizabeth Strout before. I love everything about this book and I am delighted to have discovered a new author to add to my favourites list.

I only discovered author Elizabeth Strout last summer, but this is my third book of hers (of a possible six she's written) and it is a perfect blend of everything I loved about the previous two. She is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Anything is Possible is set in the hometown of Lucy Barton, the character we met in the 2016 book My Name is Lucy Barton, which was Lucy's (fictional) memoir. Anything is Possible is not a direct sequel but follows on from this book and is an emotional, poignant and empathetic look at the lives of people from Lucy's hometown - some know her, some don't. Lucy even makes an appearance herself. In a parallel to the other Elizabeth Strout book I've read, Olive Kitteridge, Anything is Possible takes the form of a series of short stories (in this case, nine) that each focus on a different character, but, importantly, together they flow as a novel. Multiple characters cross into each other's stories and we see the subtle relationships of the town.

From Lucy Barton's brother to the Tommy of the opening sentence, who, as the school janitor, knew Lucy as a child and observed, "But it was that day, seeing the way she jumped, seeing the terror that crossed her face, when he guessed that she must have been beaten at home. She would have to have been, in order to be so scared at the opening of a door." We get to find out more about Lucy's childhood through the people that knew her. There are also wonderful stories she doesn't appear in, such as the exploration of a mother / daughter relationship on the Italian coast and a sinister set up in a wealthy couple's guest room. The stories start off in a seemingly innocent tone, but often there is an undercurrent of darkness and secrets running throughout, which is the element that makes them all just so addictive and readable.

The voice and prose here are exactly the same as her previous books, so if you're a fan of those, you will love this (if you're not, this is not the book for you!) You don't have to have read My Name is Lucy Barton to appreciate this book, it works perfectly as a stand alone, but knowing Lucy certainly adds a richness to the read. Also, for me, there is something so rewarding about slipping back into the world you loved so much in a previous book and discovering new characters. Such a satisfying and wonderful read, Elizabeth Strout's characterisation is exceptional, Anything is Possible is the literary equivalent of people watching, and who doesn't love to do that?

Elizabeth Strout has written a book that communicates 9 different, but subtly linked stories. There are various threads running between each story and the dialogue is superbly written to create a telling glimpse into the characters’ lives. “Anything is Possible” presents a wonderful range and balance between character variety, believability and intrigue.

It is the normal everyday tales we hear from husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, and between siblings, neighbours, friends and strangers. How the actions of one can affect the lives of others. There is the age-old question, are we who we are because of nature or nurture? It is a mix of both and we see in this excellent depiction of families and society how that mix is unmasked, what influences our ambitions, and the steps we will take to achieve our dreams. We see a collage of family situations, some fractured, some mislaid, some misunderstood and some supportive. We see the best and worst of people, we see the demons people struggle with, the choices we make in life, and the difficult ones we are condemned to ruminate on, over and over.

The attitude of this book is to provide diverse characterisation that is never predictable. It is layered and conflicting and shows man’s capacity for forgiveness and spite. There is a general theme of family separation, and sometimes that’s for the best and other times it has a profound effect on the lives of children and spouses.

I felt drawn to the lives of Pete and Lucy Barton for different reasons. They are both troubled coming from an extremely poor upbringing, but one has broken free of their childhood environment and achieved success, while the other has accepted to live the frugal life they’ve always known. Lucy, we see from a child to an older woman and she's so vulnerable that you want to protect her. Pete, I was expecting the worst in the beginning, but we discover that he is an innocent, sensitive and withdrawn person. Maybe a tad slow but someone who has lost that zest for life.

This is a wondrous book, it is my first read by Elizabeth Strout and I was just so impressed. It is a beautifully written collection of 9 short stories set in Amgash, Illinois. We encounter Lucy Barton through the perspectives of others, where she comes across as a wonderful woman, she has survived difficult circumstances, to become a renowned writer of a well received memoir. I get to finally meet her in Sister, where she finally returns to Amgash only to find it is more than she can bear. Strout's talent in creating and developing diverse characters with such complexity, depth and ordinariness is extraordinary. You meet and learn more about the history and fate of the characters as they criss cross across the stories.

The kind and humble Tommy Guptill lost his farm and livelihood when it burned down. His family had to relocate to a poorer part of town and he becomes a janitor at Lucy's school. He received a sign which he has never told anyone else about until he has an uncomfortable encounter with Pete, Lucy's brother. Patty comes to understand that we love imperfectly. Linda's marriage into wealth is of scarce recompense when it comes to the price paid for having Jay as a husband. Charlie's need and relationship with Tracy leads to his marriage crumbling. A mother and daughter relationship gains perspective and depth in Italy. Dottie handles with aplomb the atrocious behaviour of a couple who come to stay at her bed and breakfast. Annie comes to understand why her father forbids her to go into the woods and just how judgmental the local community can be. Abel Blaine, a good man, carries the guilt of being well off, having grown up with extreme poverty. Upon trying to retrieve Sophia's pony, he meets and is forced to converse with Scrooge. His thankfulness in receiving a precious gift leads him to the perfect knowledge that anything is possible for anyone. This almost has me weeping.

I am finding it hard to put into words just how much I loved these short stories. The characters have so much grace, humour and love amidst the loss, hardships and travails that life brings. Of course, there are troubled, unkind, difficult, and judgmental characters, but this is what people comprise of. Strout finds the emotional heart and humanity of the Amgash community, and leaves the reader wanting more. Simply brilliant. Highly recommended..

Whilst Anything Is Possible and My Name Is Lucy Barton are two standalone books which you can read independently, I happened to read them back to back over the course of a weekend. For me, these books were greater than the sum of their parts and I gained a better appreciation of both for having read the other. They were poetic and wrenching and uncomfortable and compassionate.

Anything is Possible takes the smaller characters from Lucy Barton and spins the reader into their world through a series of interconnected short stories. It is a masterful chronicle of a small town and the inhabitants which breathe life into it. It is playful and devastatingly wise. The characters are strong but vulnerable, with their humanity authentically drawn. I preferred it to Lucy Barton, personally, because the characters were slightly more diverse with their strife, but they complement each other well.

For some reason (potentially because the cover is quite inoffensive and the titles of her work, bar Lucy Barton, are quite… Bland?), I thought that this would be twee and quaint. This is not even remotely the case. Tolstoy’s famous quote, “each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”, is the best description of Strout's work.

Written as a companion piece to "My Name is Lucy Barton", "Anything Is Possible"draws from the characters referenced therein. Set in Lucy's hometown of Amgash, Illinois, it sees her return to see her siblings and former friends and acquaintances after a 17 year absence, during which she found fame and fancy ways as a celebrated author.
The glittering skyscrapers of New York City are a long long way from this dusty rural farming community where Lucy was raised, and her reasons for running away are deeper than her new-found success. Emotions from the past bubble to the surface as she reconnects with her family, all of it wonderfully captured in Strout's beautiful prose.
Everything I've read by Strout has captivated me. She creates rich, recognisable, relatable characters who breathe from the pages and inhabit the edges of your own reality. "Anything is Possible" is no exception and leaves you eagerly anticipating whatever she writes next. A truly phenomenal author at the top of her game.