Posted to Goodreads last month and purchased for public lubeary:
It is nice to catch up with Lucy Barton...in this case amidst the covid pandemic. While she and her ex-husband/friend, William, flee New York to isolate in a Maine house, Lucy makes observations both quotidian and profound. The story has a couple character interactions related to another beloved Strout character, Olive Kitteridge. There is some family drama, but mostly there is more character development. A good read.

This book was so good.
I am such a huge fan of this author and was very honored to receive an early copy.
Thank you! It was wonderful!

I found this as wonderful as expected. Full of so much more to learn and love about Lucy and her family. I continue to be very into COVID-themed fiction, so reading about Lucy’s experiences during the pandemic was totally riveting. As always, Strout sprinkled in some really profound ideas among her chronicles of Lucy’s thoughts and everyday and exceptional moments. (A line about the last time picking up one’s child really floored me.) Longing and hoping for more and more Lucy stories to come!

Beautiful and spare, Lucy by the Sea continues with the characters we have grown to know and sometimes love in Elizabeth' Strout's series of books including the Lucy Barton stories. This book is by turns sad, happy, wistful and always thought provoking as it deals with life during the Covid lockdown and the fears and anxieties that can plague us from our childhood and show up when we least expect them. Lucy, a writer based in New York is contacted by her ex-husband William and advised to go with him to a rental house in Maine during the lockdown. Lucy isn't paying much attention to the virus, but William rightly guesses that New York is not the place to be during the pandemic.

Lucy moves to Maine with William, but like many of us feels adrift and scared and can't concentrate on her writing or even reading. Lucy slowly finds her way, by taking walks and when she meets a male friend, she feels she finally has someone to confess her fears to. The book is slow moving and is more about Lucy's inner thoughts than any external action. I could strongly relate to Lucy's lifelong fears of being judged and shamed and her strong desire to be heard. Her relationship with William has its ups and downs and as her daughters struggle with their own issues, Lucy finds herself looking for the strength to help everyone through this trying time. I enjoyed the gentle pace and the beautiful descriptions and most of al the finely drawn characters which are present in this novel .Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

Another look at Lucy/William and their lives during the Pandemic. All will be able to relate to their experiences and appreciate the glimpses into lucy's mindset.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Lucy By The Sea by Elizabeth Strout. This book was about the pandemic. It was the most depressing book I've read all year, but she captured the experience perfectly.

The Lucy Barton series keeps getting better! Elizabeth Stout is on the short list for The Booker Prize for Oh William and I hope she is on the list next year for Lucy by The Sea. This book is about Lucy and William’s time from the beginning on Covid. I have read other books about Covid and felt it was too soon. This book did not have the tragic slant. It was like listening to a friend talking about their Covid story. Lucy and William have a friendship similar to me and my ex-husband. I could see us coming together to weather a bad situation.

The writing is fantastic. I really felt like I could connect with Lucy, William, and the rest of their family. I want to go for a walk with Lucy in Maine..
The story seems very personal.

I don’t want to say much. It is a story to be read and enjoyed. This series should be read in order so you understand the progression of Lucy and William’s history. Enjoy this series and look forward to reading Lucy by the Sea. #LucybytheSea, #ElizabethStout #NetGalley

Lucy by the Sea is another beautiful book by Elizabeth Strout. Lucy Barton is the protagonist and was whisked away by her ex-husband, Dr. William Gerhardt, to Crosby, Maine. Lucy lives with her ex in a small home situated on a cliff by the sea. The Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on Europe. The virus is spreading to the US, and Lucy, an asthmatic living in New York, is vulnerable. Her ex-husband, a parasitologist, has urged their two daughters to also leave New York. Their daughter Chrissy and her husband head the advice and leave. However, their daughter Becka did not.
This story revolves around Lucy and her ex, William, adjusting to life in this small town, sharing the same home. As the story unfolds, we learn more about Lucy and her relationships with her family. We learn that her second husband, David, passed away, and she still grieves for him. Lucy gradually begins to find comfort in Williams's presence. We learn more about Lucy's childhood growing up in a dysfunctional family that lived in poverty. During this period of lockdown, Lucy struggles with feelings of isolation. The time and space of this small coastal town allow for opportunities to relive memories, doubting herself and struggling emotionally, which is all so very relatable.
I enjoy this author's style of writing. It's insightful and so genuine, and relatable. It's a beautiful read.

I'm a little anxious on novels surrounding the COVID19 pandemic, but Elizabeth Strout's vulnerable, moving, and poignant writing made it worth it. I love Lucy Barton and her inhabiting her world/mind for a few hours. Always a treat.

I did not know what to expect from this book. I have enjoyed her books in the past but it's been a long time so I went in a bit blind to the style of her writing. I thought the story was wonderfully handled in talking about COVID and the brutal time in our lives. I loved the Maine descriptions and details of the house. The relationship with her ex-husband was magical and that with her daughters was so real feeling. There have been a few COVID-centered books but this one was really among the best. I will now have to seek out some of her other books I have not read ! Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

What a wonderful book - I did not want to put it down, and didn't want it to end! I've read all of Elizabeth Strout's books, but I think this one may be my favorite (although, honestly, I now want to go back and reread her others!).

It's a pandemic book, and I could completely relate to it, especially to Lucy's feelings of unreality - "oh, no, this will just be a couple weeks and then I'll be back in NYC and everything will be like it always was." And her cluelessness, early on when she visits her accountant and starts to hug him, only to have him gently say that they should keep personal distance. And her feeling that he was being a little ridiculous, when he suggested that she could go down in the freight elevator, which would be empty - she used the regular elevator, thinking he was just a little nuts there.

Lucy's ex-husband, William, contacts her and says she has to leave NYC and go with him to stay in Maine, where he has rented a house. He also encourages their daughters to leave the city, and helps to arrange it. They have remained friendly, although Lucy has had a longterm marriage since their divorce (and is now a recent widow) and William has had two more divorces. The book is very insightful about marriages and relationships and it all rings true. I did a lot of lot of head nodding and "yes, that is true."

Her experiences with the pandemic - the fear, the losses - but maybe above all, the feeling of disbelief - all seemed SO familiar. And, the things that the country was experiencing in that period - once again, with a feeling of unreality. And her respect for others, even when they were anti-vaxxers, showed a sensitivty and a kindness - while I might not share her even handedness, I thought Ms. Strout handled it beautifully.

So, a beautifully written book, taking on some difficult problems in a kind and sensitive manner. Absolutely a 5 star read!

"Lucy by the Sea" takes a look back on the pandemic - and the ways that it affected the lives and relationships for so many of us.

I hadn't read any of the earlier novels in the Amgash series, but having encountered Strout's writing before in "Olive Kitteridge", was looking forward to her latest work. Thankfully, I don't think prior knowledge of the series is necessary to appreciate this novel and how Lucy Barton's story has been laid out. At the start of the novel, Lucy resides in Manhattan, but is persuaded by her ex-husband William to leave the city at the onslaught of the pandemic to a house in Crosby, Maine. From there, Lucy watches as her two daughters, Becka and Chrissy, make separate plans with their husbands for the immediate future - but she also has to learn to adjust to life in a completely different place in the midst of a rapidly changing world.

The novel is set up almost in a series of montages that jump from the present to the past. Lucy starts to expand her connections in Crosby, meeting neighbors and making new friends, but also starts to flesh out her own backstory with William, her recently deceased husband David, as well as what happens with her daughters and William's family. There are a lot of names and people to keep track of - something I struggled with given how quickly and intermittently people were (re-)introduced, but this might be less of an issue with those who have read earlier books in the series. Nonetheless, I loved the subtle and poignant moments throughout the novel and the way that Lucy's relationship to those around her was constantly evolving and changing.

I think it may be difficult for readers who didn't live through the events of 2020 and beyond to really connect with and understand this novel - there are so many specific situations and events mentioned that otherwise would be completely out of context. Nonetheless, I think many of us today will find the topics in "Lucy by the Sea" extremely relevant, especially as the world continues to change.

I have read several books by Elizabeth Strout and with each one, I am more amazed at her talent. She has an incredible ability to draw the reader in and keep him/her immersed until finished. Ms. Strout is an incredible storyteller and she creates three dimensional characters that are very relatable. And so it was truly a pleasure to visit with Lucy and William once again. Note that while I read Oh, William (the book preceding Lucy by the Sea), I have not yet read the book that started it all - My Name is Lucy Barton but I will very soon. But if you are thinking you need to read Oh, William and/or My Name is Lucy a Barton, then you would be mistaken. Lucy by the Sea stands o. It’s own as a complete story, without necessitating knowledge from the two prior books.

The story takes place during Covid and the lockdown. While William and Lucy have divorced roughly 20 years ago, after being married for about 20 years, they have two daughters that keeps them connected. Lucy’s husband (her second marriage) has passed away and William’s third wife has left him so they are currently both living alone. William insisted she get out of NYC and picked her up and drove them both to Maine. They and their kids said it would only be for a few weeks. Yeah, I remember that too — life would be disrupted only for a few weeks. How naive we were.

I could readily relate to Lucy’s difficulty in coming to terms with Covid and the lockdown. It was interesting to be the one looking in so to speak and seeing how others adjusted and adapted to the situation. Lucy’s feelings of uncertainty and anxiety were all too familiar. One of my favorite lines occurred early on as Lucy struggled to wrap her mind around the number of cases increasing in numerous states and quarantining for two weeks, she says “I did not know where to put my mind.”

Another wonderful book by Elizabeth Strout that I greatLy enjoyed. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Lucy is taken from her beloved New York City by her ex-husband to Crosby, Maine to escape the COVID pandemic rampant in the city. In Maine, she meets new friends, experiences some trials, grows closer to William, misses her daughters, and learns to enjoy life by the sea.

This is a fast, easy read. It felt like I was reading a memoir instead of a fictional story. I loved the characters and thought it was clever how the author used the names of characters from her other books in the story, including the main character. Ultimately, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the story. For the most part, I enjoyed it, but the ending was so abrupt it left me wondering what happens next?

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I hold Elizabeth Strout to a super high standard, so 3 stars for her would equal 4 stars for mere mortals. I loved reading the continuation of Lucy Barton’s epic journey, now with grown daughters and co-habiting in Maine with their father/her ex, William aka Pill, during Covid-19 lockdown. The pacing was slow, lockdown slow; and with exquisitely chilling foreshadowing. Genius take on America’s political divide including Nazism at the insurrection ie “6MWE”. I liked getting glimpses of Olive K too.

When I read Lucy Barton yrs ago it bothered me the way she’d proclaim her love for ppl she’d just met, but now I find that an endearing quality. Maybe that’s me mellowing. Or, becoming bigger as Lucy puts it, “you can become bigger or bitter”. I too love William’s generous cuckolded friend Bob Burgess, and hope Lucy strikes up romance with him in the next installment. Also I would like to know details why her niece Lila dropped out of college after one year.

Lucy by the Sea takes place during the COVID era. There were little things about that time that I had already forgotten, and it felt good to reflect on how I dealt with the pandemic through Lucy's eyes. Nothing much happens in this slice-of-life book. I really enjoyed the writing style of Ms. Strout

This is the first book that I've written by Elizabeth Strout. I have heard good things about her writing and decided to give this book a try. I really like her style of writing and how well she explains things. I read this in one day and it is the first book I have read that was set during the early days of the pandemic. It was raw in a sense. We can't pretend that our lives weren't turned upside down. Good read.

Elizabeth Strout has given fans of Lucy Barton a new read. In Lucy by the Sea, we get not only more of Lucy and her ex-husband, William, we also get a recounting of the COVID19 pandemic. I have mixed feelings about pandemic-centered fiction (maybe too soon?), but Ms. Strout has done an admirable job of it.

I continue to be enamored with Lucy’s short and too the point thoughts and speech. It makes for easy reading, and in this story, it also allows for a more unbiased view of life during the pandemic. I appreciated all the details (leaving packages outside, washing clothes after one use, rural areas being overtaken by wealthy New Yorkers who could afford to escape the explosion of infections and deaths in the city, etc.) that made Lucy by the Sea feel like I was reliving 2020. Ms. Strout truly characterized the passive anxiety and impending doom that was universally felt around the globe.

Not only a cathartic story of the pandemic, Lucy by the Sea is a character-driven story of family and what it means to be the parent adult children when not all is right in their world. The book can be read on its own, but having read the prior books will greatly enhance the reader’s experience.

There is just something about Elizabeth Strout’s style of writing that hooks me immediately. The sense of immediacy, the charming detail and the relatable characters are a hallmark of her books. Lucy by the Sea is no different and I loved this one. Lucy is a character that I could read about over and over again. There is so much emotion roiling through out this story. Another complete winner!

Lucy by the Sea is the latest from Elizabeth Strout following the eponymous heroine introduced in My Name is Lucy Barton. Strout is a talented writer and I've enjoyed her books that follow Lucy Barton in the past ("Oh, William!" was released just this past year and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize). Perhaps Lucy by the Sea is a case of "too soon," but I didn't find much to like about revisiting the past two years of the pandemic. I found the writing to be a bit tone deaf; Lucy and her community of friends and family behave with absolute privilege, and it was hard at times to tell if Strout recognized this. At times, I felt like the author was communicating self-congratulations, veering into auto-fiction territory. I don't know that I can recommend this to many folks, even those who have enjoyed Strout and the books featuring Lucy Barton. Perhaps I'm too sensitive to pandemic writing, but this was a tough read.