I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I love Elizabeth’s Strout’s writing. She brings her characters so fully to life. I’ve been following the story of this protagonist, Lucy Barton, through a few novels and I was thrilled to receive the latest book, Lucy by the Sea, for review.

Picking up where Oh William leaves off, Lucy is mourning the recent death of her adored husband while settling into a comfortable friendship with the ex-husband, William, who broke her heart so many years before. William is dealing with a lot of baggage of his own, mostly stemming from the many “endings” associated with aging and regrets for actions in his past, but he’s also experiencing the excitement of a new beginning – discovering he has a half-sister he never knew.

And then the pandemic hits.

This is largely a pandemic novel, but it incorporates Lucy and her family, characters that I have grown to know and love and be frustrated with. As the novel opens, it’s March 2020 and things are just beginning to get weird. Lucy lives in New York, as does William. William is a scientist so he understands things are going to get bad long before Lucy has any inkling. He tells his two adult children to get out of New York City and then he tells Lucy to pack a bag – he’s taking her to Maine.

Lucy isn’t given a whole lot of choice in the matter. She’s bewildered. But he’s so insistent that she reluctantly goes, assuming it will only be for a week or two. Of course, the pandemic goes from bad to worse.

It’s traumatizing and surreal to read this and remember, and to some extent relive, those early days of Covid. Lucy and William are locked down in a strange place, away from loved ones. People they know get sick. Some die. They make new, socially distanced friends, but everything is strange and a little unreal. At the same time, they continue to deal with family turmoil. And, sweetly and poignantly, they reconnect with one another.

These relationships are not perfect. The family dysfunction is intergenerational and the scars run deep. But there is also a great deal of love between the characters and true kindness. A lot of understanding comes with age.

I don’t read much contemporary/relationship types of novels. But I will read everything Elizabeth Strout writes.

I went into Lucy by the Sea blindly, not realizing it is a series, or about the Covid-19 pandemic which I have been steering clear of in books. Once I realized it was set in the height of the pandemic (which became clear early in the book), it didn’t matter because I was already hooked.
Lucy fascinates me. The story felt like a journal, maybe, or like your own internal dialogue. This book is written in chapters, but also broken up into smaller parts which made it move along quickly. Some are deep, difficult, or major in their purpose. Others are basic or almost trivial, but yet don’t we have a million of these thoughts and observations every day? Honestly, some of Lucy’s thoughts felt embarrassing or naive, yet I didn’t feel like it was in an annoying way, it felt genuine and realistic.
When Covid-19 hits NYC, Lucy’s ex-husband William takes her to Maine to lockdown. Some of their day-to-day is “boring”, yet Elizabeth Strout’s writing didn’t make it feel that way and I felt this book moved along well. Ultimately, I enjoyed this book and am interested in reading the other books in this series and by this author. I really enjoyed her writing style.
Thank you Random House for the digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Read his full review on https://rosepointpublishing.com/2022/09/25/lucy-by-the-sea-by-elizabeth-strout-bookreview-contemporaryliteraryfiction-randomhouse/ Rosepoint Publishing.

Can a loveless abusive childhood lay the cobblestones of life’s road in such a way that nothing changes for the individual? Lucy’s character has been developed with this pattern in mind. Her mother was negative and abusive and she grew up defending herself.

Lucy’s first husband William is a supportive man, a scientist, with a compassionate heart and protective attitude. With the advent of the Covid Pandemic, he encourages Lucy and him to escape to the clean air and trade winds upon a rocky point in Maine. They have escaped New York City to become isolated in a desolate prison of their own making.

The author is a gifted writer who did not leave the central theme of her story throughout the read. She develops a character who is hell-bent on being unhappy throughout her life. She cannot accept any real progress or happiness. This centralized dogma thoroughly confounded me as a reader.

Life becomes extremely tedious when every day seems to add more misery to an already dark existence. I kept hearing the beginning of that old Buck Owens song ring in my mind! “Gloom, despair, and agony on me, deep dark depression, excessive misery.” Elizabeth Strout developed a very dark and sensitive heroine confronting a noir-esque setting. 3.5 stars – CE Williams

I always look forward to Elizabeth Strouts' books and was really excited to read this one. i enjoyed it alot! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this one. Can't wait for the next one!

Unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of Elizabeth Strout's latest addition to her Lucy Barton series. Not sure if it was the subject matter of COVID, the unlikeable character of ex-husband William or the conversational style of the writing, but I found myself dreading to pick it back up. The book was really all over the place in terms of emotions, rambling story lines and characters. The writing came across at times as "preaching" about the right/wrong ways to live during the pandemic. Thrown in also were hard opinions about the election, the vaccines, and the George Floyd protests.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Strout is a genius writer of the mundane, every day details. She somehow manages to find tiny moments of reflection that cut deep into the reader's soul. Her characters are so real, so dimensional, and so personal that I feel like they are my family.

Lucy by the Sea finds us back with Lucy Barton & William, her ex-husband. William convinces Lucy to leave her NYC apartment to go live in a house in Maine to quarantine. I never expected a book about living through the pandemic to be so nuanced. To honestly offer a middle of the road take on what we have all lived through these past few years shows how brilliant her writing truly is.

I savored the pages in this one and while the topic still hurts a little to read about it, I really enjoyed reading about Lucy and William and their little world. It was nice to reflect back on the smaller moments and go back to those days of wiping down the Amazon boxes before they came inside.

Lucy By The Sea

I 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!

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.

This was my first book by the author and now I have to go back and read the previous books because I didn't realize this book was a part of a series. I enjoyed the book and now I'm going back to book one and try to catch up. This story was really interested so I suggest going back to beginning if possible before reading this one. Thanks to the publisher and NetGally for the opportunity to read this book and provide my unbiased opinion.

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.

Welcome back to the life of Lucy Barton! With each of the books in this series by Elizabeth Strout, I have become more engaged in the life of Lucy and her family. This time her first husband William has dragged her off to an isolated village in Maine to protect her from the virus starting to descend on the United States. Lucy, who has been widowed for a year, reluctantly agrees as she doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. The author does an excellent job of reminding her readers of the "new normal" most of us found ourselves living during the first year of the Covid pandemic. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review and advance copy.

I suspect this is going to be an unusual review and unpopular opinion.

While upon finishing this book I never thought to myself, "that was a terrible book", and at no time did I feel completely bored or dread picking it up, I also cannot really say that I enjoyed it either.

I'm almost in a state of ambivalence - I honestly don't know whether I liked the book or not. I didn't hate it and I didn't love it, but yet I don't know if I liked it.

As most people reading this probably already know, there are three "Lucy Barton" books that came before this one. And while I do not think you need to read the others before reading this one, it definitely does help to provide some backstory, and familiarize you with the main character, Lucy.

I think my biggest annoyance with the book (and the other Lucy Barton books) is the writing style. Everything is so spelled out for the reader (much more than necessary, in my opinion). Lucy will share a memory and then say something along the lines of "that is what I remember". That line was used several times throughout the book, and it just felt like it was restating the obvious. If you are describing your memory of something to the reader, we grasp that it's what you remember. It doesn't need to be restated.

I also felt that there were so many unnecessary details. It was essentially a very detailed description of Lucy's daily life. There were so many details that truly didn't matter or have any bearing on the overall story. And I think if it had read like a journal, that would have been more interesting somehow. But it was just a very dry and detailed account of Lucy's life.

At times there was foreshadowing to what I thought were going to be dramatic revelations or plot points, but they never came.

I do realize this is a character-driven novel, and I am admittedly not always a fan of character-driven books, but I can usually appreciate a book that tells of someone's life - the ups and downs, the heartache and joy, etc. And while this book did contain those things, it also contained so many minute details about stuff that didn't matter that for me, it took away from the things that did matter.

I will also mention that this book takes place during the recent pandemic. In fact, the main plotline pertains to how Lucy and her family respond to and change their lives because of the pandemic. While this isn't the first book I've read that included the pandemic, this one definitely had the most negative impact on me. It just repeatedly reminded me of what it was like to live through 2020-2021, and considering that was literally last year, I just didn't need or want to go back there.

I know many people are huge fans of these books, I am just not that person. But as negative as my review sounds, I honestly didn't hate the book. I wouldn't even call it boring. I'd just call it very dry and unnecessarily detailed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout is the fourth book in the Amgash series by the author. I have not read the other books, so my review may seem a bit unfair to the fans. This can be read as a stand-alone book. Lucy is a writer who lives in NYC. She is still in the grieving process since the death of her second husband David the previous year.
Lucy's first husband, William demands she leave NY and the crowds as soon as the Covid pandemic is declared. William is divorced and must feel a sense of protection for Lucy. I did not understand how she could let someone she had divorced years earlier insist she leave her apartment and go to Maine until the pandemic is over. Why would you want to be shut in with someone you do not normally want to live with? Lucy is not very assertive, but she agrees to go and live in an older house that overlooks the sea. William actually has another reason for wanting to go to Maine. There is someone special he wants to meet!
The story is written with a lot of emotion. As I read the book, I felt sad and lonely. I just did not enjoy reliving the confusing days of the pandemic and being reminded of the worry and grief of that time in my own life. Maybe I will try reading the first book in the series and I will have a different view of Lucy as an independent person.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Elizabeth Strout is at is again with another Lucy Barton novel - and she writes this character so well!. You cannot help but feel connected to her - almost like you're conversing. This book feels so real, so present and maybe because it's story is during the pandemic. Lucy is just so brave and honest and this book is truly enjoyable.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group & NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital ARC

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! I was a bit worried reading a book about the first year of the pandemic would be difficult, but it actually brought me some peace knowing how far we’ve come in almost three years. I thought and felt so many things written about in the book, and had even forgotten a few things too. It’s a piece of history. Definitely recommending this one!

Lucy Barton's ex-husband William whisks her away to a seaside cottage in Maine when the epidemic hits New York. It's about how she dealt with the lockdown and the subsequent changes in her life. To be honest, I found this book to be really Meh. And I never get the hype with these books, so I don't know why I keep reading them.   It was unpleasant to relive the pandemic with all its attendant masks, fear, isolation, and future uncertainty.  I like the Lucy books better than the Olive one, but they are only okay for me. I think Netgalley recommended I read it, so I did.   The ups and downs of her family life with her girls, as well as flashbacks to her previous husband's extramarital activities, did not hold my interest. Nor did the news reports about the thousands of dead in New York, the remains waiting to be moved, the riots, the George Floyd tragedy, or the January 6th assault on the Capitol reflect the true gravity of the situation.  There were some interesting passages and delightful nuggets of knowledge, but overall it was not what I needed to read right now. But I see only 5 star reviews, so I see I'm in the minority once again. 


Thank you so much to @Netgalley for an honest review.

I liked this book but I guess I am not yet ready to read in depth stories regarding the pandemic so I didn’t love this. Too soon for me personally! I did want to know more and thought it ended unfinished. Maybe another book in this series?

I’ve only read one of Lucy Strout’s in this series, but with that, I was able to recall William and Lucy’s history, which was full of turmoil. They shared two children together. I found it somewhat depressing, being set in the current pandemic phase, since we lived with it everyday, for over two years, and I personally find reading a good escape from the agony of illness and death.
Although divorced for years, the two have remained friends and lived close by in NY City. Concerned about the dangers that presented to people of their age, William convinces Lucy to leave NY and go to Maine, where he has rented a house overlooking the water in a small town. She reluctantly goes, and is somewhat miserable, missing the busy life of the big city, and unable to write since the pandemic began. With little to do there and knowing no one, she spends the solitude walking the cliffs and lamenting on her empty life.
But gradually she becomes friendly with the man who rented them the house and eventually his wife and other locals, and she begins to find some common ground with them.
Elizabeth Strout is a gifted writer with interesting characters. This is a story of betrayal, loss, loneliness and rediscovery and eventually resolution. Set in the grey misery of a Maine winter that evolves into lovey spring and summery and a glorious autumn, Lucy finds a peaceful existence and a new beginning. The COVID setting was still depressing and difficult to read about, but maybe brings hope for some new beginnings also.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Visceral connection

I immediately felt a visceral connection to Lucy, William, and the rest of the family and friends while reading about the early years of 'their' Covid-19 lives. Perhaps because I just lived through those years (as did most of us), perhaps it's because I, too, am a woman of a certain age. Anyway, when a novelist writes in such a way that you immediately are thrust into the characters' lives, it is a wonderful thing. Of course, I have read all the rest of Ms Strout's books and have loved them.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-constrained e-arc via netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

LUCY BY THE SEA is the best of the four novels featuring Lucy Barton. Strout is one of the best living novelists of our time. She has outdone herself with this new novel that takes place during the pandemic. Strout quickly whisks us into the early days of the pandemic in New York City when Lucy's ex-husband, William, decides it's way to unsafe to stay in the city. He convinces Lucy to flee the virus-ridden city and go to a small town on the coast of Maine where they can sequester until the virus is over. And so they share a big old house on the water where they can safely ride out the pandemic. I loved this story.