I feel like there is a lot of similarities between this & other Lucy Barton novels. It feels like a bit of repetition with the pandemic thrown into the mix. With finally feeling like life is somewhat normal now, getting back into this mindset is very difficult & probably is part of the reason I struggled with this book.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I enjoyed the continuation of Lucy Barton’s story for the most part.

A pandemic story, Lucy and her ex, leave New York to quarantine together.

The simplicity of Lucy’s narration is interesting, but can be redudant at times. I have expected Lucy to begin sharing her grocery list.

Nevertheless, a fresh look at the pandemic times along with Lucy, was a decent read.

Had yesterday been a sunny day and not a rainy day, I may not have finished this short novel in one sitting because when I first started reading and realized it was about the pandemic, I sighed a bit and made another cup of coffee. I have read all of Barton's novels, so I was quite familiar with the characters, and Barton does try to give a bit of background info for those readers who may just be starting out with the Lucy journey, and this novel in particular did read like a journal.

Regardless my reluctance to dig in, once we moved a bit past the pandemic, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel when it was about the daughters, their rocky marriages, a couple of Lucy's new friends that she met once William and she moved to Maine, and some of Lucy's insights about current events and past memories.

It's a quick read, and even if it at times, the novel feels predictable, and at times too much about the pandemic that most of us were unable to pack up and escape to a house next to the ocean, this novel shifted a bit in ways that showed her daughters shifting away from their mother and becoming closer with their father, and it's the family dynamics that kept this sparse novel moving.

Elizabeth Strout writes in such a casual manner that you feel as if you're sitting on the porch, drinking tea, and listening to her recall days gone by. It is refreshing, it is fun, and it draws you in slowly captivating you with each little morsel.

Lucy by the Sea is the sort of book that sits with you long after you've closed the back cover.

I had a bit of a hard time dealing with the topic - the pandemic - but living it through Lucy's eyes made it okay somehow. I didn't always agree with her motivations, but I understood her, and at times I felt like I was her.

Over all the characterizations are excellent, the dialogue is realistic, and the plot intriguing.

I really love this series!

Lucy by the Sea is so relevant to the times we lived during the lockdown. It was a very emotional read for me, I can understand why it would be really hard for others to read through this book. I do love how the author is able to really show empathy and connection in this story. She really more than ever centered on family and friendships.

I really love how Lucy's character is very much aware of what is around her and how she is able to recall memories in relation to what she is currently experiencing. How she is able to draw different emotions from the way she carries herself - alone in her thoughts or with others.

My favorite is the fusing for characters from the author's other books to this one. Bob and Lucy's friendship is something I really enjoyed.

This is a sad book but probably the most relatable book I have ever read this year!

Elizabeth Strout has such an easy way of writing. It’s like lying in a hammock and chatting with an old friend. No judgements, but lots of self-reflection and thoughtful conversation.

In this story, William convinces Lucy to leave New York because of the pandemic and stay for a few weeks in a small town in Maine. The house is right on the sea. Lucy and William live a quiet, peaceful life taking daily walks and meeting new friends, in spite of the pandemic.

While I really wasn’t keen on reading anything else about the pandemic and I also didn’t always agree with Lucy’s opinions, I did like how she seemed to easily take whatever life sent her way and deal with it as best she knew how. I loved her honesty with her relationships and her self-reflection.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Random House for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review.

Lucy and the Pandemic would have been a better title. I'm tired of Lucy Barton, having read the other two books, and this just felt a little too "phoned in."

After Oh, William! I did not think I could love the character Lucy any more, but the author has captured her in the thought provoking year 2020 that reopened our vulnerability and self reflection. The connections in the story are so heartfelt and relatable that I forget she is a fictional character. Lucy lost her husband, David a year before COVID and is living alone in Manhattan as a writer. She is divorced from her first husband William, the father of their two daughters, Chrissy and Becka. When the pandemic hit, no one could have imagined the year that we would face. Lucy receives a call from William that he is escaping from the city and to go with him to a small coastal town in Maine. Thinking it was for two weeks and it would be over, she packs very little and settles in by the sea.

"We are all in lockdown, all the time. We just don't know it, that's all."

Isolation is a cruel thief, stealing time with our loved ones. It was no different for Lucy, as she lost friends and watched her daughters deal with not only the pandemic but heartache. As she struggled with a new neighborhood, she made friends that reminded us of the social distance, fear and anxieties we were consumed by. The innocence in Lucy was so heartfelt. I felt compassion for her confusion, and remembered the fragile lives we live. It touches deeply with her reflection of her dysfunctional parents, her real mom and her made-up mom to deal with her past for herself, brother and sister, which each were affected differently.

“We all live with people—and places—and things—that we have given great weight to,” Lucy says. “But we are weightless, in the end.”

Her relationship with William was strengthened by his own regrets and mistakes. There is so much truth in the emotions spilled onto the pages of this book and the heartaches we endure throughout our lives.
"A tiny shiver of foreboding passed through me then, a shiver of foreboding for myself and also the entire world."

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a pandemic novel - it begins as it did for all of us - towards the beginning of 2020 and even includes events from January 6, 2021. The reader should be advised of that, and then determine if you are ready to experience it all again. From the "can this be real?" emotions to the inability to focus on reading, to obsessing over the news, the racial riots, etc. It is all encompassed in this very short work of fiction.
I'm sure this is well-written, but I think it is just not to my taste. I need my characters to make a little more cohesive sense. Lucy is portrayed as a highly successful author, yet she is also portrayed as someone who lives almost semi-detached from the reality around her. She is portrayed almost like a child at times - as if she could have lived into her 60's and still not know how to navigate common life skills? But, we are to believe she lived alone in NYC and navigated her way around the city?
I read this close on the heels of Oh, William! which I advise, as this is an immediate sequel to that story. Alas, neither of these stories struck me as very satisfactory.

Lucy Barton in lock-down. What we all went through put into words. The characters are us. Another good read from Elizabeth Strout.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to enjoy this book.

LUCY BY THE SEA is Book 4 in the Amgash series by Elizabeth Strout. I enjoyed the previous Lucy Barton stories so much and couldn’t wait to read her latest. In this touching and engaging story, Lucy is whisked off to a small town on the coast of Maine by her ex-husband, William, just as the world goes into lockdown because of Covid 19. Little do they know that months will pass before they can engage with other people, including their daughters. With her signature writing style, the author draws the reader in to experience Lucy’s inner thoughts of grief, family, friendship and love right along with her. We learn more of her relationships with her parents, husbands, daughters and even with a new friend. During this time in isolation, Lucy reflects on her life and deals with many regrets, but also joys of the past. The story is set against the backdrop of the social and political climate of the time and is told with sensitivity and care. I found this authentic and relatable story to be quite moving and timely. I hope there will be future stories with these characters. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Elizabeth Strout is so good at helping us navigate life and making it all just feel like a long conversation with your best friend. Lucy Barton is one of my favorite observers of the world and it was nice to catch up with her again in Lucy by the Sea.
This time Lucy is processing the pandemic year, renewing old relationships, fine tuning parental roles and making sense of her life choices. Some may be sensitive to the pandemic struggles but I found her experiences to be realistic and her comments to be so similar to those I heard from my friends. I dont think the author dwelled on the negative for too long, nor used this as a tool to just rehash all of the heaviness of the time.
But then, that's how I see Elizabeth Strout. I see her as a gentle reflector of our times and a processor of our reactions.
Needless to say, this is a five star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House publishing and the author for this ARC of Lucy by the Sea.

I had a hard time with the pandemic story. I still feel like I am quite sensitive to it and the fallout.

I do love Elizabeth Strout's writing in the voice of Lucy. She goes along with what seems mundane normal life, then a statement or sentiment that is so incredibly powerful it takes my breath away.

I have not read all of the Amgash books and I wish I would have read them in order. But this can be an enjoyable read for anyone who likes to make the mundane more special.

Lucy by the Sea takes us back to the early pandemic days. Disbelief of how long it could last. Fear of crowds , people, yes or no mask and worry about family. We watch as Lucy and her ex husband travel to Maine to escape New York City. She is still dealing with her second husband's passing. He is dealing with the divorce of his third wife. They deal with worry about their daughters, family members and friends. They lose friends and loved ones. It made me reflect on all we went through.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

I wanted to read this having enjoyed the other books in this series but this one was a huge letdown. Lucy’s reaction to the lockdown was disturbing and I’ll be honest it wasn’t very nice reading about that again and reliving it all so soon. But outside of that nothing worked for me here. Definitely not what I was expecting, but I’m sure others would enjoy it. Elizabeth Strout is a fantastically realistic writer, the subject just didn’t do it for me here.

[Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the gifted copy]

*swipe for the synopsis*

The main character, Lucy, is living in New York when the pandemic hits (and as we know, New York was hit hard). Like many, she started off skeptical. It wasn’t a big deal. How long could it possibly last, anyway? Then she decides to leave New York with her ex husband, or rather her ex husband convinces her to leave (it took some convincing but he knew it was going to get worse).

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about a pandemic story but enough time has passed that I felt okay with it pretty much right away. The writing helped (conversational and smooth).

Yes, it takes place during the height of the pandemic. Yes, she’s isolated and the virus is spreading. But to me, it’s not really a pandemic story, per se. It’s more a story about loneliness and loss and grief and hope. And love. It explores all the things that we were forced to explore when we were isolated. Memories (some long forgotten). The meaning of friendship. Our connections, both the ones that survive and the ones that don’t. It’s a book that I think readers will embrace and relate to. We all processed the pandemic in different ways, of course, but I think the thoughts and reflections here will hit home for many.

I really liked Lucy. And William (her ex). A extremely thoughtful book. I’m glad I read this. I plan on buying the physical copy because I want it on my shelf.

Pub date is September 20th!

I really enjoyed this book. Set during the Covid pandemic, it brought back all those early feelings of isolation, panic at the grocery store (oh what will I be able to buy this time) and uncertainty of the future. The relationships Lucy had with her daughters, William, and neighbor Bob are all very vibrant. While she is still mourning the loss of her 2nd husband, David, the situation Lucy and William find themselves in brings them back together. Well written, this book brings back all the struggles of that time and the upheaval of George Floyd’s death. I also liked the cameo appearance of characters from previous books such as Olive Kitteridge.

First of all thank you so much for the ARC.
Second. This book gave me so many emotions. The pandemic was so hard for most and you can feel it in this book. Lucy and her ex husband bunkering down to ride out the pandemic felt so bleak but also real.

This first person narrative continues the life of author Lucy Barton as she is bundled off to a house off the Maine coast by her former husband to evade the pandemic. Told in a short paragraph style which emulates the disjointedness of the world's reaction to covid quarantining, subjects of loss, growing old, family and fear are beautifully explored. This is just the sort of book Book Clubs will love.

Elizabeth Strout does it again, walking us through what the pandemic meant to those who could protect themselves early on. As always, the characters feel like someone I might actually know.