Lucy by the Sea
Ratings46
Average rating4.1
I always love Elizabeth Strout's books. What is it about her writing – so simple & conversational, and yet so evocative and true? She reminds me of myself and so many of the women I've known. And she captures so much with her diction and dialogue. I thought that the ending made it even more interesting, and eager for more. I hope she isn't finished with Lucy and William. I need to review how Lucy is connected to Olive, who is mentioned occasionally in this book.
Not necessarily my typical book, but that's what I love about book clubs and recommendations from others. Lucy by the Sea is an elliptical novel seated firmly in the mind of a just-past-middle-aged white female writer.
This had some surprising white people perspectives - the privilege of being able to tune out of troubling current affairs and having multiple spouses and extended family through multiple marriages. Despite these, Lucy did come from poverty and spends much of the novel connecting with, labelling and trying to understand others.
The time period of being set during the pandemic in Maine, USA allows for an interesting dissection of relatively recent events. There's COVID itself and all the anxiety, masks, lethargy and vaccinations surrounding it; the US presidential struggles and increasing political divide in the country; and human connection in a world of distancing and zooms.
I did enjoy this read, particularly the range of insights offered through the perspective being so close to Lucy and her memories. Will continue to venture outside my typical reading content.
Lucy Bartonista olemme saaneet lukea jo muutamasta kirjasta, viimeksi Voi William! -romaanissa, jossa perattiin Lucy Bartonin ja William Gerhardtin avioliittoa, sen päättymistä ja Williamin matkaa sukujuurilleen. Nyt Lucyn ja Williamin tiet jälleen yhdistyvät, kun Yhdysvaltoihin iskee Covid-19. William on tieteentekijänä nopeasti kartalla tilanteesta ja pelastaa Lucyn New Yorkista viemällä tämän Maineen asumaan syrjäseuduille. Koronaromaani, siis, ja muutenkin tässä sivutaan monia ajankohtaisia kysymyksiä: on George Floydin kuolema ja Black Lives Matter -mielenosoitukset, Capitolin valtausta ja Trumpia hieman. Ei paljon, sillä pääpaino on Lucy Bartonin mielenliikkeissä ja ihmissuhteissa, mutta riittävästi tekemään romaanista selkeän ajankuvan 2020-luvun alkuvuosista. Hitusen epäilytti, onko aihe vielä liian tuore, jotta romaania jaksaisi lukea, mutta hyvin tämä toimi. Iso syy siihen on tietysti se, miten Elizabeth Strout on yksinkertaisesti taitava kirjoittaja. Stroutin suomentajaa Kristiina Rikmania on toki myös kehuttava: hän on jälleen kerran tulkinnut Stroutin kirkkaan tekstin kuulaaksi suomeksi. Tuttua on Stroutin tapa kuljettaa tarinaa Lucy Bartonin äänellä. Tämä on tarina, jota kerrotaan jälkeenpäin, ja se näkyy kertojanäänen huomautuksina ja jälkiviisauksina. ”Kerron teille nyt ihmisistä, joihin tutustuimme”, ”Ja sitten tämä!”, ”Ja sanottavahan tämäkin on”. Pidän Bartonin kertojanäänestä, siitä tulee lämmin ja välitön olo. Kuten edellisessäkin kirjassa, Williamin ja Lucyn tyttäret Chrissy ja Becka ovat myös tärkeässä osassa. Williamin ystävä Bob Burgess (tuttu kirjasta Olive, taas!) auttaa Williamia ja Lucya asettumaan Maineen ja hänestä tulee vähän yllättäen Lucylle tärkeä ystävä. Palvelutaloon asumaan asettunut Olive Kitteridgekin esiintyy lyhyesti; Olive ja Lucy eivät sentään tapaa toisiaan. Strout on luotettava kirjailija, joka ei taida kirjoissaan koskaan tehdä kovin suuria loikkia tuntemattomaan. Sen sijaan hän vangitsee tutut ainekset jälleen uusiksi tarinoiksi varmuudella, jota kelpaa kadehtia. Ilahduttava kirja!
Well-to-do white woman moves from NYC to Maine with her ex-husband to wait out the worst of the pandemic, realizes “we are all in lockdown, all the time. We just don't know it, that's all.” Oh, and people who voted for DT are nice too, as long as you don't talk to them about politics. I love Strout's [b:Olive Kitteridge 1736739 Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1) Elizabeth Strout https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320430655l/1736739.SY75.jpg 3263906] novels, but Lucy Barton leaves me cold.
It was lovely, and the first novel that addresses the Covid-19 pandemic I have read. Nonetheless, it's not my favorite of her books, yet still worth reading.
No one writes characters better than Strout. Lucy, like Olive Kitteridge before her, is one of a kind, and with each book about her we go deeper and learn more.
I really loved this book. Others have covered the plot points and the story's expected - but still delightful! - overlap with Strout's other books, so I'll stick to how she made me feel: unexpectedly, utterly soothed.
‘Lucy by the Sea' is hot tea with honey in your favorite mug, in book form. It made me not only want to call my mom, but connect with strangers. Strout's writing always reminds me of the John Donne poem - “any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind” - because it's just bursting with humanity. This is no exception, and probably my favorite thing she's written so far.
I could read about Lucy and her family forever, I think. Lucy is an observer and a writer, and she makes note of the small discrepancies and small joys of her daily life in a simple and wise way. All around her is the world, and that world is churning and sparking and grinding, but Lucy goes on, reflecting on the world but managing to stay apart from it, noting her reactions to the world but not allowing herself to get immersed in it...Lucy is a healthy person, that is, and a person to emulate.
In this volume of Lucy's story, she is amid the pandemic, and her former husband, William, takes her out of the city to a safe place in Maine. There Lucy meets new people—Bob, who helped William find a safe place for Lucy; Bob's wife, Margaret, a minister; Charlene, a cleaner who helps out in a soup kitchen and supports the president Lucy despises. Lucy deals with her daughters and their grownup troubles. And Lucy and William talk and visit and come to know each other all over again.
Great read - Latest book in the Amgash series. Felt so relevant... Lucy Barton and her ex-husband retreat to Maine due to the pandemic. We see the pandemic and all of the current events as seen through Lucy's eyes. We also follow her family's changes due to the pandemic. I enjoyed this newest installment in Lucy's story.
Lucy Barton, a well-loved character of other Elizabeth Strout novels, returns to share her experiences during lockdown as she travels from her apartment in New York and its memories of her deceased husband to the coastal regions of Maine with her first husband and now aged friend William. As the two of them adjust not only to living with each other again, but the reality of a world-wide pandemic, we're treated to Strout's sparse, evocative prose. There are appearances by people we've grown to love – Lucy's daughters, old friends, even Olive Ketteridge has a cameo as Lucy shares thoughts, memories, and conversations and grapples with her new reality. If you're a fan of Strout's authentic, timely writing style, this one will not disappoint. It looks at the once-in-a-lifetime COVID experience with honesty, introspective and humility.
My thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.