Tell Me Everything

Amgash #5

by Elizabeth Strout, Kimberly Farr (Narrator)

Tell Me Everythingis a hopeful, healing novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world.

It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer, Lucy Barton, who lives nearby in a house next to the sea. Together, Lucy and Bob talk about their lives, their hopes and regrets, and what might have been.

Lucy, meanwhile, befriends one of Crosby’s longest inhabitants, Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive’s apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known – “unrecorded lives,” Olive calls them – reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning.

Brimming with empathy and pathos, Tell Me Everything is Elizabeth Strout operating at the height of her powers, illuminating the ways in which our relationships keep us afloat. As Lucy says, “Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love.”

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Adult Fiction

11 pages, Audiobook

First published September 10, 2024

About the author

Elizabeth Strout is the author of several novels, including: Abide with Me, a national bestseller and BookSense pick, and Amy and Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in England. In 2009 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book Olive Kitteridge. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines, including The New Yorker. She teaches at the Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte.

Reviews

[Shelley's Book Nook · Rating 5 out of 5]

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The Book Review Crew Blog

I don't know what it is about Elizabeth Strout's writing that always captures me. Maybe it's because it is about ordinary life written in such an extraordinary way. There's so much sadness in this book sexual child assault, murder, suicide, aging, cancer and death. But for some reason that's not what I focused on. I'm a pessimist at heart but the way Elizabeth Strout writes had me noticing the love, laughter, friendships and joy more than anything else.

There's a bit of a mystery in this one as well, when the dead body of a resident shows up in a car crashed in the Quarry. But the focus isn't really on solving the murder as much as why it happened in the first place and that was very refreshing. This book is very character driven so there really wasn't a plot per se.

Don't try to find meaning in this series (this is book five) it's just about unrecorded simple lives. It's about the little things that matter and not the big picture. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Nothing is certain except death and taxes." What I reflected on while reading this was, don't take life too seriously and enjoy the little things while you can. As my English friend Morning always says bloody brilliant. All. The. Stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

[Angela M · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is the story of Bob Burgess… Bob has a big heart, but does not know this about himself…” I read The Burgess Boys a number of years ago and was reintroduced to Bob in Oh William!, but I don’t think I fully appreciated him until now. Bob Burgess is now officially one of my literary crushes - what a good man ! But this novel is also very much about Lucy and Olive and the people in the stories of “unrecorded lives” that they share.

There are a number of reasons why Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite writers. In Crosby, Maine, she once again takes us to the small town life that she writes so astutely about. There’s how Strout describes the intimate, inner thoughts of her characters connecting the reader with their vulnerabilities, their fears, their loneliness, their goodness and kindness. Strout has such a keen sense of human nature. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention how she beautifully, in so many places, describes the seasons with wonderful descriptions of the trees.

Olive is her outspoken, feisty self, this time with her caring about people more in the open . If you didn’t love Olive before, I’m pretty sure she will touch you here as she summons Lucy to visit her so she can tell her some sad stories about people who belong together and don’t ever get to be. As for Bob, Strout reminds us of the trauma in Bob’s life as a child and his continued struggles, his relationship with his brother . With Lucy, my favorite Strout character, I saw once again her vulnerabilities, perhaps as a result of her traumatic childhood, but also her sense of empathy for those around her and those she doesn’t know except through the stories that Olive tells her. “Lucy listens, really listens.”

This is not just one of those quiet novels where not much seems to happen . There’s a murder to be solved and Bob is in the thick of it and so is the reader. There’s so much here - loneliness, aging, grief, childhood traumas, marriage, and love of all kinds, the untold stories people keep . Lucy has an untold story of her own and one of the most touching and heartfelt moments is when she tells it to Olive. A seemingly simple, yet profound commentary on love, on the connections we make, on life . From the very first page, I wanted Elizabeth Strout to tell me everything and she does it perfectly. Now I want her to tell me more.

I’m thankful to have received a copy of this from Random House through NetGalley.

[Samantha Jory · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually have no clue what people found so enchanting or enthralling about this novel. I found it difficult to finish. The book centres around Bob Burgess, a lawyer who takes a murder case of a younger isolated man, and his various relationships in his small town. Most of this novel is Bob's slow growing romantic interest Lucy, who tells the most fucking boring stories, and her replying to Bob's stories with "Oh, Bob" on their long walks where Bob smokes 1 cigarette. I was blown away at how uninspiring all of these stories were. I had really high hopes based on the Goodreads ratings but I found the interactions were VERY much "trying to be profound" with absolutely no depth. Bob had no personality and Lucy was ???emotional yet so boring. Olive was an entitled old cow.
BYE!

[Mark Porton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout is quite simply superb. My Dad, once said to me “Mark, you’re so lucky, if you fell off a 10-storey building you’d fall into a three-piece suit”. Well in this case it’s true – I asked (prayed) to NetGalley for this book and GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!! (Onya Dad!).

We see so many Strout characters here, people us Stroutists know intimately. Reading this is like slipping on a warm pair of slippers. It’s magic. We have spent years getting to know these people, and here we go again – they’re all together in some way or another, INCLUDING, yes, INCLUDING Olive Kitteridge!!!!!! What more could we ask for?



This is how I visualise Olive Kitteridge. This lady is Olive from the old BBC Comedy “On the Buses

I’ve managed to shave this review from 400 pages to something more edible. My two main points of interest here are Bob Burgess (married to Margaret) and Lucy Barton (used to be married to William but living with him) on their regular walks. Their chats, the routine, the intimacy. The things they talk about. Okay – let’s not deny it, Bob loves her, we think, but he certainly dips his toe into that bubbling pool of HCL. What does Lucy think?

Bob could not wait to tell Lucy about it. But, he and Margaret don’t have a bad relationship, not in any way. But these, things can happen. Can’t they?

Talking of Lucy Barton (author and ex-wife of William), she meets up with the legendary Olive Kitteridge. Oh man, I love Olive – she is so straight up, some may say rude – but I’m not so sure. Olive and Lucy catch up regularly to talk about “Lives unrecorded.” How’s that? These conversations are fascinating. If you like dropping your book on your chest (……okay you’re lying down here – on your back) and pondering about what was just said. You’ll understand this.

Jesus Christ. All these unrecorded lives, and people just live them

This all happens in Maine, which I must say sounds beautiful.

There are parent/adult children relationships explored – much of this will strike a chord with readers who have adult children. OMFG. Bob’s relationship with his brother Jim is also central – what the hell isn’t central here? Generational grief pops it’s ugly head up too.

One adult child says Dad, I just have to tell you: You sucked as a husband to Mom. What do you do with that?

There’s also a crime here and there's old lies revealed.

Can I just say this? With all of these people, knowing each other for so long, no different to any of us I suppose, including our families and friends – there are unrecorded stories.

But this book touches on meaning. The meaning of life. It really does.

What is the meaning of it all?

If I can be brutally honest – I don’t think there’s any meaning – I would love to be challenged here, because it makes me sound shallow. But don’t we just live our lives, as would a cat, a butterfly, a tree (a coffee table)? We try to survive, stay intact – we interact with the environment and the elements and just do our best. For this annoying ginger – I think it’s as simple as that. That gives me some comfort, it’s simple.

This book made me think of all this stuff. It will do it to you too!

Elizabeth Strout, you are a star.

5 Stars

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my review.


"Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love. If it is love, then it is love."

[Rusty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too twee and treacly for me. "Oh, William! Oh, Pam! Oh, Bob! Oh, Lucy!" Oh, brother.

[Canadian Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strout is like coming home to a comforting hug. Her characters we have grown with, laughed with, cried with and just sat enjoying a cup of coffee with.
On the surface, her characters almost seem simplistic yet they are multidimensional and complex and bring a richness and authenticity to who they are in the relationships they share.

This is a merging story. One that brings all these lovable characters together and expands them. We have Olive, Lucy, Bob Burgess and William.

The only caveat here would be you need to read the Amgash and Kitteridge series to appreciate the connection with these characters. There are linchpins, and sin-eaters and suffering in a marriage and in life.

Ah Strout. You remind us of what it is to be human with the all the vulnerabilities we have. And love is love. In all its forms and in all its maturity. I love Olive and Lucy and will miss them with all my heart. 💕
5⭐️

[Taufiq Yves · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, here’s the lowdown: The story takes place in a small town called Maine and weaves together 3 main plotlines. First, Bob and Lucy as they take their usual walks by the river, encountering all sorts of little events and interesting people. Then there’s Olive and Lucy, who get together to swap stories about lives that haven’t been officially recorded - stories they believe deserve to be remembered. Lastly, Bob working as Matt’s lawyer, helping him piece together his own narrative.

The book is packed with characters since every story shines a spotlight on a different person. There are plenty of short stories scattered throughout, but the one that really stuck with me was Olive’s first tale to Lucy about people living with ghosts in their marriages.

Potential Spoilers Ahead!

It digs into Olive’s family history. Her mom, Sara, fell for the young master of a resort when she was younger, but his family tore them apart. Later on, Sara became a teacher, married Olive’s dad, and had Olive and her sister Isa. After Sara passed away, Olive discovered a clipping in her mom’s wallet about that same young master - who, get this, had two kids with the exact names as Olive and Isa.

Olive’s dad, on the other hand, wasn’t much to write home about. He was uneducated, struggled in poverty, and eventually lost his job, which led him to take his own life at 57. In Olive’s eyes, her mom wasn’t really into him and didn’t appreciate the flowers he gave her. She even believed that both her mom and the young master had ghosts lingering over their marriage.

2 scenes really caught my attention: one where Olive’s dad takes her to a grocery store to buy things on credit only to be shut down, and another where Bob tells his mom he isn’t a fan of Christmas. Her secret tears, as she felt bad that she couldn’t fill the space under the Christmas tree with gifts, hit you right in the feels.

Most of the book’s main characters are older, and their stories offer a panoramic glimpse into someone else’s life. Olive sums it up perfectly when she says, ”People suffer. They live, they have hope, they even have love, and they still suffer.”. None of the stories paint life as all sunshine and rainbows - which might just be the real deal.

What is the point of anyone’s life?

I used to think life was all about just being and the experiences we gather along the way, where the journey matters more than the destination. But this book adds two more layers: love and the maturing of the soul. I think those elements really set us apart - not just from other species, but even from one another.

Elizabeth Strout is a great writer who knows how to tug at your heartstrings. She writes about everyday folks who struggle, and her take on their battles and subtle emotions is always spot on. The book wraps up with the line, “love is love.” It’s a simple, beautiful reminder that love - no matter what form it takes - endures. Life might seem meaningless sometimes, and the hardships might feel pointless, but in the end, love catches all those wild, unexpected blows life throws at us.

4.2 / 5 stars.

[switterbug (Betsey) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Strout universe is tight-knit yet vast in emotional wealth. Elizabeth S continues to mesmerize us with the stories of ordinary people--told in a deceptively straightforward voice, rich with irony and insights. In Tell Me Everything, two of Strout’s most delightful and ongoing protagonists---Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton---finally get up close and personal in Crosby, Maine. (Some folks blame Lucy for the skyrocketing price of housing---she is a successful writer that moved here during the pandemic). You won’t be let down with their meet-and-greet, either. There’s invariably a buffet of body language going on in Strout-world. Olive invites Lucy to come hear a story, true stories that need telling about unrecorded lives.

By now, Olive is ninety years old and Lucy is in her sixties. Lucy visits Olive in a retirement home where Olive now resides; I remember Lucy’s zippered boots and the way she blushes. Olive asks her about Bob, and Lucy tends to get cagey in response. And then Olive shares a story about family. In later meet-ups, there’s typically a segue, sort of like, “How’s Bob?”—legnthy pause, a smile, and then onto the astonishing stories of people you will feel like you know.

I thought it was going to be a Lucy/Olive narrative, but it shifts. We still get Strout-filled awkward moments and desperately minor conflicts between those in the ensemble cast. But this is a Bob Burgess book most of all. Lucy experiences some personal Bob drama, but, alas, he is pulled in many directions at once.

Bob Burgess is a semi-retired attorney who has also been in previous Strout novels, especially, of course, The Burgess Boys. It’s fine if you have never met him before, because ES will round him out and pull you into the Burgess weeds, not the least of which is a tragedy he shares with his brother. Married to Margaret, a Unitarian minister, he’s a little in love with Lucy. We know he doesn’t seem the cheating kind. Does the heart want what the heart wants? Bob doesn’t think he deserves to be the hero in his life—or even the main character. In Tell Me Everything, he unwittingly, humbly, generously, even reluctantly, gets to be both.

Newbies to Strout can start with any of her sparkling books. If you read out of order, you’ll see some spoilers, but it doesn’t hurt too much. That’s not a huge downside. You’ll be immersed in every novel in any order. An elegant and gently spicy writer, she creates characters who breathe on the page. They can be crabby, too. Strout pens crabby, exposed characters better than anyone!

Most of the drama in TME is quiet, restless, and inward. Small things lead to big consequences. A haircut causes a surprising riptide of emotions, an unforeseen disturbance that illustrates Strout’s genius in upending routine events. Angst—both existential and specific—haunts her sympathetic cast; unresolved issues can weave and wind and bend their mettle into melancholy.

Bob is a sin-eater, says Lucy. He is drawn to people who are stuck in their transgressions. Tall and schlumpy-shaped, Bob has room in his body and soul to absorb the sins of others. He takes on a monkish criminal defendant accused of killing his mother; his ex-wife wrestles with alcohol, and his brother is a hot mess of grief. Bob is needed all over the place, but he struggles to connect with his wife.

Whether you are new or familiar to the Strout-verse, you’ll be hooked from the opening pages. I thank Random House for sending me an ARC to review. The pleasure was all mine.

[Cathy Broughton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish someone told me not to read this book.

[Michael Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recording Lives

“Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love. If it is love, then it is love.”

I hope one day to catch up on all Elizabeth Strout’s work. I have enjoyed the last few releases and love her down-to-earth characters and the relationships they wrap themselves in. With “Tell Me Everything” she brings her two most well-known characters together, Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge. These two remarkable women are centerpieces in earlier acclaimed novels– but we have a new star here, Bob Burgess. He has been present in a few of the books, but here, well, the very first line tells us, “This is the story of Bob Burgess."

“He thought: God, we are all so alone. BUT—LUCY. SHE DID not make him feel alone.”

Right away Olive and Lucy are brought together. Olive has discovered that Lucy is a writer and wants to share an unusual story with her. The two exchange stories over time, with a general theme being the mysteries of “unrecorded lives.” What is the point of an unfulfilled life?

Now Bob and Lucy have been the closest of friends for a while. They each love their respective partners, but find immense satisfaction with their walks, their communications. There never seems to be any sort of jealousy from the partners. Bob’s wife is a minister who encourages the friendship. Lucy lives with her ex-husband, William (of the “Oh, William” book), who feels completely comfortable confiding in Bob. Lucy and Bob’s relationship serves to fill in gaping holes from home, holes preventing a fulfillment each one craves.

“It makes me glad to be with you, Lucy. You give me a break from … well, you know, life.”

More than once, the topic of “sin eater” arises. Bob is clearly the sin eater. He is the ultimate nice guy. He takes the death of his brother’s wife as hard as his brother does and accepts the burden of mending their family’s conflicts. Despite his recent relative inactivity as a lawyer, he is compelled to defend a hopelessly misunderstood client accused of murdering his own mother. Anytime someone is struck by disaster, Bob rushes to their side. This admirable trait takes a heavy toll.

The obvious question to be answered is, can Bob and Lucy’s relationship rest in its platonic state? “I’m just so glad you’re in my life,” she said. And he said, “Me too.” They repeat these sentiments often. One version would have them run away together– but at what cost? Bob wonders if this might cause his wife to die, if William, even, might die. Another version would line them up as candidates in one of Lucy and Olive’s “unrecorded lives.”

This is the skeleton of the story, but it does not convey how Elizabeth Strout connects her characters in deeply realistic tapestries. The interpersonal relationships are authentic and thought-provoking. She is a master of these complexities, "Olive Kitteridge" having won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It is always a delight to return to this world.

Thank you to the Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #TellMeEverything #NetGalley

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+ stars
The first half of this book moved quite slow for me, but I was trying to remember the details of the past lives of these characters, all whom I’ve met before.. but it’s been awhile… and here they were .. all together.
Olive, and Lucy both with Bob and William and all their relationships, etc.
The main focus.. the history of unrecorded lives and the meaning of life.
Olive still had moments of being… well, Olive!
It ended up being very good and … one huge takeaway..
Bob Burgess is a very good man!
Can’t wait to see if we will hear from these people again

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing and Elizabeth Strout (one of my favorite authors)

Publishing date August 13, 2024

[Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Thanks to the publisher for this early copy for review. Release date: September 10, 2024]

This is Strout’s 10th book and the first time 3 of her main characters—Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, and Bob Burgess—appear together on the page! It’s an exciting coming together of many volumes and many years of work for Strout, and as an avid reader and evangelist of her books, I was so happy to see them unite.

The story is as you’d expect from Strout: thoughtful, tender, heartfelt, but run through with a current of sorrow. The hardships of everyday life for these New Englanders is described in her signature prose, clean and profound.

Bob is working through a new criminal case for a man named Matthew Beach who has spent years, after recovering from cancer, taking care of his mother in turn. Meanwhile, Lucy & Olive meet irregularly to share stories with one another of their lives and the ‘unrecorded lives’ of everyday people they’ve known throughout the years. These two narratives, one more plotty and the other more reflective, balance each other well.

I wouldn’t have minded if these stories, however, had been split into separate books of their own, only because I’m selfish and would’ve loved more from each. But as they stand, I really appreciated how it all tied together and created a slice of life narrative that showcases Strout’s singular talent.

I can’t wait for people to get their hands on this in a few weeks so we can discuss. While you could in theory pick up this book first, I’d suggest, if you’ve never read Strout, to try reading one or all of the following first if you have the chance:
- Olive Kitteridge
- My Name is Lucy Barton
- The Burgess Boys

These will give you a good intro to Strout’s little universe and the characters that inhabit it. Plus they’re all excellent novels in their own right!

[L A · Rating 5 out of 5]

My love for these characters continues ..."new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world." A literary fiction that is simple, but elegantly written about every day life and the issues that are bestowed upon us.
When Lucy's friendship with Bob strengthens, they take long walks and discuss their fears, regrets, friendships and what could have been. A common question reigns throughout the book "What does anyone's life mean?"
The setting is Crosby, Maine. When Lucy moves with her ex-husband William to Maine, she admires the community and the feel of the people as they encompass her as a writer. She befriends Olive who wants to tell her story to Lucy to write about. Bob begins a murder investigation when a man is accused of killing his mother...the same man who is obsessed with his friendship with Lucy.
If you haven't started your journey with this author, you need to. Beginning with her first book as you can see this is #5...so worth it. The characters fold perfectly into our lives with thoughts we have experienced with others and our way to fit in.
"Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love."
Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Elizabeth Strout for this outstanding series in exchange for my honest review.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Strout is an acquired taste. She’s the queen of the interconnected, character rich stories. Many of her characters have shown up in multiple books and we, her readers, have gotten to watch them grow and age. Tell Me Everything has a whole slew of characters I’ve come to know and care about. Most of the characters are now in their 60s. Olive Kitteridge is now 90.
This isn’t a book where a lot happens (none of her books are). With age have come regrets, especially about marriages. One of the more interesting concepts is that of living with a ghost in a marriage. Characters tell stories about their pasts, others they have known, connections small and large. Olive and Lucy feel compelled to tell stories from the past - to have someone document these “unrecorded lives”.
Strout’s writing is always spot on, her ability to just describe a scene with just the right turn of phrase. Not lush, just succinct. It was a book where I found myself highlighting a lot of passages because they just made me think.
At times the book felt dark, but there are these flashes of lightness and hope. And love. It’s about folks doing the right thing, especially Bob Burgess. Or owning up when they didn’t do the right thing and asking forgiveness. Oh my, there was just so much meat to this book!
This is not a book that works as a standalone.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a slight disappointment for me. I was expecting more of a focused story about the trial based on the jacket cover. Instead, it felt like more of the same, an extension of the previous four, with the trial playing a very small role in the plot. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, given the other books. This is, after all, Elizabeth Strout and not Jodi Picoult. At least it feels like the series is concluded. Even if another book came out, I think I’ve had my fill of these characters.

Things I liked: almost all the characters being elderly (we really have too few books headlining or more senior generations, and I’d like more please), keeping things real (life post-COVID, reference to Canadian fires, etc.), the reconciliations between siblings, the truths coming out, the unspoken suggestions of what Bob’s life might hold in the coming years (letting us guess, just like the unspecified trauma Lucy has endured), the blooming of a nice young man who is finally living the life he deserves, Olive’s judgy and gossipy nature, and two people choosing the morally right choice in a world where no one else they know seems to be.

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shortlisted for the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction

A thought had taken hold of Olive Kitteridge on one of these days in October, and she pondered it for almost a week before she called Bob Burgess. “I have a story to tell that writer Lucy Barton. I wish you would have her come visit me.” The story was one that Olive had been reflecting on with more and more frequency, and she thought—as people often do—that if her story could be told to a writer, maybe it could be used in a book one day. Olive did not know if Lucy was a famous writer or not quite a famous writer, but she decided it did not matter. The library always had a long wait list for Lucy’s books, so Olive had ordered them from the bookstore instead, and she read through them, and something made her think that this Lucy might like—or could possibly use—the story Olive had to tell.

This is Elizabeth Strout’s tenth book (all of which take place in the same fictional world) after:
Her 1998 debut “Amy and Isabelle”;
Her second novel “Abide With Me” (2006);
Her Pulitzer Prize winning interlinked short-story collection “Oliver Kitteridge” (2008) with stories centred around the eponymous curmudgeonly (retired) maths teacher, later followed up with “Olive, Again” (2019);
“The Burgess Boys” (2013);
Her Booker longlisted “My Name is Lucy Barton” (2016) which introduced the eponymous successful but insecure novelist from an extremely hard and poor upbringing which was then followed up in the “Amgash” series by the interlinked short stories “Anything Is Possible” (2017), the Booker shortlisted novel “Oh William” (2021) about Lucy’s first husband, and then her COVID novel “Lucy By The Sea”.

That later novel had as its heart William insisting Lucy flees New York in the early stages of the pandemic and move with him to Maine, where Lucy strikes up a close friendship with the retired Bob Burgess (from “The Burgess Boys) – but Katherine (from “Abide With Me”), Isabelle (from “Amy and Isabelle) and Olive Kitteridge all make appearances, the latter two more of a cameo appearance as both are living in a care home where Charlene – who Lucy meets when both volunteer at a food bank and befriends across the increasing US political divide – cleans.

This novel is a very direct chronological and character follow up “Lucy By The Sea” but: with the wider Burgess family playing a major role; the friendship between Bob and Lucy being completely central to the novel; a murder investigation providing the plot scaffolding (Bob coming out of retirement to defend an eccentric man suspected of killing the elderly mother he has nursed much of his life) and most delightfully a burgeoning friendship between Strout’s two most legendary characters one which starts around sharing their stories of the often deeply sad and affecting unrecorded lives (“Lucy Barton had used that phrase when she first met Olive and heard Olive ’s story about her mother: unrecorded lives, she had said. And Olive thought about this. Everywhere in the world people led their lives unrecorded, and this struck her now. She summoned Lucy Barton again.”) they encountered over their long lives – but which ultimately and movingly causes them both to re-examine some of their closest relationships (Lucy with Bob, Olive with Isabelle) and to ultimately agree in a moving conclusion that “Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love”

It is a must read for any fans of either Olive Kitteridge or Lucy Barton – and I know some fall into one camp or the other and simply essential for those who like both (I smiled when Charlene reflects that she “liked being with Lucy … Almost as much as she liked being with Olive Kitteridge”). For those who are unfamiliar with Strout’s work I would consider this book as a target rather than a beginning and read (as a minimum) “Olive Again” (for me the best of the Olive collections) and then back to back “My Name is Lucy Barton”, “Oh William” and “Lucy By The Sea” before this book.

Like so much of Strout’s writing, this is a beautiful, wise and often deeply affecting examination of human lives, of how childhood incidents can cause insecurities and shape character and behaviour for the rest of life, of ageing and how it can give a different perspective of parenting and parents, of the impossibility of really knowing another person and here in particular of what love means.

Lucy sat down on the couch and said, “Okay, Olive—here is a story. It is not the saddest story ever told, that would be a false sentence to say that, but it has sadness in it and beauty. Tell me if you think this story isn’t one of real beauty.”

My thanks to Penguin General UK, Viking for an ARC via NetGalley

[Henk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize 2025!
A humane story which brings together two of the great characters of Strout. I enjoyed the chatty narration and the focus on small events
If you don’t think everyone is broken in some way, you’re wrong.

Elizabeth Strout is an amazing writer in how she elevates the everyday, often overlooked into compelling stories. We focus on Bob Burgess, a lawyer in Maine who becomes quite friendly with Lucy Barton, who recently moved there. She meanwhile enjoys not just his company but also that of Olive Kitteridge, who is in her nineties. They exchange stories of unrecorded lives with each other.

Meanwhile Bob’s brother has a desperately sick wife and troubles connecting with his son.
And then there is the case Bob takes on as a defence lawyer, where an isolated, bit strange brother appears to have killed his mother.

The events in Tell Me Everything themselves are not extraordinary, but how Strout narrates the story, humane and deeply curious is soothing and impressive at the same time.
Especially how she elevates the simple truth that all persons are deeply unknownable, and how she made Lucy at times slightly unsympathetic in this instalment made this book interesting.
3.5 stars rounded up! The Olive Kitteridge books are next to discover for me!

Quotes:
Like I have become inconsequential to their lives

God, we are all just so alone

Oh bobby, what a mess everyone is

We don’t ever really know another person

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5★
“Lucy let out a huge sigh and said, ‘But it’s a sad story. Carrying that clipping with her all her life.’ She shook her head and said, ‘Jesus Christ. All these unrecorded lives, and people just live them.’ Then she looked at Olive and said, ‘Sorry for swearing.’

‘Phooey, swear all you want.’ Olive added, ‘Well, that’s the story. I always wanted to tell someone. But for whatever reasons I never did.’”

Olive Kitteridge is now ninety and living in a retirement home. She knows that Lucy Barton, the author, moved up to Crosby, Maine, from New York City at the beginning of the Covid pandemic. She’s read all of Lucy’s books and has plenty of stories to share herself.

Bob Burgess had mentioned to Lucy that Olive had a story to tell her, and Lucy has ended up in tears after hearing about Olive’s mother. Lucy has said in her books that she doesn’t cry easily, so this has surprised both women.

It is the first of several stories of unrecorded lives they are to tell each other throughout the book. Some are short anecdotes, some are ongoing even now.

I think the title means, “I’m listening – really listening.” It’s a book full of people who are familiar to Strout’s readers, and stories go back to childhoods, youth, and old relationships.

It’s something like listening in on private therapy sessions where people unburden themselves. Small towns are notoriously full of gossip, but opening yourself up is foreign here.

Bob Burgess and his brother Jim are discussing a legal case in Crosby, which touches on something sensitive in their own childhoods.

“But they had never spoken of it since; they were both from Maine, and all their years of living in New York City would not change that; people from Maine did not always like to talk of these things.”

Strout shows us the relationships between couples and friends and who is paying attention – ‘really listening’ – to whom, and how easy it is for people to become nostalgic about old romances or wish to rekindle old feelings with someone new.

“Lucy said, contemplatively, ‘I wonder how many people in long marriages live with ghosts beside them.’

‘Henry and I never did.’ Though as Olive said that she had a quick memory of Henry liking that foolish girl who worked with him for a while in the pharmacy, and she herself had been attracted to a man she taught with. But weren’t those tiny drops of oil in a fry pan? Not like the story she had just told.”

She mentions these to Lucy, who “waved her hand. ‘Little infatuations, unacted-on crushes, they’re not like living with a ghost.’”

Tiny drops of oil in a fry pan. Strout says so much in so few words.

Meanwhile, it’s autumn, becoming cold, and Bob Burgess takes walks along the river to have a secret cigarette, staying upwind of the smoke, hoping his wife, Margaret, a local priest, won’t smell it on his clothing. Lucy also walks along the river, and they’ve become regular walking companions, both feeling surprisingly comfortable talking to – and listening to – each other.

We can see where this particular story might be going, since both are with partners who are wrapped up in their own interests – Margaret with her church (and sermon performances), and William with his scientific research.

Bob has agreed to defend a strange local man accused of murdering his mother, which puts him back in business, so to speak. He now has a new interest, and so do we. Lucy and Olive continue swapping stories.

Strout fills in the backgrounds of her people well, which is good for readers like me who don’t remember all the details, but I still wouldn’t recommend this as a standalone book. It will be so much better enjoyed and appreciated by those who have read at least some of her earlier books.

This is not part of a series so much as one of a collection of linked books that revisit old friends and acquaintances whom you may have met on a previous trip to their part of the world. I love visiting them.

Now I’m tempted to go back and re-read some. I’ve read Olive Kitteridge three times, I think, and I pick up something new each time.

I would call her style simple and understated - no flowery language or intellectual games, going on, although she is beautifully descriptive. But, she is deeply insightful, so characters like Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, and others are real and memorable.

The writing is so smooth that conversations and stories just flow, full of subtle hints and shifts that suggest moods and feelings so that you end up with a sense of how things are, but you’re not always sure how you got there. Magic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced copy from which I have quoted (so quotations are subject to change).

My review of Olive Kitteridge(Olive Kitteridge #1)

My review of Olive Again(Olive Kitteridge #2)

My review of My Name Is Lucy Barton (Amgash #1)

My review of Anything Is Possible (Amgash #2)

My Review of Oh, William! (Amgash #3)

My review of Lucy By The Sea (Amgash #4)

My review of The Burgess Boys

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one distinctly smelt of money grabbing, to be honest.

Contrived, convoluted and, at times, even a bit preachy.

The connection/relationship between Lucy and Olive made no sense at all, and their conversations felt, not only forced, but also completely pointless. All their chats felt like padding.

The chatty walks by the river also felt a bit forced, and I found it quite unbelievable that, by coincidence, both Lucy and Bob’s partners were completely okay with them leaving whatever they were doing to go for a walk with someone else; on a regular basis; no matter the weather conditions. The walks only made sense in Lucy by the Sea, because, well… it was 2020.

The crime/mystery elements worked quite well, but the final resolution felt lazy, rushed, convenient and predictable.

I think it’s well past the time to leave these characters alone. I don’t want to know anything about their bedsores and diapers. Enough is enough.
.

[Connie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it to page 62, but it is so dreadfully boring. And, if I see the word 'pandemic' one more time, I may scream.

[Marchpane]

Lucy Barton hanging out with Olive Kitteridge? I can't wait for this.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read almost all of Elizabeth Strout's novels, especially all of the (as of 2024 5) Amgash (Illinois) series novels, including this one, and they all are interconnected, all worth reading. Well, I think all of Elizabeth Strout's books are interconnected, making up a growing world. She's one of these writers that is really accessible, writing beloved bestsellers, but also critically recognized for making that accessibility look easy, granted a Pulitzer Prize for Oliver Kittredge, and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for O, William! in 2022.

I am reading dark noir detective fiction and ghost stories for courses I am teaching this fall, and they depict generally bleak views of human nature, so Tell Me Everything is a kind of welcome departure from that as, without ignoring the ugliness of the world, it is ultimately life-affirming.

"Love is love."

“And who—who who who in this whole entire world—does not want to be heard?”

"All these unrecorded lives, and people just live them."

"What does any one’s life mean?”

But if any of those quotations seem sentimental or cliched to you, I have to say that in the context of this story they nevertheless work, because if you know the people in this story cycle--Lucy Barton, Olive, Bob Burgess, Margaret, Pam, William, and so on--you want to be in this world and hear their insights and suffer with them. Off the top of my head there are many writers who create such warmth and urgency for kindness and understanding in highly respected literary fiction--Louise Penny and Kent Haruf are a couple of them that come immediately to mind, and of course there are many more.

What are the key features of this book? Well, the gang's all back, mostly in Maine. Crotchety Olive, now 90, tells Bob Burgess to tell writer Lucy Barton she has a story to tell that she might be interested in, and this leads to some regular storytelling exchanges. But isn't this what friendship really is about, an exchange of stories? "Tell me everything!" you say to your friends when you see them. It's the foundation of friendship, storytelling.

Another key feature is the closer and closer relationship developing--in part through storytelling and listening--between Bob Burgess and Lucy Barton.

Then a third dimension of this book I guessed came with the age-appropriate watching by 60+ year olds in this country of things such as Only Murders in the Building (and/or many highly popular true crime podcasts), and Louise Penny's mysteries. There's a murder of an ex-lunch lady they used to call Beach Ball and then Bitch Ball at the school, that juvenile stuff. Bob, a former defense lawyer, takes the case, and while the whole group doesn't exactly Scooby the whole thing to a resolution, some of our friends do chip in info, as with Louise Penny's Three Pines group of friends. I wish the murder took a greater role, actually, but it's still pretty good.

The murder of course gets solved, but this mystery is no greater than the mysteries of the human heart that Lucy/Strout explore in this book, where we learn humans are like shifting sand, or puzzles, not always making sense in what happens across their lives.

And we get back to the Burgess Boys and the mystery of who is responsible for the death of their father, a lifelong process that in many ways remains a never-ending mystery.

Don't read this as your first Strout. Start with the first Amgash books so you can get the back stories for this novel. Read Olive Kittredge. If you just picked this up you might say this is a three-star book, but for most of us who know this world, this is a five-star book, or at least four. It's probably a four-star for me but I can't be objective about Strout. I loved it and read it as fast I possibly could. I could hardly put it down, and as you know, I read a lot, often several books at once. I'm going to go back to read the ones I haven't yet read!

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Strout has delivered another compelling, moving, thought provoking and gripping book. She has a writing that resonates with me. In Tell Me Everything, she combines three characters from three of her books: Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, and Bob Burgess. It was wonderful to be back in their worlds. I especially adore Olive who continues to be spunky and bluntly tells it like it is!

I appreciated how this book focused on "undocumented lives". Elizabeth Strout has a unique gift for taking everyday events and elevating them. This book focuses on life, love, missed chances, being vulnerable, friendship, community, loneliness, aging, and lives lived. This book also has a mystery which needs to be solved but the real beauty of this book is in the characters and their complex lives, how they touch the lives of others, how the story of people's lives is important.

Beautifully written, captivating, well thought out, and thought provoking!

*Buddy read with Carolyn and DeAnn. Please read their reviews as well to get their impressions of Tell Me Everything.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth book in this delightful series and we are in Crosby, Maine, where Olive Kitteridge is living in a retirement home. Bob Burgess and his wife, Margeret, are there, and Lucy Barton has returned too and is back with her husband, William.

Bob and Lucy have taken to going for long walks along the river. Both of them are feeling a lack in their partners and pretty soon it is apparent they are in love. I wondered how the author was going to deal with this since both of them, and Bob in particular, are not the kind of people to betray their spouses. The solution is realistic and a touch sad.

Bob introduces Lucy to Olive and the two women start meeting frequently telling each other stories about people's lives. This gives the author lots of opportunity to tell short stories, something at which she excels. Things do happen, for example there is a murder which leads to Bob defending a young man, but mostly the reader is in the hands of a really talented author telling stories which illustrate people's lives and loves. I just sat back and let the beautiful words flow past.

I sincerely hope Elizabeth Strout has not finished with Olive, Lucy and Bob. We need more books like this one. Five stars.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Deeply, painfully boring

[Brina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a character driven reader, primary fiction reader, or hype reader. Now that I got that off of my chest, I have reentered the world of fiction reading in the last week. I bring a book to work with me most days and it is generally easier to concentrate on even the meatiest fiction than on hefty nonfiction tomes. This is why I put myself into a nonfiction cocoon for the entire summer, so that I could soak in the history and sports books that I love to savor. Since I started with fiction, I feel as though the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. I can’t get enough stories, and thankfully I have a mix of both varieties to last me awhile. I also note that I am hardly a hype reader. Books don’t go anywhere so why rush to read a book the second that it leaves the presses. The last time I did this, I finished with a sour taste in my mouth. There are fiction writers and there are fiction writers. One of the best that the United States has today is Elizabeth Strout. I would rather read a fast paced story any day, but Strout has created such memorable characters that even a plot driven reader like me will rush to read her works. It is in her newest work that her three most famous characters come together in an unforgettable story that will move the majority of us. It is the story of life.

During the pandemic, Lucy Barton moved from Manhattan to Crosby, Maine with her ex-husband William to live in a house by the sea isolated from most of humanity. I have admittedly not read other parts of the Barton saga; I got this book for the other female protagonist featured. Even though Lucy misses life in New York, she has settled into the slow paced life in Maine. Although I am not a fan of pandemic fiction, especially when the author inserts his/her politics into the book, but Strout writes with a soothing language that reels one in. People in Lucy’s age bracket have been forced to navigate life on their own for the past few years. She writes her books and conducts conferences over zoom. Although she still owns an apartment in New York, after a few years removed from people, she is comfortable taking walks along the river in Crosby with her friend Bob Burgess, the same Bob Burgess who is a protagonist in another of Strout’s series. The two walk once a week and appear to exhibit unrequited feelings for each other and talk about life. Bob is just Bob and other readers have noted that this book is about him, but I do not know enough of his back story to corroborate this one way or another. Bob suggests that Lucy speak with a mutual friend named Olive Kittredge. He has a feeling that Olive will enjoy these talks more so than he does. Thus, Lucy starts to meet with Olive and talk to her about life as well. Bob stays as just Bob.

I first read the first story about Olive Kittredge because the novel won the Pulitzer, and I try to read as many as possible. With the first book, I went in blind and drew myself to a feisty, older protagonist. I lauded Strout for her depiction of Olive as an older woman who did not slow down as she aged. Many, Lucy included, believe Olive to be a bully, and she might have been as a younger woman, but with age comes wisdom, and Olive in her elder state has been known to dispense wisdom to younger citizens of Crosby, many of them her former students as they enter middle age. At this point in Olive’s character arc, she is ninety years old and living in a retirement home. She still has all of her faculties and is close friends with Isabelle Goodrow, another of Strout’s characters, who is also a resident. Olive knows Bob Burgess in passing because everyone knows of the Burgess boys. Upon meeting Lucy, Olive is apprehensive of her fancy clothes and because she is an author; at first glance this is how a Lucy assumes correctly that Olive is a bully. Eventually the two grow used to each other despite a nearly thirty year age gap and meet to tell stories of unfulfilled lives, some of them intermediate family members who have long left the earth. For both ladies, the story occurs when they are both in need of a female friend after being alone for much of the pandemic. Although I do not know as much about Lucy’s background as I do about Olive’s, Strout fills in the gaps and I have come to love this character as well. She might be needy but what is not to love about Lucy.

The narrator at the beginning notes that this is a book about Bob Burgess. Bob is at a life’s crossroads in his marriage to Margaret as well as his relationships with many other characters including Lucy, his ex-wife Pam, and his brother Jim. All of these characters comes with their own baggage, and because it is Steout who tells it, I find all of these characters fascinating even though their lives are oh so different than my own. Many readers have classified this book as a crime story because Bob takes on a client accused of murdering his elderly mother. This narrative arc is not as much about the crime as it is about the characters and their own muddy backstories. With each new character, Strout adds multiple layers of characterization, and I kept reading at a quick pace to find out if any new details would emerge, even toward the book’s end. I am often drawn to books set in small towns with their quirky cast of characters because everyone has a story, and in a place like Crosby, everyone seems to know everyone else’s story, with Olive being the senior stateswoman and master story teller. Strout might have set out to make this a story of Bob, but it is really a story of life and how older people choose to navigate relationships at life’s later stages. With few stories featuring older people from their own point of view, I feel that these are stories that should be told so that younger generations like my own can come to terms with the fact that the baby boom generation is indeed aging. And besides who could not help but come to love Bob.

It is tough for me to step out of my reading cocoon. I’ll read sports histories, memoirs, and mystery series almost daily, but character driven narratives are usually not my forte. I find them to be slow moving and tend to put them down as incomplete. Not so the books of Elizabeth Strout. She is a master storyteller of people. All of her characters from the protagonist to the most peripheral person have multiple layers to their personality. I can not help but fall in love with her writing style as she has her characters wade through the vagaries of life. I selected this book because I knew that Olive Kittredge was in it, and Olive was Olive, again and again. While reading I was introduced to new characters and now I feel compelled to read those series to find out those backstories. I wouldn’t mind taking a month to read them all as Strout’s writing is that good. As I have now re-emerged as a fiction reader I will have to proceed with caution because there are stories and there are the histories that I do not want to leave unread. Thankfully, there is time for both because books aren’t going anywhere. I might not be a hype or a primarily fiction reader, but there is the work of Elizabeth Strout, and for a third time I have come away wowed by her writing.

4 stars

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ponder
Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton are two of the most fascinating and enigmatic characters ever imagined by an author. While ordinary and typically undramatic, their daily lives are drawn with keen observation and thoughtfulness that is just outstanding. Elizabeth Strout's relaxed narrative style is closely tied to Olive and Lucy's reflective behaviour.

Thinking back to the captivating Pulitzer prize-winning book Olive Kitteridge, whose multiple stories encircled Olive. Or the reflective weight of Lucy’s childhood in My Name is Lucy Barton. Strout is a master at subtlety building consequential stories delicately related to her main characters. I have followed their lives through multiple books. In Tell Me Everything, Lucy and Olive spend time together in Crosby, Maine, sharing almost philosophical stories as they interpret meaning and significance in events and people they encounter.

“I don’t know what the point is to this story!” “People,” Lucy said quietly, leaning back. “People and the lives they lead. That’s the point.”
“Exactly,” Olive nodded.

While we adore Olive and Lucy sharing their discussions and views, the main character focus in the book is Bob Burgess. Bob is another personality in the Olive and Lucy universe who heightens our feelings of connection, vulnerabilities, concerns, love, desires, guilt, and private moments in our imagination. Bob’s relationship with Lucy is exquisitely depicted, and the issues they deal with during the novel range from family relationships to murder and a profound revelation of emotional sentiments.

I would highly recommend Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout, and perhaps one quote from the book that sums it up so beautifully and gives us our thought for the day

“People always tell you who they are if you just listen—they will always eventually tell you who they are.”

I want to thank Penguin General UK and NetGalley for providing a free ARC in return for an honest review.

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I have just been reunited with some old friends. It was so easy to slip back into their world. Olive, I have missed you! Lucy, it’s nice to chat with you again and garner your wisdom. And Bob, I really didn’t know you as I have never read The Burgess Boys, but I know you now and I love the warm hearted man you are- You are as Lucy said, a “sin eater”. You are you!

There is so much to explore in this book. A book that made me think about my own life- “What does anyone’s life mean?” Elizabeth Strout gets life- she knows that shit happens, but life goes on as we must go on. Life is about finding love, whether it be from your spouse, your parents, your children, your friends. Life is worth living if you have love and feel connected.

Lucy and Olive connect in this book through the power of stories. The stories they tell each other are of people who would be forgotten but are brought to life again by these remembrances. The last story that Lucy tells Olive and only Olive, left me feeling moved to my core!

Lucy and Bob connect on their walks and talks. With each other, they are able to open up and feel accepted. Isn’t that what we all want?

Strout knows what is important in life- friendship, connection, acceptance, love- she writes these books and brings these people to us so we will also remember what is important in life!

I am crossing my fingers that I get to go back to Crosby, Maine again. I have a feeling though that their journey is now complete. If it is, it is a fitting ending.

Published: 2024

Many thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and the author, Elizabeth Strout for allowing me access to this book ahead of time. It was an absolute pleasure to read and left my heart feeling full!

[Christy fictional_traits · Rating 5 out of 5]

'They are stories of loneliness and love...And the small connections we make in this world if we are lucky'.

'Tell Me Everything' is about people; community, friendships, relationships - connections. Set within the small town of Crosby, Maine, the story primarily focuses on Lucy, Bob and Olive but through them, we're privy to others' lives and their stories. Told in simple, almost ascetic language, human nature and the desire to truly have others know and understand us, indeed, to truly comprehend ourselves, is examined through everyday lives and everyday issues, '...we don't ever really know another person. And so we make them up according to when they came into our lives...'. Olive and Lucy begin to swap, seemingly random, stories about people they've encountered or used to know, simply to acknowledge them and perhaps the unknowing impact they've had on their thoughts, 'And who - who who who in this entire world - does not want to be heard'? Perhaps if we truly listened, and understood people, we'd be kinder, more accepting, more gracious.

I loved how this book and its quiet contemplation grew on me. I haven't read any of the previous books in the series but, for me, that in no way detracted from my enjoyment. The way Strout used narration to reveal 'insider' knowledge, nicely juxtaposed with the sometimes artificial, everyday, conversations people have.

Any literary fiction fan is sure to enjoy this book, if they haven't already been taken by her previous ones.

'People suffer. They live, they have hope, they even have love, and they still suffer. Everyone does.'

[Catherine (alternativelytitledbooks) - still catching up! · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Elizabeth Strout for an ARC of this book!**

"I love the comfort of daily life's routines: things like being able to read a paper on a subway. It's no accident that my favorite word is 'quotidian'." - Elizabeth Strout

Quotidian musings, indeed, are once again at the heart of the latest installment of the Amgash series, Tell Me Everything. In it, we are once again back in the world of Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, and Bob Burgess in the beloved town of Crosby, Maine. Picking up where the last installment left off, Lucy is still working through her feelings about her ex husband William as she comes to terms with living with him in their home by the sea. Bob Burgess, on the other hand, has his own series of challenges to deal with: he is knee deep in a complicated murder investigation where he is trying to determine whether or not a young man killed his mother...and who better to talk over all of this with than the indomitable and beloved writer who just so HAPPENS to be his closest friend...Lucy Barton?

But Lucy has formed a newfound friendship of her own...in the form of a crossover that all Strout fans have been waiting for, she begins to bond with none other than Olive Kitteridge. Olive is living in a nearby retirement community (with plenty of free time) and these two kindred spirits settle into a routine of swapping old stories...those that maybe never have been heard, and may also help lead to new realizations about the murder case that Bob has been working on so feverishly. But with so many unanswered questions, unfinished business, and angst lingering in the air, will all of these players find the kind of love and connection they have so desperately been seeking? Or will bouts of doubt and despondency keep them always searching for the sort of true, unfiltered connection that is always JUST out of reach as they fight to answer "what does life really MEAN"?

I jumped into this series with Amgash #3, Oh William, as Strout explored the bond of marriage (or former marriage) between Lucy and William, and laid the groundwork for her burgeoning attraction to well, Bob Burgess. 😉 Book 4 (Lucy by the Sea) dealt wholly with COVID, so it certainly felt more like a disquisition on the pandemic rather than a full on "Lucy book", but I did instantly get a sense of this quirky, emotional, and deeply thoughtful character and grew to like her even more. After such a deep and complex love triangle of sorts in the last book, I was hopeful that this path would continue in book 5, and I was eager to see how this connection would play out.

But enter one Olive Kitteridge...and the dynamic changed ENTIRELY.

This isn't to say this book was bad by comparison: Strout's writing quality and the ability to find the profundity in minutia has never wavered. Her effortless exploration of some philosophical standbys (What is the meaning of life? Why do we always feel like we are missing something and subsequently never feel whole? What is love and why is it always just out of reach?) was still present, moving the narrative along and giving her characters much to ponder throughout. The crux of this book is (unsurprisingly) centered around stories: the telling of stories, the process of remembering stories, and for you the reader, LISTENING to characters tell one story after another.

And while I normally find listening to Lucy's stories charming and even enthralling, listening to Bob, Olive, and others ALSO tell endless stories...got to be a bit like listening to your uncle at Thanksgiving who keeps thinking of just ONE more thing to say...when all you want to do is race out the door, get home, and snuggle up in bed.

I think part of the reason I was at a disadvantage in this read was a completely lack of familiarity with Olive: although she seemed sweet, her idiosyncrasies mixed with Lucy's just got to be a bit MUCH. From the bizarre 'nyuh' noises to the general propensity of rambling, there were times I just wanted a break from the storytelling to let the plot itself move along. At first, it seemed like everything was centered around the murder mystery, but as the book wore on, Strout started to incorporate plot threads from other Amgash books (and probably from Olive's books too, I just wouldn't have known it!) and it grew increasingly difficult to keep focus. This is one of those times where, while this potentially COULD be read as a standalone, it is the least standalone of the Amgash series by far. Much like trying to watch the series finale of a new show without watching a single episode of its inaugural season...you're setting yourself up for disappointment AND confusion.

This isn't to say that I didn't feel some of that "Lucy magic" throughout the pages: I was still very invested in her will-they-won't-they sort of turn with Bob, her lingering feelings for William, etc. It just seemed that with so much going on, Strout wasn't able to dedicate the sort of page count to this conflict to give it full credence. I also don't know if 'murder mystery' is really her lane...I think her propensity to always retreat back to literary fiction always shone through, and after a while, I sort of stopped caring if the man was guilty or innocent and was simply hoping for SOME resolution. Although this book is divided into 4 smaller books, I also didn't feel a clear separation between segments, and even the (relatively) short chapters didn't feel as neat or settled as I would have liked. While I am unsure if this is the end of the road for the Amgash series, the end of this one DID sort of lend itself to some 'conclusions'...so the jury's still out on whether Lucy (or Elizabeth, rather 😉) has penned her last.

And while I always enjoy my time with Lucy Barton and will gladly lend an ear to hear whatever she has to say, I wish that this book could have just told me ONE thing...rather than trying to tell me everything.

4 stars, rounded up from 3.5