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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
Surprisingly, this is my favorite of the series. I say surprisingly because it about that first stretch of the pandemic, which I wasn’t sure I was ready to read about yet. But honestly I feel that I connected to this more because I lived it, whereas a lot of the other stories in this are about a woman dealing with marriage and children and adult life in a way that I’ve not experienced. I felt this was quiet in a good way rather than quiet in a meh *shrugs shoulders* way how the others seemed (not sure if that makes sense but it’s how I feel!)
• Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is September 20, 2022.
• ModernMrsDarcy.com 2022 Fall Book Preview #MMDSummerReading #MMDBookClub
#StoryGraph: fiction literary reflective medium-paced
304 pages | first published 2022
It’s 2020 and COVID-19 lockdowns have just begun. Lucy and her ex-husband, William, now in his 70s, have fled New York City. They “temporarily” move to Maine. But when the virus seems to lingering on. Lucy and William make the move permanent to their secluded house, and live out their together in peace.
The pain and the loss brought on by this pandemic is clearly present throughout.
From the Publisher:
As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and longtime friend, William. For the next several months, it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea. They will not emerge unscathed.
Rich with empathy and emotion, Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear, struggles, and isolation that come with life in a global pandemic, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we're apart--the pain of a beloved daughter's suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love. "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."
• ModernMrsDarcy.com 2022 Fall Book Preview #MMDSummerReading #MMDBookClub
#StoryGraph: fiction literary reflective medium-paced
304 pages | first published 2022
It’s 2020 and COVID-19 lockdowns have just begun. Lucy and her ex-husband, William, now in his 70s, have fled New York City. They “temporarily” move to Maine. But when the virus seems to lingering on. Lucy and William make the move permanent to their secluded house, and live out their together in peace.
The pain and the loss brought on by this pandemic is clearly present throughout.
From the Publisher:
As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and longtime friend, William. For the next several months, it's just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea. They will not emerge unscathed.
Rich with empathy and emotion, Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear, struggles, and isolation that come with life in a global pandemic, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we're apart--the pain of a beloved daughter's suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love. "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."
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Death, Eating disorder
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Was de frustraties van de coronacrisis al vergeten. Had er eigenlijk niet aan herinnerd hoeven worden, maar voor dit boek maak ik een uitzondering. Zo mooi, heb bijna het gevoel alsof ik Lucy zelf ken, zo dicht kom je bij haar gedachten
One of my favorite books of the year, beautifully written, telling the experience of COVID isolation in a way that brings back feelings that were hard to have and interesting to revisit. I typically find Strout’s writing a little remote for my taste, but here, it works perfectly. This deserves all the acclaim.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Strout has really hit her stride with this one. Of the many, many novels about writers living through the COVID-19 pandemic, this could have been one of the overboiled, underripe stories about loneliness and sourdough and deep thoughts concerning HOW THE WORLD HAS CHANGED. I cede Strout full credit: she gives Lucy Barton the full measure of ignorance and selfishness that renders this novel an awakening to change more than a knowing wink to a reader about the shared travails that everyone has purportedly experienced.
By conveniently having her New York-based protagonist move out to Maine, Strout cannily harnesses the story of big city emigres and worried, semi-hostile townspeople. However, the existing frame of Lucy and her extended family contains and renders real the pandemic, making the meditations on relationships, motherhood, and connections all the more powerful.
Another must-read entry in Strout's set of novels - find it at your local library!
By conveniently having her New York-based protagonist move out to Maine, Strout cannily harnesses the story of big city emigres and worried, semi-hostile townspeople. However, the existing frame of Lucy and her extended family contains and renders real the pandemic, making the meditations on relationships, motherhood, and connections all the more powerful.
Another must-read entry in Strout's set of novels - find it at your local library!