Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Lucy by the Sea

I've read all of the Lucy Barton books and while I've loved them while reading them, they've ultimately left me unsatisfied as they don't seem to have any particular direction. Not so Lucy by the Sea. I hope (and assume) another chapter is on the way as this book has left me worried about her. Elizabeth Strout is an absolute master at developing character. Everyone she writes about is complex, with both flaws and redeeming features. And that is the overriding theme of this book. It's not just about Lucy learning to live with her sometimes selfish and thoughtless, but often loving, ex-husband. It's also, in a similar vein, understanding those who have opposing views to her on Covid and President Trump.

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phoevincent's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted 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

4.5

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jra's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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hannahcstocks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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deedireads's review

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

Lucy By the Sea is another cozy, resonant novel by Elizabeth Strout. While I didn’t love it as much as I’d hoped, watching Lucy process the pandemic does feel almost therapeutic for we who lived it.

For you if: You love Elizabeth Strout novels (and have read the other Amgash books).

FULL REVIEW:

Lucy By the Sea is the fourth book in Elizabeth Strout’s Amgash series, which features the beloved protagonist Lucy Barton. I’ve heard from many people that this is their favorite Amgash book. While I still think Anything Is Possible was my favorite, Lucy By the Sea delivers yet another of Strout’s signature quiet, resonant reading experiences.

This one follows Lucy and William through the COVID-19 lockdown; William convinces Lucy to leave NYC for a seaside cottage in Maine, and we re-experience all the anxiety and turmoil from those early pandemic days alongside them. I was afraid this would feel triggering, but for me at least, I found that watching Lucy process these feelings was surprisingly therapeutic. And of course, this is Elizabeth Strout, so the book is also about relationships, growth, and the emotions that make us human. I particularly loved getting to know her daughters so much better. (Also, there is a small crossover with Olive Kitteridge, which was fun.)

While I did enjoy this one, I think I may have read it too soon after Oh William! to truly love it. Without getting into spoilers, SEA did feel like it reversed some of the choices Strout made in WILLIAM, to its detriment in my opinion. Lucy’s extreme dependence on anyone but herself also started to get to me. But at the same time, she’s such a kind person experiencing relatable things, and Strout writes relationships and interiority so well, that Lucy has also started to feel like a friend.

If Strout writes more Amgash books, I’ll gladly read them.

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isaarusilor's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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maiahhtratchh's review

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

I’m trying to find a constructive way to put into place my feelings of this book but I just can’t. The characters are so insufferable and blatantly narcissistic. There are just some perspectives that are not necessary and add noise to complicated modern issues. Having old aged white people of sufficient means looking into the political issues of 2020/2021 is not necessary (they are typically the voices that dominate conversations anyways). Especially when they blatantly sympathize with Nazis and romanticize cops (and cop violence). The characters are toxic, their relationships are toxic and this story doesn’t make me “see the other side” as much as it makes me see that ignorance is the biggest danger to our political landscape.

she writes a novel romanticizing a Trump-supporting cop who murders someone and gets away with it then states how she loves the cop she wrote… like it’s very upsetting to read.

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-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

4.25

Lucy By The Sea is a quiet, understated read. In it Lucy’s ex-husband William, convinces her to leave New York just as Covid begins to hit, and take shelter in Maine. This book captures the rhythm of their days in the house by the sea as they wait out the Covid pandemic.

For better or for worse Lucy is still Lucy. While topics like the murder of George Floyd, BLM, the 2020 election and subsequent insurrection are touched on, Lucy never gets actively involved or shares any impassioned thoughts. She is an observer, often a passive one, more than an actor. Sometimes - like all of us - she does the wrong thing, doesn’t do the right thing, and thinks uncharitable thoughts. Yet there are also times in the story that showed she is learning and growing.

I enjoyed the way storylines from previous Lucy books reappeared - Lucy’s relationships with her siblings, William’s with his newly discovered sister, the lives of their daughters, the poverty of her past. Covid changed everyone’s life in some ways, yet we all had continuing threads and relationships. It was fun to spot characters from other Strout books, with Bob Burgess playing an important role in this story. While the pandemic and American political issues form the backdrop of this story much is also interior and intensely personal. Lucy is still grieving the death of her second husband and is also figuring out how to be a mother of adult daughters.

Overall this was an undemanding read, almost a comfort in many ways. However, for those whose experience of the pandemic was far more traumatic than my own, this book could be triggering, dismissive or worse. Lucy’s Covid experience was far more privileged than many.

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