You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
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:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book refuses to paint any of its characters as good or bad. You may have a hero in Bob, but he, too, has some lessons to learn about self-care, and Lucy, well, you’re always unsure about her. Is Lucy dragging Bob into a painful affair with her, or is it just that she is detached? Every time you think you’ve nailed a character, you will be given to see their complexity, everyone’s complexity. There love enough to go around for every single character in the book’s main stories or in its many cameo stories set so lovingly into the book.
The reviewer was absolutely correct. Elizabeth Strout, the author, has an extraordinary capacity for empathy, but I would also add complexity. In doing so life’s meaning arises from the most unexpected places in the sweetest ways.
While the author provides context so this *can* be a standalone, I think it is probably much better if read as the series. I can’t say I cared about many of the characters or ongoing plots that likely are continued from previous books. If this wasn’t for my book club I wouldn’t have read it - and since I haven’t read anything else with these characters I don’t think it’s fair to rate it.
Ultimately a lot of characters getting together in different combinations and telling stories. Tons of telling, not much showing, but when there is showing I found it compelling. I wish I had tried book #1 or even olive kittridge first to have a more fair shot
Ultimately a lot of characters getting together in different combinations and telling stories. Tons of telling, not much showing, but when there is showing I found it compelling. I wish I had tried book #1 or even olive kittridge first to have a more fair shot
DNF. For a book called Tell Me Everything it felt like there wasn’t anything to tell. No drama in the first 100 pages.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
:
emotional
reflective
relaxing
This one grew on me. I like the theme of “everyone has a story.” I found myself caring for the characters by the end. If you love a gossip session, you’ll probably enjoy this book. 😂
Stories shared among friends and strangers. Stories of their lives and choices they've made or other's choices foisted upon them. I have not read all of the Olive Kitteridge or Amgash books but I am going to start at the beginning and read them consecutively because this book moved me and I don't want to miss out on the wisdom.
At one point in the book, about a quarter in, I wasn't sure if I wanted to finish. I was having trouble keeping track of the characters - everyone is connected in some way or another and I found it confusing. But I continued and I'm so glad I did. It is so much more than specifics. This book is about love. Tolerance. Loneliness. Acceptance -of others and of ourselves. How the things that happen to us, the things that are out of control, shape us. How the things we do, intentionally or not, affect others in ways we might not even know or imagine. Facing the changes happening in the US, I desperately needed something comforting. This was not exactly a comfort read but it was more of a "we're all in this together" and a look at the very big picture.
Some passages I want to remember:
"After they parted, Bob thought again of how he told both his wives of his memory of saying to his mother that he had never really liked Christmas and how both of them had been kind but not - to Bob's mind - really been able to care. And he thought now as he bought a jug of orange juice, That's just how it is, that's all. He thought: God, we are all so alone." (p. 98)
"She turned again to him and said with a sense of acceptance, "I'm so good at being lonely, though. I'm just so good at it." (p. 196)
"No, that's not evil, Larry. These are broken people. Big difference between being a broken person and being evil. ... And if you don't think everyone is broken in some way, you're wrong." (p. 275)
"That was about the same thing that every story Lucy and I have shared is about. People suffer. They live, they have hope, they even have love, and they still suffer. Everyone does. Those who think they've not suffered are lying to themselves." (p. 313)
At one point in the book, about a quarter in, I wasn't sure if I wanted to finish. I was having trouble keeping track of the characters - everyone is connected in some way or another and I found it confusing. But I continued and I'm so glad I did. It is so much more than specifics. This book is about love. Tolerance. Loneliness. Acceptance -of others and of ourselves. How the things that happen to us, the things that are out of control, shape us. How the things we do, intentionally or not, affect others in ways we might not even know or imagine. Facing the changes happening in the US, I desperately needed something comforting. This was not exactly a comfort read but it was more of a "we're all in this together" and a look at the very big picture.
Some passages I want to remember:
"After they parted, Bob thought again of how he told both his wives of his memory of saying to his mother that he had never really liked Christmas and how both of them had been kind but not - to Bob's mind - really been able to care. And he thought now as he bought a jug of orange juice, That's just how it is, that's all. He thought: God, we are all so alone." (p. 98)
"She turned again to him and said with a sense of acceptance, "I'm so good at being lonely, though. I'm just so good at it." (p. 196)
"No, that's not evil, Larry. These are broken people. Big difference between being a broken person and being evil. ... And if you don't think everyone is broken in some way, you're wrong." (p. 275)
"That was about the same thing that every story Lucy and I have shared is about. People suffer. They live, they have hope, they even have love, and they still suffer. Everyone does. Those who think they've not suffered are lying to themselves." (p. 313)