Scan barcode
A review by serendipitysbooks
Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Miscarriage
Moderate: Infidelity