jayneyh314 's review for:

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout

2.0

informative 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: Yes

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In the small Maine town of Crosby, local Lawyer, Bob Burgess, takes on the case of a man accused of murdering his Mother. He has also been getting closer to writer, Lucy Barton. They take long walks together and talk about their lives. Lucy has also been getting to know one of the town’s longest inhabitants, Olive Kitteridge. They spend afternoons together sharing stories about people they have known. This is the fifth book in the Amgash series. 

This was the book club choice for my work book club for this time so although it is the fifth in a series I haven’t read any of the others. I don’t actually think it would make that much of a difference though to be fair. Strout spends much of the first part of the book letting you know who the main cast of characters are, which I actually think may have been a bit annoying if I had read the others. 

I wasn’t a big fan of this one I’m afraid. I don’t mind stories that are told in a different way but I struggled to find the point of this. It was a struggle to write the synopsis because although I have just finished it, I couldn’t really tell you what it was about. I thought the murder case was going to be a more prominent plot but that wasn’t to be. 

Most of the characters were pretty unlikeable. I didn’t warm to any of them apart from Matt, who I felt really sorry for, but the others were just various levels of awful. There were a lot of characters with a lot going on and some plot points just seemed to meander out. 

Strout’s writing style definitely isn’t for me. At the halfway mark I had said it was a bit of a slow burn but that would imply it went somewhere eventually but I just don’t feel like it did. It very much reminded me of the stories my Mum tells me about random people that I don’t really know and that don’t really have a point to them! 

I stuck it out because I thought it might get better and it was for book club but Strout definitely isn’t for me. I’m glad I got through it quickly thanks to a bit of time whilst babysitting and a trip into Manchester and back today.