Goodreads says, "With her remarkable insight into the human condition and silences that contain multitudes, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, and to her beloved cast of characters—Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and more—as they deal with a shocking crime in their midst, fall in love and yet choose to be apart, and grapple with the question, as Lucy Barton puts it, “What does anyone’s life mean?”
It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer Lucy Barton, who lives down the road in a house by the sea with her ex-husband, William. Together, Lucy and Bob go on walks and talk about their lives, their fears and regrets, and what might have been. Lucy, meanwhile, is finally introduced to the iconic Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive’s apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known—“unrecorded lives,” Olive calls them—reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning.
Brimming with empathy and pathos, Tell Me Everything is Elizabeth Strout operating at the height of her powers, illuminating the ways in which our relationships keep us afloat. As Lucy says, “Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love.”
Crosby, Maine is where we left off in Lucy by the Sea. Lucy has escaped here during the pandemic along with her ex-husband, Bob, and has stayed in this quaint town. Olive Kitteridge, readers may remember her from Strout's previous novels, tells Bob that she has a story for Lucy and for her to come visit her. Stories are what drive this novel along - whether it's Olive telling Lucy something insightful about life, or the many subplots surrounding Lucy, Bob, and their family and friends - it's all stories within stories and very slice-of-life narration. That is until there's a murder and Bob defends the accused. This spices up the plot in addition to the "will they, won't they" moments between Lucy and Bob. Fans of Strout's Amgash series will love to return home to Crosby and continue the story with these beloved characters in Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout.
I have always enjoyed the character of Lucy; she is complex, dynamic, and thought provoking. I enjoyed her interaction with Olive and their many insights into life and the human condition. Sadly, I have never read Olive Kitteridge, so I think I would have enjoyed Tell Me Everything more if I had, so that's my recommendation to readers.
As always, I enjoyed Lucy's relationship with Bob and was wondering if they would end up together after all. The murder case Bob was involved in did seem out of the blue in Tell Me Everything, but it did drive the story along quite well. I really am a fan of Bob, and find him to be an interesting character, so I appreciated this aspect of the story in addition to learning more about Bob, his brother, and his past as it is definitely complex.
I did find some of Lucy and Bob's issues to be annoying at times and that may be because I am younger than many of the characters in the novel. I feel like the "boomer" generation would appreciate Tell Me Everything a bit more than me as well as relate to some of Lucy's issues. Nonetheless, Strout's writing is superb, which is why I am always drawn back to this series.
Also, I toggled back and forth between the ARC of Tell Me Everything and the audio and as usual, the audio did not disappoint. Kimberly Farr, the narrator, truly brings Strout's characters to life and captures them so very well.
So, is Tell Me Everything on your TBR list? Are you a fan of Elizabeth Strout? Let me know in the comments below.
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