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Lucy by the Sea: A Novel Hardcover – September 20, 2022

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 19,383 ratings

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of My Name is Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge comes a “poised and moving” (Vogue)novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown—and the love, loss, despair, and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

“Strout’s understanding of the human condition is capacious.”—NPR

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR:
The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker, Oprah Daily, Entertainment Weekly, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Time, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, PopSugar, She Reads

With her trademark spare, crystalline prose—a voice infused with “intimate, fragile, desperate humanness” (
The Washington Post)—Elizabeth Strout turns her exquisitely tuned eye to the inner workings of the human heart, following the indomitable heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton through the early days of the pandemic.

As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William, and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.

Rich with empathy and emotion,
Lucy by the Sea vividly captures the fear and struggles that come with isolation, as well as the hope, peace, and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart—the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.

Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize
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Popular Highlights in this book

From the Publisher

Elizabeth Strout Character Chart outlining books and characters included in the Stroutaverse
A story about the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart

The New Yorker says Strout animates the ordinary with an astonishing force

Ann Patchett says Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite writers

The New York Times says Strout injects sneaky subterranean power into seemingly transparent prose

The Boston Globe says I didn’t just love Lucy by the Sea; I needed it

People says breathtakingly satisfying

Portland Press Herald says triumphant and hopeful

Editorial Reviews

Review

“No novelist working today has [Elizabeth] Strout’s extraordinary capacity for radical empathy, for seeing the essence of people beyond reductive categories, for uniting us without sentimentality. I didn’t just love Lucy by the Sea; I needed it. May droves of readers come to feel enlarged, comforted, and genuinely uplifted by Lucy’s story.”The Boston Globe

“Heartwarming as well as somber . . . Although simple on the surface, Strout’s new novel manages, like her others, to encompass love and friendship, joy and anxiety, grief and grievances, loneliness and shame—and a troubling sense of growing unrest and division in America. . . . Strout’s understanding of the human condition is capacious.”
—NPR

“Rendered in Strout’s graceful, deceptively light prose . . . Lucy’s done the hard work of transformation. May we do the same.”
The New York Times Book Review

“Like all of Strout’s novels,
Lucy by the Sea has an anecdotal surface that belies a firm underlying structure. It is meant to feel like life—random, surprising, occasionally lit with flashes of larger meaning—but it is art.”The New Yorker

“The novel inhabits an emotionally rich terrain, where past failures shine light on future possibilities, where strength comes from vulnerability and where chance challenges choices. . . . Strout is a natural and generous writer, letting feeling and intuition lead her craft.”
—Associated Press

“Deeply moving and quietly funny.”
The New York Times (100 Notable Books of 2022)

“Strout fans will delight in the appearance of beloved characters from previous novels, including Olive Kitteridge and Isabelle . . . as they struggle and hope—together but in isolation.”
The Washington Post (50 Notable Works of Fiction)

“Through her empathetic hand, Strout reveals what was lost in this turbulent time, but also—via her discoveries about marriage, family, and love—what Lucy gained.”
Time

“Poised and moving . . . It is only in the steady hands of Strout, whose prose has an uncanny, plainspoken elegance, that you will want to relive those early months of wiping down groceries and social isolation. . . . This is a slim, beautifully controlled book that bursts with emotion.”
Vogue

“The Pulitzer Prize–winning Portland author reprises her Lucy Barton character to convert the grimmest period in our recent past into something triumphant and hopeful.”
Portland Press Herald

“A quietly profound book about grief and loss—oh, so much loss!—but also kindness, generosity and resilience.”Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Strout excels at distilling complex human emotions—fear of failure, regret that we never measured up— into something familiar and understandable.”
BookTrib

“Strout follows up
Oh William! with a captivating entry in the Lucy Barton series. . . . What emerges is a prime testament to the characters’ resilience. With Lucy Barton, Strout continues to draw from a deep well.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

Elizabeth Strout is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lucy by the Sea; Oh William!; Olive, Again; Anything Is Possible, winner of the Story Prize; My Name Is Lucy Barton; The Burgess Boys; Olive Kitteridge, winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Abide with Me; and Amy and Isabelle, winner of the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. She has also been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in London. She lives in Maine.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House (September 20, 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593446062
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593446065
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.79 x 1.07 x 8.52 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 19,383 ratings

About the author

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Elizabeth Strout
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Elizabeth Strout is the author of the New York Times bestseller Olive Kitteridge, for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; the national bestseller Abide with Me; and Amy and Isabelle, winner of the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. She has also been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in London. She lives in Maine and New York City.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
19,383 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the writing style as concise and well-written. They find the stories interesting, relatable, and complex. The book is described as heartwarming and filled with family emotions. Readers appreciate the insightful and thought-provoking content, including life lessons. However, some feel the pace is too slow and boring.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

78 customers mention "Writing style"56 positive22 negative

Customers appreciate the author's writing style. They find the paragraphs concise and well-written. The phrasing is beautiful, and the simple rhetoric is affecting. Readers appreciate the thoughtful and reflective writing style that accomplishes wonders with character development. They describe the book as interesting, interwoven, and complex.

"...In sparse prose, Strout captures the discombobulating effect of not knowing when the weirdness will end...." Read more

"Stouts writing always pulls me in and it was fascinating to read about pandemic times...." Read more

"...She is thoughtful, reflective, and so relatable...." Read more

"...writing style of the book itself was also so flat, composed of just basic simplistic sentences, devoid of detailed descriptions etc...." Read more

64 customers mention "Story quality"55 positive9 negative

Customers find the stories interesting and complex. They describe the memoir as believable and relatable. The storyline is superb, with realistic characters. Many readers find it fascinating to read about pandemic times and how we all live in lockdown.

"Stouts writing always pulls me in and it was fascinating to read about pandemic times...." Read more

"...She is thoughtful, reflective, and so relatable...." Read more

"She has such appeal and sense about life! I love every one of her novels! Lucy is a great character" Read more

"Real, living, worrying,and vulnerable people, fumbling through Life,utterly relatable, such a treat!!! Loved every individual story!..." Read more

47 customers mention "Heartwarming"37 positive10 negative

Customers find the book heartwarming. They appreciate the author's eloquent descriptions of universal feelings and relationships. The story touches on thoughts, feelings, and life decisions. Readers also mention that the book is filled with family emotions, secrets, and growth.

"...It was so realistic to engage in the marital and other personal problems that Lucy's adult children experienced during the lockdown...." Read more

"...She remains traumatized from her childhood but her ability to love is remarkable...." Read more

"...In this story you can explore your relationships and how our lives are impacted by isolation...." Read more

"...Strout makes Lucy very real and somehow gives the reader an experience of knowing her and living next to her and exploring her trying to figure out..." Read more

33 customers mention "Thought provoking"25 positive8 negative

Customers find the book insightful and a good read. They appreciate the life lessons and self-introspection it provides. The writing is described as perceptive and illuminates the psyche of Americans in the current pandemic.

"...Strout is not only an extraordinary writer but an unusually perceptive philosopher." Read more

"...The patterns in life, the overcoming of adversities and hardships, how to float even if you can’t swim...." Read more

"I think this may be Strout's finest novel. It is quite profound. It takes place during the onset of Covid and the beginning year or so...." Read more

"...so flat, composed of just basic simplistic sentences, devoid of detailed descriptions etc. that I had to stop reading for my own sanity...." Read more

9 customers mention "Complexity"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book simple yet eloquent in its description of universal feelings. They say the author captures well the confusion, fear, and dumbfounded reaction we all had. The book is described as casual yet meaningful, with deep questions and answers from the nice mother.

"...So many deep questions and answers from the nice mother...." Read more

"To be transported back to the first year of the pandemic. The simplicity and depth of this story captures the gut freezing fear of the time and..." Read more

"...She wonders without answers. She breathes humanity, always conflicted, into her characters...." Read more

"...I since have bought many of her other books. Easy, entertaining reads with interesting characters." Read more

40 customers mention "Character development"27 positive13 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters realistic and engaging, describing them as memorable. Others feel the characters lack personality and are insipid or lacking depth.

"...I have read almost everything Strout has written and love the Lucy Barton character. She is thoughtful, reflective, and so relatable...." Read more

"...I love every one of her novels! Lucy is a great character" Read more

"...I grew to really dislike Lucy as a character and found that she became increasingly more annoying and small minded in each book...." Read more

"...Of course, Lucy was still portrayed as the empathetic character she has always been, and I appreciated that...." Read more

9 customers mention "Read pace"6 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the book's read pace. Some find it fast and enjoyable, while others find it slow and boring.

"It’s a fast read, with simple sentences, clearly written, and the journey is complex...." Read more

"...The other two books were slow-ish (for one she is stuck in a hospital room for many weeks) but I hung in there because I had already bought this..." Read more

"...Despite being about the pandemic this book was a fast and easy read...." Read more

"...Our experience with the pandemic was unique to us. This story was a very fast read also." Read more

26 customers mention "Boredom"3 positive23 negative

Customers dislike the book's dullness and slow pace. They find it unengaging and a waste of time. The characters are described as unlikable and complain about everything.

"...And it was not a ex-library book as described. Waste of money ." Read more

"...Yes, it appears so. Her character, Lucy, is childish, incredibly boorish and naive. She is not even remotely well fleshed out as a character...." Read more

"...I miss the richness of her earlier work. It's just not a pleasure for me to read anymore...." Read more

"...us all but the protagonist was not really very likeable and complains about everything and reconnects with her ex husband. Just doesn’t work for me...." Read more

Another home run for Elizabeth Strout
5 out of 5 stars
Another home run for Elizabeth Strout
Weekend Reads with Terri Ann Bird,Bird’s Words on FacebookAnother knock it out of the park for Elizabeth Strout for her novel, “Lucy by the Sea.”Another cover to cover page turner that I couldn’t put down. No matter if you’ve read all of her books or are just starting here there is a cohesiveness that allows her story to merge in unity with the others or still makes strong sense by itself. Though I do recommend reading everything she writes for the greatest readers experience.“Lucy by the Sea” tells what it is to be repeatedly broken then repaired again and again. The patterns in life, the overcoming of adversities and hardships, how to float even if you can’t swim. How even in sadness there is a recognizable ability to be content. And how very resilient the human spirit is.Also really interesting to read about the pandemic, Covid, politics and the effects it had on the characters in the story. The first novel I’ve read that included this theme. I imagine, content very relatable to all of usMy favorite will always be “My Name is Lucy Barton” but “Lucy by the Sea” is still a solid 9 out of 10 in my book. Pun intended.#elizabethstrout #lucybythesea #novel #novelist #fiction #authors #birdswords #birdswordsonfacebook #goodreads #readerreviews #ByTheBook
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2025
    With the pandemic in the rear-view mirror, my memories of lock down and social isolation have blurred. Reading Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout brought the strangeness back with clarity. In sparse prose, Strout captures the discombobulating effect of not knowing when the weirdness will end. We’re thrown together with people we may not choose to be with, and separated from those we do. We’re stuck at home and dreaming of escape, or far from home and longing for its familiar comforts. Authors, myself included (see my Amazon author page https://www.amazon.com/author/asewovenwords), are typically advised to wait before writing about current events, allowing temporal distancing to give us the wisdom of hindsight. Yet, there is also something gained by writing as events are unfolding. Given that Strout’s novel was published in 2022, she wrote it “in the moment.” And, given her literary gifts, she nails it. Lucy by the Sea blends visceral immersion with detached observation, replicating the surreal qualities of the pandemic itself. Perusing it now, readers cannot only recollect those days, but also prepare for the next pandemic that will assail us in the foreseeable future. I choose to be with Strout.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024
    Stouts writing always pulls me in and it was fascinating to read about pandemic times. It was such a bad and good time all at once and the book took me through it
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2023
    After seeing Elizabeth Strout live at Eckerd College and hearing Andre Dubus interview her, I gained greater insight into her writing process in formulating her latest great novel, <em>Lucy By the Sea</em>. I have read almost everything Strout has written and love the Lucy Barton character. She is thoughtful, reflective, and so relatable. Strout emphasized in her interview that she loves to write about ordinary people and does that masterfully.

    In this novel, Lucy lockdowns with her ex-husband William in 2020. William insists that she leave New York City, and his friend Bob Burgess, a character from another Stout novel, arranges for them to stay in a house in Maine so that they would be safe. Of course, in Maine, they face some anti-New York sentiments from neighbors, but they also connect with old friends and meet some new ones. Connecting with people during this time of isolation was an essential theme of this pandemic novel. Connections included adult children and other relatives, including William's half-sister whom readers met in Strout's previous book, <em>Oh William</em>.

    Elizabeth Strout includes much darkness, grief, and loss as Lucy experiences myriad emotions while watching terrifying pandemic newscasts about her home, New York City, during her sojourn in Maine. Strout says that she illuminates life's truth through her characters, and she certainly does that skillfully. It was so realistic to engage in the marital and other personal problems that Lucy's adult children experienced during the lockdown. Lucy's desire to protect them as a mother and still let them make adult decisions without her interference is palpable to a reader. Through the annals of daily life, Lucy's friendship with her ex-husband grows exponentially, and acceptance of each other's habits and quibbles dominate much of the story.

    I loved the way Lucy and William's conversations mimicked the conversations we were all having during the first months of the COVID pandemic. Fear of the unknown was a prevalent topic. The political unrest that overtook the USA during this time is covered realistically. The conflicting feelings, sadness, and mercurial feelings I experienced while reading this book provided a reliving of the angst discussed on nightly newscasts and Zoom calls with friends.
    14 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2022
    I bought this book because I saw it on a book list and was intrigued by the pandemic plot and how someone else may have experienced it. After receipt I realized it is the third book in series about a character named Lucy Barton, so I borrowed the previous two books from the library and read them both. I kept hoping I would come to like Lucy or what she made of her life after breaking free of a childhood of poverty .... or at least be intrigued or interested by other characters in the book or plot developments. The other two books were slow-ish (for one she is stuck in a hospital room for many weeks) but I hung in there because I had already bought this book in hardcover and wanted it all to make sense. Finally I was ready to read Lucy By The Sea and honestly after a few chapters I gave up and put it outside in my little lending library for someone more patient than I am to read. I grew to really dislike Lucy as a character and found that she became increasingly more annoying and small minded in each book. While she theoretically had an interesting personal history and career (as a writer living in NYC), she somehow managed to be a total dud. Overall the writing style of the book itself was also so flat, composed of just basic simplistic sentences, devoid of detailed descriptions etc. that I had to stop reading for my own sanity. I thought the concept of quarantining with ones ex husband during the pandemic would be an interesting concept - but not in this book. I'm not sure how so many people adored it or even consider the writing to be worthy of a prize winning writer but clearly I am in the minority on this one. I suggest borrowing it from a library rather than investing in it.
    81 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2025
    She has such appeal and sense about life! I love every one of her novels! Lucy is a great character

Top reviews from other countries

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  • Margret Comack
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very personal account of life during the pandemic
    Reviewed in Canada on January 30, 2023
    I love the almost rambling style of writing that kind takes you into the writers mind as she struggles to cope with the challenges of isolation from family and friends during the Covid 19 pandemic. the book offers an inside look to one family's story of loss of friends, fear of being together and the loneliness that results. It is a candid perspective on how life alters when confronted with such enormous restriction and uncertainty. A compelling read, highly recommended.
  • Linda Russell Archer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth Strout draws us back into a recent past we perhaps prefer to forget
    Reviewed in Mexico on November 5, 2022
    It was strange reading a novel about living through the pandemic. It somehow made something very recent, seem long ago, and something that has, for various reasons, so quickly been pushed into the past, as strangely present again.
  • Punita B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantástico
    Reviewed in Spain on December 28, 2024
    Me gusta mucho esta escritora
  • Oneclearway
    5.0 out of 5 stars The further adventures of Lucy Barton
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 20, 2024
    This is the continuation of the (non) events of Lucy Barton’s life. Engagingly written, with the characters dealing with the pandemic. A good read though I would read the earlier book first.
    Elizabeth Strout has created a world set in New York and New England which is engaging gentle and a good read.
  • Renata
    5.0 out of 5 stars Titel des Buches „ Lucy by the Sea“von Elizabeth Strout
    Reviewed in Germany on March 16, 2024
    Mir hat besonders gefallen, dass das Buch in der Originalsprache so schnell lieferbar war. Strout- Fan war ich schon vorher, und dieser neue
    Roman, der in den USA währed der Corona- Pandemie spielt, hat mir gut gefallen!