It’s a bit of a cliche, but Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess really do feel like old friends. But the kind you might catch up really infrequently via Facebook Messenger, and afterwards feel like “that was great to hear from them, we really should speak more often”.

This book is a real capturing of the post-pandemic/Trump/Cost of Living Zeitgeist. That constant feeling of financial worry, the little stabs of formless anxiety - all the way up to the all-consuming huge worries about climate change and the state of the world.
In the seemingly inconsequential chats between these characters, something much bigger is realised. And this both cheered me and depressed me!
The characters are getting older, but I really hope that this isn’t the last we’ll be hearing from Maine.
Oh, and it only just clicked for me that Isabelle Woodrow, Olive’s best friend in the retirement home, is the Isabelle from the book ‘Amy and Isabelle’. I love how all the characters from all the books pop into each other’s lives. Like a long-running, but less dramatic soap opera.

If you are not already familiar with Elizabeth Strout’s work, then this probably isn’t a good place to start, but if, like me, you have loved every one of her books, then this one will bring you much joy. In it we revisit Olive and the community she lives amongst, and watch with pleasure the friendship she makes with Lucy Barton. We catch up with old friends, follow the changes in their lives, feel their sorrows and sympathise with their troubles. Olive herself is now very old, so not surprisingly the novel is about ageing, loss, mortality and loneliness. As usual, Elizabeth Stout is perceptive and insightful about all these things, and her genius in narrating untold and unrecorded lives, giving them the dignity they deserve, is fully in evidence; I loved this latest collection of vignettes and stories, and so much enjoyed being with Olive again.

Elizabeth Strout is one of my favourite authors and she has yet again knocked it out the park by telling the small intricate tales of ordinary lives in an extraordinary way. We finally get to see Lucy Barton and Olive kitteridge together thanks to Bob Burgess and we learn through the shared tales of every day small lives and ex punters along with bigger tales of generational trauma that love is love in all its myriad of ways.

Tell Me Everything

I love Elizabeth Strout's novels, and I really feel like her latest novel, Tell me Everything, is a novel for readers who have either read all of her novels or the majority of her backlist (like me) as this novel combines many characters and places which have been explored in separate novels but are now coming together, two of which are her biggest characters - Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton.

Olive and Lucy spend afternoons together in Olive's apartment, telling each other stories about people from their lives, and delving into the meaning of these stories. These stories are ordinary people from their past and their present, and as Olive calls them people with 'unrecorded lives' with lives that draw no attention but are happening just out of sight. Lucy recalls these stories to Bob Burgess, as they go on their walks while he talks about a legal defence case he is involved with. It could almost feel like a book about gossip but it is more than that, it is about the tradition of storytelling, and telling stories that are undetected.

Elizabeth Strout's beautiful writing is packed full of human life, founded families, connections with the people and nature around us, and the way that the past can come back to haunt us. Her writing is an excellent example of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, drawing the reader into the lives of characters that stretch across novels. The comfortable writing style pulls you into a world that is complex, full of complex family history, unspoken emotions, and the dread of death.

Not only does this explore people's inner lives, and their external behaviours but Elizabeth Stourt explores the complexity of everyday life, and the art of storytelling. Her writing and her novels are a joy to read, and I really am looking forward to her next novel.

Thank you @netgalley for the ebook version of this book!

In this new Strout novel, we meet up with several familiar characters from Strout's previous books.

There's the long-awaited meeting between the acerbic Olive Kitteridge and another main character, Lucy Barton. They swap stories during long sessions, with Olive making impatient and vinegary comments.
Lucy herself meanwhile is settling into the area with former husband William and has less contact with her daughters. She reflects on this and life in general on walks with retired lawyer Bob Burgess.

Bob is unable to share professional information about a man he is defending- up against a charge of murder. However he shares deep intimate conversations with Lucy, who is able to listen much better than Olive!
Bob's going through a transition in his marriage and life and is navigating new waters.

The style is deliberately chatty and is just like the narrator is telling us a story, just like Lucy or Olive. However at some points I did find this slightly jarring as it felt "twee" in some way.

The same Strout themes of connection, loss, alienation and love are there, but maybe Strout is doing more "tell" rather than "show" in this book.
Love comes in many forms in this book between "chosen" family for example Olive's love for her friend Isabelle, "paternal" love- Bob for his client (but also a subplot with his brother and his family) , for former wives/husbands , for a community etc. It's also central to Lucy and Bob.

Strout is always a five star writer, but for the reasons outlined above, it's not my favourite of her novels.

Couldn’t wait to read this, and it did not disappoint! Once again, Elizabeth Strout enchants the reader with a finely observed novel that explores the said and unsaid, the quiet stories of people that give life its meaning. It was great to be reunited with familiar characters that have made their appearances in her previous books! Definitely planning on re-visiting this again, perhaps following a re-read of all the previous books. I know I’ll be in good hands! Highly recommend, especially for those seeking insightful, affecting works to do with the human condition - you can’t go past this wonderful writer! Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for this complimentary copy!

While this book will not be to everyone's taste, these characters have all grown on me. In this book Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge meet through a mutual friend Bob Burgess.
The book pretty much centres on Bob Burgess and the drama unfolding in his life. On the periphery are Lucy and more so Olive. The three of them share stories with each other and then try to find meaning. Some of the stories are heart breaking and most are about our own fears and anxieties.
It would be beneficial to readers to read the prior books to this one.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin General UK for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

Tell Me Everything by Lucy Strout is yet another enchanting episode in the world of Lucy Barton and her interesting friends. This one is just as entertaining as prior episodes with additional characters and more happenings than I was expecting.

Lucy who is living with her divorced husband William again visits Olive Kitteridge when she hears that Olive has a story to tell her; she meets Olive regularly in this period to exchange stories and try to make sense of them. Lucy has regular walks with Bob Burgess during which they discuss all manner of things including his brother, Jim and their deep relationship. Bob also takes on a legal defence case which occupies him for a period of time.

Strout is a very clever author who effortlessly draws the reader into her web of stories, characters and relationships. Tell Me Everything is hugely entertaining and enjoyable.

I loved the latest by Elizabeth Strout "Tell me everything" which I cannot say for all of her books that I have read, her best book in my opinion. 

It left me upbeat,  made me curious what was the next stories that Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge tell each other, about seemingly ordinary things but revealing so much about the inner lives of people they know. 

And then there are the walks between Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess which are more intimate in conversation then their relationships with their current partners, potential trouble looming ... Bob Burgess is by far my favorite character.. a book about friendship, old and new loves, trust, the complexity of relationships  and my favourite quote in the book: Love comes in so many different forms but it is

Once again Elizabeth Strout writes a wonderful book filled with human life and fraility. I particularly enjoyed how she brought together all the characters we have grown to love, including Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton finally meeting and sharing stories of ordinary people they knew. My heart went out to Bob Burgess with his unrequited love and his kindness to others. So beautifully written that if I didn't have a dozen other books needing to be read I would have re read Tell Me Everything all over again as soon as I finished it. Even though it helps to have read the other books featuring the characters here, I highly recommend this book in its own right. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK/Viking for the opportunity to read and review Tell Me Everything.

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

This felt like a good end point to Olive and Lucy's stories, tying the series up in a bow of 'all lives and stories matter, even the seemingly ordinary ones'. I have really enjoyed the way these books feel authentic and really capture regular people through their ups and downs. All the characters are complex but the book doesn't feel the need to spoon feed you everything about them, which makes for some thought-provoking insights into the human condition.

The murder mystery plot did feel a little out of left field, as while it did fit with the theme I don't think it entirely fit tonally. It almost felt like it should be a separate book on its own, or a novella to read before this one. But I can also see how Lucy and Olive needed something else to carry the story along.

I do think you need to read all of Strout's previous books before this one, though. I hadn't read Amy and Isabelle or The Burgess Boys, only the Olive and Lucy books, and I feel like this spoilt a lot of the plotpoints in those. I'm interested to see how that affects my enjoyment of those books.

I think while my enjoyment of the series has wavered, overall it is very solid and I can see why it gets a lot of love. The way Strout is able to make her characters feels so real - I suspect also through a pinch of autofiction - is really unique and quite and achievement.

For Strout fans this is probably the most anticipated of her books - the one where Lucy meets Olive. For anyone who is new to Elizabeth Strout, Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge are both title characters from some of Strout’s previous novels. Lucy is a writer who has moved to Maine with her ex-husband, following the pandemic. Olive, a long time resident of Crosby, is now in her nineties and lives in the local residential home.

The two women meet to share stories of ‘unrecorded lives’; the extraordinary stories of ordinary people. Their meetings and the stories they tell are pure Strout, stories of small lives but with big heart. Both women remain true to character and it was fascinating seeing them through the other’s eyes. I adored the relationship they forged.

Whilst Olive and Lucy are the main draw, for me it is Bob Burgess who steals the show - oh Bob! Readers of previous novels will be familiar with Bob, the local lawyer who carries with him a sorrowful air. He is an unlikely hero but we really get to see him here; a man who selflessly saves the day on more than one occasion. I have never wanted a character to be happy and content more than Bob.

I was already a big fan of Elizabeth Strout’s writing going into this one. I loved being back with the residents of Crosby and Shirley Falls, sharing their woes and their hopes. I was so enamoured with it that I stretched it out, I didn’t want to finish it.

If you’re already a fan then this will be on your radar, let me assure you, it’s wonderful, possibly her best yet. If you are yet to discover Elizabeth Strout I urge you to pick up one of her books. Her stories are quiet and unassuming with characters you will feel deeply for.

This is a nice book, mainly about Bob Burgess and his secret love for Lucy Barton. The usual characters are mentioned, but the main theme of the book is Bob.
With his walks and conversations with Lucy, he is tasked with representing Matt Beach who has been accused of murdering his mother. The mother was known locally as Bitch Ball because she had a tendency to abuse people. While all of this is happening, his relationship with his older brother, Jim, seems to be declining and he has to find out what is happening there.
An interesting book about relationships and families.

This is classic Strout, a conversational journey into the small New England communities in which her recurring characters reside, with well-known faces like Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton all present. Those two meet to tell each other stories about “people and the lives they lead” and I think that’s exactly what Strout is up to too.

When two queens come together to maximise their joint slay and also Bob is there too (I love Bob so much)!

I love the Stroutiverse and was so thrilled to realise the next Amgash book would have a Lucy/Olive crossover. Admittedly I haven’t read the Burgess boys but I think this book gives enough context to really get who Bob is.

Bob Burgess is requested by an old classmate to represent her brother who is accused of killing their mother. While this is going on Lucy Barton is visiting Olive Strout and the two are discussing ‘unrecorded lives’. Basically telling each other stories of people they knew.

I think this was my favourite Elizabeth Strout book to date? It’s just the best of everyone. Most of the books I read do not have a lot of heart but this is full of it. Which makes a nice change! And I can’t recommend it enough.

The deceptively homely style is comfortable and comforting as one story shared leads to another to be told, lulling the reader with their gentleness. But simmering under the surface are uncomfortable and far-from-comforting events in a small town, which lead to murder. Olive Kittridge is deliciously cranky, has stories to tell and eager to hear Lucy Barton’s stories. Olive’s ability to read behind the smokescreens is enviable. I want to be her when I grow up. Self discovery is key throughout these tales, as marriages are reignited, truths about childhood events, some misremembered, emerge and friends and neighbours are uplifted to ‘special’.

I think Tell Me Everything is my favourite Elizabeth Strout so far. We are back in the same small town by the sea where Lucy and Will live. However, we also have Olive Kitteridge - and she and Lucy are swapping stories, otherwise known as unrecorded lives.
Lucy is still taking her walks with Bob Burgess but their relationship is changing and neither of them know how or whether to act on it.
Adding to this Bob has been asked to help a man whose mother has been found dead in suspicious circumstances.
Surrounding this we have other characters with their issues and concerns, all beautifully brought to life by Elizabeth Strout’s gorgeous writing. No one else writes about small town life as she does, and she brings the struggles of just getting by vividly to life. Her characters may not be wildly exciting but we feel their hopes and fears and that they just want to love and be loved.
What seems to be a disparate cast of characters all interlink and finally come together at the end, while Olive and Lucy’s stories act as clever interludes or commentaries.
It’s a beautiful, very elegant and at times quite humorous book, even if you haven’t read any Elizabeth Strout before I urge you to read this one.

Hands-up if you love Bob! Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout follows straight on from Lucy by the Sea where Lucy and Bob met and formed a close friendship.

Olive Kitteridge notices how Bob and Lucy are with each other and believes they are in love. The tension of will Bob and Lucy go beyond friendship runs throughout the novel and I liked the way that Strout quietly deals with the course of their relationship.

As Lucy tells Olive ‘love is love’ and Strout covers a range of loves and how our intensity of feelings can ebb and flow in different circumstances.

There’s a melancholy air, and perhaps this is because this is a Bob book and I always feel that he has a kind sadness about him. He has to be in my top five male characters. I did warm to Lucy a bit more in this book, but she’s a bit too wispy for me . It was wonderful to see more of Bob’s siblings, especially Susan. Don’t worry if you’ve not read the other stories as Strout always recovers any key points from the earlier novels.

I do love these books and the whole universe of characters that Strout has created for us. These are my hugs in a book novels, and okay this one is only out this week but when’s the next one???

Tell Me Everything is like Elizabeth Strout's version of Marvel's Avengers - popular characters from the Stroutverse such as Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge meet at long last. But if there is a single protagonist in this story it's Bob Burgess - the kind, melancholic gentleman that heartache seems to follow around.

Bob is settled in the fictional town of Crosby, Maine these days. He's married to Margaret, a church minister, and satisfied with his life but maybe not content. Lucy Barton is back together with her first husband William. And she's made a new pal of sorts in that lovable curmudgeon Olive Kitteridge, visiting her at the local retirement community so that Olive can tell stories she needs to get off her chest. Bob and Lucy have grown close, meeting up for long walks and deep conversations, and Bob realises he's beginning to have stronger feelings for his friend. But he's also preoccupied with a case he has taken on. Gloria Beach, a local pensioner, has died in dubious circumstances and her loner son Matthew is the prime suspect. Bob takes pity on the man and decides to defend him.

This murder investigation gives a sense of momentum and structure to a meandering story. Otherwise it's a case of Strout doing what she does best: examining the lives of ordinary people with trademark grace and insight. I was particularly taken with Bob's plight, falling hard for a friend and not knowing what to do about it. I've been in that situation myself and Strout really captures the exquisite torture of being in love with somebody you can't have: "When he woke the world seemed magical to him, and he felt that he was experiencing some Large Awareness. But then he would crave Lucy, just to see her, just to be with her, and to really crave anything one might not ever get in this world is a difficult thing." He enjoys spending time with her more than anything else, because they absolutely connect, and truly listen to one another, but the feeling is bittersweet because he knows their relationship will likely go no further: "His weekly walks with her recently had left him simultaneously exhilarated and despondent." Bob finds himself wondering if their friendship is healthy for him and experiences guilt at neglecting Margaret.

Tell Me Everything is full of the usual smalltown drama that Strout excels at depicting. She cares so much for her characters and imbues them with such depth and warmth - you can't help but feel that you have come to know them intimately. For Strout fans, it is a thrill to see two beloved individuals like Olive and Lucy converse for the first time. However, I wonder if she might now move on from this cast, and tackle something/somewhere completely different? It would be fascinating to see her apply her considerable talents to a subject that is new and entirely unfamiliar. Nevertheless, if there is more to come for Olive and co, I'll be first in line to read it.

Tell Me Everything
By Elizabeth Strout

I can't express enough how much I love Elizabeth Strout's writing. She touches my heart in a way no other writer can with her gentle, quiet stories of people who bump against each other in mundane, yet profound ways. Olive was my first love, she crushed my soul. Then Isabelle and Amy sent me in search of anything and everything this author already wrote, and since then I have read everything.

My journey with Lucy Barton has been a slow burner, but by Amgash #3 and #4 I was smitten. The Burgess Boys didn't floor me with a much impact, but I was pleasantly surprised to encounter so much of Bob in this new novel.

All that said, Tell Me Everything didn't quite live up to my sky high expectations. It's a lovely read, and so full of Easter eggs, but it didn't come with the emotional response I hoped for. I'm not talking disappointment here, just not 5 stars by comparison to previous works.

Will I continue to read future Strouts? Absolutely. If this was my one and only of hers, it would likely be 5 stars.

Publication date: 19th September 2024
Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinGeneral for the ARC