Despite revolving around a murder trial, this book is slow and calm. It explores the mundane, unrecorded lives of ordinary people and does so with care and complexity. While at times it was a little too slow, I still thoroughly enjoyed this quiet little story.

Stories within stories. A group of interlinked people who we gradually get to know tell each other secrets and dreams. It’s all loosely based around lawyer Bob’s upcoming court case concerning whether Matt Beach murdered his wife. Bob and his neighbour Lucy talk on their daily walks and through this the other related stories unfold. An enjoyable and absorbing read.

It is always a delight and a joy when Elizabeth Strout returns to her cast of familiar characters, seamlessly intertwining contemporary America and its issues in the ordinary, yet extraordinary, peopje, living through the passing years, changing seasons, and landscapes she writes so beautifully and insightfully about. There have been hard times for so many, the rising house prices in Crosby, Maine, means locals struggle when it comes to buying as many new incomers choose to stay on after the Covid crisis. A rising tide of people find themselves lining up at the food pantry whilst the numbers facing mental health challenges continues to climb throughout the country. These stresses and pressures can be observed, for example, in the likes of Charlene Bibber, cleaning at the Tree Apartments retirement community and food volunteer.

Olive Kitteridge, 90 years old, tells stories to Lucy Barton, to document what would otherwise be forgotten, lending meaning and recognition to lives. Lucy regularly walks with semi-retired lawyer, Bob Burgess, their relationship deepening as their need for each other grows, their partners leaving them unfulfilled, but what to do? We encounter couples who live with ghosts in their marriages and homes, people acting as 'sin eaters', the shifting sands of relationships and life, loss, grief, coming to terms with the past, loneliness, alcoholism, despair, trauma, inescapable suffering, our need to be heard, discussions on the meaning of life, and how wealth might not be the panacea hoped for. Bob is the man others turn to with their problems, a titan when he takes on the case of the reclusive Matt Beach, a self taught gifted artist, under suspicion for the murder of his elderly mother, Gloria, aka Bitch Ball.

This is a profound novel that drips with wisdom and philosophy, which the discerning reader can use to aid and enrich their own lives, such as perhaps reflecting on what undocumented story could lie behind awkward and perhaps unpleasant people that cross our lives. There is the understanding no-one can go into the crevices of another's mind, not even the person themselves, although the illusion we can persists. There is heartbreak and sorrow, change and where getting older is inevitable, but there is an underlying current of compassion, humanity, the value of acquiring other perspectives, redemption and love, coming in a multitude of forms, big and slight, love is everything. Fans of Strout are likely to love this, to all other readers who have yet to read her, I can only strongly urge you to try her, but please start at the beginning! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I love Elizabeth Strouts books and this doesn’t disappoint. Following Bob Burgess, a lawyer taking in a murder case, this book is a fantastic myriad of the little connections that make up life. I really enjoyed it, Strout makes communities come to life. I thoroughly recommend this book

Lucy Barton meets Olive Ketteridge in this amalgamation of Elizabeth Strouts two fictional worlds. Revolving round the complicated relationships that Olive calls 'life' we follow Lucy and her ex William as she befriends Olive who is now in a Nursing Home. They share stories of lives uncelebrated amid the dramas of their community- including murder, infidelity, unrequited love and family divisions.
Written in the authors familiar gentle style, conversational and yet intense the reader is immersed in the lives of these people. Possibly the last we will read of some of these characters - but a very fitting way to wind their stories up.

This is my first novel by this author and sadly my last. I have been hearing about these books for so long now and thought I must try one but fail to see the attraction I am afraid. I kept waiting for something to happen! I found it too slow a read for me with nothing to grab my attention . Just not my style I guess.

I’ve loved being back in the community of Crosby, Maine that Strout has created and in the company of the characters I feel like I know.

TELL ME EVERYTHING is Elizabeth Strout’s latest and it picks up and weaves a number of threads from her previous books. While this could be read as a standalone, I do think my reading experience was all the richer for having read all of the Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge books. I also think it would be ideal to have read The Burgess Boys too (I haven’t, but now I’m dying to!).

I was expecting there to be a real focus on Olive finally meeting Lucy (and this does happen, as they exchange stories of ‘unrecorded lives’) but it’s Bob Burgess who seemed to be the central figure with every character and event revolving around him to different degrees. It seemed a little more plot-driven than what I’ve come to expect from these stories, though it never overtook the examination of each character’s interactions, reactions and experiences.

With Strout’s signature style, this was another beautifully meandering of ordinary people’s lives with that perfectly blended insight into human beings - of the mundane with the profound and the tragic. Sometimes Strout could’ve done a little less telling and more showing, as she delved into some topical areas that felt a bit heavy-handed in their explanation for me. It also occasionally felt that some characters’ interactions were a bit convenient, noting this book seems to be a coming together of a range of her characters. No doubt that’s a tricky thing to achieve, but I thought she’s done it with far more subtlety in previous books.

Those very minor issues (for me!) aside, I really enjoyed my time with this one and have no doubt Strout fans will not be disappointed!

When I received the ARC of this novel I suddenly thought I'd better read some previous works since I'd been hearing about how wonderful Olive and Lucy were for years.

I'm afraid I find these novels quite average. I have tried, believe me - I've read all except Lucy By The Sea and I am still bewildered as to why anyone finds these irritating characters adorable.

Tell Me Everything centres around Lucy and her relationship with Bob Burgess with various sub-plots scattered liberally throughout. All the stories are really about love, acceptance, childhoods and honesty.

I think the character I find most irksome is Lucy herself. She is supposed to be this amazing novelist and someone who everyone loves but as she becomes more friendly with Olive the two tell each other stories about unrecorded lives and Lucy constantly interrupts the narrative. I'm amazed Olive (who I much prefer) doesn't tell her to shut up.

So (as with Jane Austen - all of whose books I've read and disliked) I am giving up trying to like Strout's work. For me it goes nowhere. I like a story but these stories are just too circuitous and feel like non-events.

If you like a story with a lot of not much happening then this is for you. If you are already a fan of Olive and Lucy then you will love this too.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Penguin for the advance review copy.

Wonderful depiction of life. This author’s narrative is so real, with all the little details in life and the profound elements of what it means to be human. Another great story from this author - thank you. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Tell Me Everything is the first Elizabeth Strout novel I have read. I found the minutiae of small town life just didn’t hold my attention. I understand that she is a much lauded and loved author and her avid readers will look forward to re-engaging with familiar characters that reappear in this latest novel. I’m afraid that her style of writing is just not for me. Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC.

Only Elizabeth Strout can write a slow-paced novel about the quiet minutiae of everyday life in a small town where nothing much happens (except everything does,) to such great effect. I had this book on my 'to be read' pile for a while, savouring just seeing it there and knowing the pleasure I would get from devouring it a month or so down the line. Her books don't ever have much of a plot, but the depth of emotions and feelings she is able to convey by just a character's look or nod of the head is astounding.
In Tell Me Everything, the familiar characters of Lucy Barton and an elderly Olive Kitteridge feature strongly in the cast, which is led by nice Bob Burgess, who comes to realise that he is in love with his dear friend, Lucy. This is a novel about family, relationships, friendships, misunderstandings, brutality and the things that might have been.
For me, Nothing Strout writes will ever top the wonderful Olive Kitteridge, whiich is one of my favourite books. But Tell Me Everything comes very close. There is something about her measured, sometimes old fashioned style of writing which I absolutely adore.
Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this book.

Elizabeth Strout returns to her beloved characters Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge in her new novel "Tell Me Everything". In it, Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge come together to swap stories and ease one another loneliness, despite each having reservations about the other. Bob Burgess is also a prominent character, who discovers that what he imagines to be true, and what is actually the case, are not always the same.

Whilst this novel has been criticised by some as slow paced, and focused on the minutiae of life, for me it was crammed full of drama including murder, infidelity, alcoholism, intergenerational abuse, suicide and terminal illness. However, Strout's skilful writing hides the drama amongst everyday life. Returning to her novels is like coming back to an old friend and being included in the stories being shared by the residents in Crosby, Maine.

If you are new to Strout, I would recommend reading her earlier works first to get a deeper understanding of the characters. Once you do, you'll be hooked and suddenly have a wealth of stories to read!

Tell me everything is a good title for the book as just about everything is talked about.
I think it’s insightful and could be a great book for book groups because it throws up questions, such as, who do you envy.

Tell Me Everything: Well, I am telling you this, there are no words that I can find that will ever adequately describe the beauty, the joy, in losing yourself in this extraordinary novel about people who are broken in their own unique ways.

The story centres around Bob Burgess who is the intersection, the linchpin of everyone in the story. It is a burden Bob carries with good grace but at times his weariness is very evident. No matter how heavy the personal toll, Bob Burgess is always there helping people. Crossing through Bob’s world is Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Margaret Burgess, Jim Burgess, and Pam Carlson. Yes, they are all here and it a master class in writing how seamlessly these interactions occur.

There are several narratives that are key in this story. You have Bob Burgess undertaking his activities in the community by helping those in need and his representation of Matthew Beach who is facing allegations of murdering his mother. Bob is there to support his brother and family when his sister-in-law dies. Then the women in Bob’s life, his wife Margaret, his ex-wife Pam and his growing feelings for Lucy Barton. It is complicated but so deftly handled.

Olive is in a nursing home, still as feisty as ever but age takes its toll on all. Lucy is trying to navigate a relationship with her children. Lucy meets with Olive and they start an ongoing conversation about unrecorded lives. For Olive it initially comes across as if she wants to pass these stories on, to allow them to continue to live. They talk about ordinary people, fleeting moments of engagement, with the last story being the most poignant of all.

Strout’s writing is simply divine and from those opening words I was hooked into this world that has become almost like a second home. It is quite simply glorious.

“That was about the same thing that every story Lucy and I have shared is about. People suffer. They live, they have hope, they even have love, and they still suffer. Everyone does. Those who think they’ve not suffered are lying to themselves.”

“Okay, Olive—here is a story. It is not the saddest story ever told, that would be a false sentence to say that, but it has sadness in it and beauty. Tell me if you think this story isn’t one of real beauty.” Lucy’s eyes were shining as she said this, and Olive said, “Okay. Go.”

From: 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘔𝘦 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Elizabeth Strout

Thanks so much to @prhinternational and @netgalley for the eARC.

Aaaah Strout. This felt like coming home to not one, but two old friends waiting for me on the couch to tell me everything and it was marvelous.

I have tried and failed describing what makes Strout’s writing so special, but I think it has something to do with the utter ordinariness. It’s always about ordinary human lives, their hopes, dreams, but also their pain and suffering and the relationships they form to help them through it all.

At a superficial level this book might seem to be just petty small town gossip, but don’t be fooled, there is always insight to gain. Strout’s life lessons are never groundbreaking, but she still manages to make it feel profound.

This book almost felt like fan fiction, because it finally brought all of my favorite Strout characters together and it was exactly what I hoped for without being predictable.

So if you love Strout, you will love this. If you haven’t read her before, please get started, because you’re missing out.
📚📖💙

There’s a beguiling simplicity and profundity about the author’s style that I didn’t get when I read ‘Oh William!’ which was my first introduction to Strout’s work. But I understand it better here and I’m keen to explore her back catalogue.

The conversational pieces have an unhurried flow that lets the reader discover how the characters tick and their relationship with one another. There are also eminently quotable, wry observations of life which are crisp and concise.

I love the way soft Lucy Barton and acerbic Olive Kitteridge communicate as they join forces. Wary of one another initially, they bond over shared stories about “unrecorded lives” in their gently humorous conversations.

This book centres primarily on lawyer Bob Burgess, an affable, compassionate man who carries an unnecessary burden of guilt because he believes he was responsible for his father’s death. He takes on a legal case that brings his own situation into the spotlight again.

Bob is married to Margaret, a vicar with her own set of problems. He’s also secretly in love with Lucy. They meet outside on a regular basis as friends so Bob can smoke a clandestine cigarette without his wife knowing about it. Bob is tremendously likeable and it was a joy to spend time with him.

It’s an immersive, character driven, slow paced story about people who appear in previous Strout novels. It’s a welcome return for Strout fans and a great introduction for those like me who are fairly unfamiliar with her work yet get mesmerised by it. Grateful thanks to the author, Penguin General UK and NetGalley for the eARC.

'They are stories of loneliness and love...And the small connections we make in this world if we are lucky'.

'Tell Me Everything' is about people; community, friendships, relationships - connections. Set within the small town of Crosby, Maine, the story primarily focuses on Lucy, Bob and Olive but through them, we're privy to others' lives and their stories. Told in simple, almost ascetic language, human nature and the desire to truly have others know and understand us, indeed, to truly comprehend ourselves, is examined through everyday lives and everyday issues, '...we don't ever really know another person. And so we make them up according to when they came into our lives...'. Olive and Lucy begin to swap, seemingly random, stories about people they've encountered or used to know, simply to acknowledge them and perhaps the unknowing impact they've had on their thoughts, 'And who - who who who in this entire world - does not want to be heard'? Perhaps if we truly listened, and understood people, we'd be kinder, more accepting, more gracious.

I loved how this book and its quiet contemplation grew on me. I haven't read any of the previous books in the series but, for me, that in no way detracted from my enjoyment. The way Strout used narration to reveal 'insider' knowledge, nicely juxtaposed with the sometimes artificial, everyday, conversations people have.

Any literary fiction fan is sure to enjoy this book, if they haven't already been taken by her previous ones.

'People suffer. They live, they have hope, they even have love, and they still suffer. Everyone does.'

I have to admit I did not realise this was a sequel, or at least set in a world already written about.
However, the character development worked perfectly and the world of Maine was depicted with great clarity.
It took me a little while to become invested in the story but once I was, I couldn't put it down.
Lots about friendship, relationships and being a "sin eater" or one of those people who seems to attract those in need.

Oh what a beautiful book!
So simple but yet so profound.
It’s beauty and simplicity is in its language - like being told a story by your grandma!
It’s complexity is in the truths it uncovers about the connections between us and the purity of love.
The characters are familiar to those who have read Strout’s other novels but it’s not a problem if you haven’t.
This one is about Bob burgess, a lawyer, and his wife margaret, a vicar. Bob has taken on a complex case and margaret is having a crisis of her own.
Bob is also questioning his friendship with Lucy Barton, who is herself visiting olive kitteridge, a slightly fearsome town elder.
I would really recommend thus novel, whether you’re familiar with Strout’s work or not. Simply beautiful.

I feel slightly intimidated reviewing Elizabeth Strout's upcoming novel Tell me Everything. I feel like my writing does not even come close to that of Strout's and here I would be, judging her. But let me tell you in advance, I do not have any points of critique. None. But do read on, if you want to know what Strout's new book is about!

"People," Lucy said quietly, leaning back. "People and the lives they lead. That's the point."

Exactly! Lucy Barton, one of Tell me Everything's main characters describes it perfectly. Elizabeth Strout writes stories that are set in or around the same fictional town of Shirley Falls in Maine. Therefore, in her books, characters keep returning, but always from a slightly different perspective. For example, there are books starring Olive Kitteridge, a, some might say grumpy, elderly lady (oh, how I love her!), Jim and Bob Burgess, two boys who grow up with the trauma of having accidentally run over their father, and the writer Lucy Barton.
In Tell me Everything another story about the same set of characters is told. This time, Bob Burgess is its main focus. Bob is a middle aged man, married to Margaret, a church minister. He works as a lawyer and takes on a case around a murder investigation. Having quite a lot on his mind, he takes walks with his friend Lucy. During these walks both Lucy and Bob tell each other everything that goes on in their lives.
The publisher is right in calling this book 'a hopeful, healing novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world'. It is a book about humanity, about regular human beings with regular day to day issues, but also the regular moments of happiness. Its characters are believable. They could have been your own neighbours. Just like reading Strout's other books, this one also feels like I am visiting my grandmother who tells me all about what has happened in town. Since I no longer have a grandmother of my own, I love spending time with my fictional one!
It's a cosy and warm book, but it does not shy away from addressing harsh themes, like abuse, depression and suicide. It introduces these kind of heartfelt themes with an ease, without being disrespectful or weakening them. Strout just tells about them as they are, as people are.
Lastly, I'd like to tell you a bit about Strout's style of writing. Strout writes such beautiful prose. It's of high quality, without becoming difficult to read. It's simply beautiful. Or maybe beautiful in its simplicity? Strout is here for each and everyone of us.