Having a very hard time getting into this book.

My heart is full and bursting with gratitude after finishing this book. I have read all of Elizabeth Strout’s books but this tops them all for me. I’m blown away by her ability to intertwine her characters and that we get to watch them grow. Her characters are all so beautifully human. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I recommend it with my whole heart.

In Tell Me Everything, author Elizabeth Strout takes us back to a very familiar location (Crosby, Maine) and into the company of some long-cherished characters (Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, Bob Burgess). The ostensible plot of the book revolves around how Bob, a semi-retired attorney, attempts to prove that Matt Beach, a sad and lonely local man, did not murder his invalid mother, despite what everyone else in the town seems to think. But, of course, in the hands of such a masterful writer, this main storyline is not really the point. Instead, what the reader gets is a tender and empathetic look into the hearts and the minds of these beloved protagonists as they experience the emotional pleasures and pains of navigating myriad aspects of connecting with other people as they grow older. Given the murder mystery story arc that threads through most of the book, it is tempting to say that Bob Burgess—perhaps the least prominent of the main characters in the author’s past catalog of work—is the focus of attention. However, that really is not the case as it is Lucy Barton who is in the middle of every significant passage. Indeed, when he is not interacting with his client or his sometimes-distant wife Margaret, Bob spends his time thinking about—pining away for, really—how much he would rather be with Lucy. Further, Olive, such a complex, interesting, and infuriating character in other novels, only appears here as a person to whom Lucy can tell stories about some cathartic events from her own past. In fact, if I have a complaint about how this book was structured, it is that we get too much Lucy and not enough Olive. That may have been inevitable, though, as Lucy appears to be the author’s alter ego. But that is a minor quibble that in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this heartfelt and satisfying story. Strout truly is a gifted writer, and she especially excels at capturing the little nuances of how we interact with one another as well as how those interactions shape and impact our lives. While the plotline involving the disappearance of Matt’s mother (which is resolved, by the way) sets the frame for the novel, it is the way that the unrequited love affair between Bob and Lucy is rendered that made this such a worthwhile reading experience for me. Beyond that, it was great to bring all these characters that have been developed in separate past treatments into featured roles in the same work, much like gathering the cast of an ensemble production on stage for a collective curtain call. I only hope that does not mean we have now seen the last of Bob, Lucy, and Olive; if so, they will be dearly missed.

Now what I am going to do??? I finished the book early this morning and now I need to take a walk and run into Lucy and Bob, or to go and visit Olive, or to hang out with Margaret, and hear more stories. Elizabeth, would you please make the next book about Margaret? It is always so wonderful to re-encounter these characters at different times and in different relationships to one another, and in the spare prose that someone makes them come to life. I guess I'll have to re-read The Burgess Boys. For a fourth time, I think!

It was lovely to revisit these characters, Lucy, Olive, Bob, etc. Strout is a no-frills writer, but every word is carefully chosen and the whole of it is full of nuance and depth. I really loved this book and was sad when it ended. Everyone should read it.

What to say? About this read “Tell Me Everything “, author Elizabeth Strout,copyright 2024. Her latest, A Novel. I read It fast, to fast, as I always do. They are all so good reads. I have read everything Mrs. Strout has published all of them. All. And as this book title says, she tells you everything. She does. The characters, in her books are so like: us, you, them, the person in the checkout line, at the market, the person you thought you knew, a friend at a party you didn’t know and probably will never know. Highly recommend this read. And all of them. But if you have not read Elizabeth Strout’s writings , read: All, all of them. “My Name is Lucy Barton”, yes read that one soon, could be a start, even though they’re not sequel books. Some of the same characters do pop up in lots of her books: My Name is Lucy Barton The Burgess Boys Lucy by the Sea Oh William! Olive Kitteridge And my favorite character is Olive! Elizabeth Strout writes deep, you know what I am saying, how you talk to yourself deep. …and don’t think about it….and don’t talk about it. Well, she just writes like that, our thoughts, you know. “Ay-yuh” she does, and it’s funny , and serious and it’s ok to think these things, cause we all do . Life is complicated and What is it all about? And then we just laugh. I do think we all have unrecorded lives. Unrecorded stories deep inside that should be told. Get now and go get a copy of Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel “Tell Me Everything” and don’t think about it. Tinabeth Chapman

A very chatty readable book. Close up character studies of several characters. Explored various aspects of love. Light and soothing.

Elizabeth Strout’s characters are so real, human and touching. This book is all about the human condition and the connections we may make. Love is love and we are grateful for every experience of love. Her writing is more like an ongoing conversation than any other author I have read. I can’t wait to read it again.