This is a collection of personal stories set in novel form. They are charming, involving, enlightening and deal with love, death and loss. The stories are told of or by main characters we have met before in Strout’s novels: Lucy Barton, Bob Burgess, and the inimitable Olive Kitteridge, now in her 90s.

The writing is brilliant. Strout seems to have a way of communicating love and sadness very directly but she leaves space for the reader to work out their own response. I did not want this novel to end.

I highly recommend this novel.

The new novel from Elizabeth Strout, set in Maine, brings together Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge and what a joy it is for these two characters to finally meet.

Set against the backdrop of a mutual friend, Bob Burgess we experience the sadness and encircling loneliness of the central characters as Lucy and Olive look to make sense of their lives.

All this is set behind the story of the Beach Family and an ongoing mystery into which Bob Burgess is drawn.

Elizabeth Stroud leads the reader through the complexities of life and I can think of no better guide.

The novels which Elizabeth Strout writes are full of wisdom and compassion. She tells the stories of unrecorded lives, those people who are not famous, often overlooked and indeed who are the subject of the conversations that two of her characters, Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge, have when they finally meet in this book.

For me, reading an Elizabeth Strout book is like sitting with an old friend, catching up on our stories. There is something so comforting in this.
In Tell Me Everything, we meet again with not only Lucy and Olive but with Isabelle, William, Susan Olsen and others and most importantly with the Burgess Boys, Jim and Bob. Bob and Lucy have become close friends. Both realise they want more than friendship but in a self sacrifice worthy of Brief Encounter they eschew an affair and keep their friendship. It is beautifully done.

I loved this book. I'd say it's best to read the others first as you probably get more out of them that way. Having said that I still haven't read Lucy by the Sea even though it's sitting on my bookshelves. A wonderful book as are all of her novels. Thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for the ARC.

As Elizabeth’s Strout fans will know, many of her characters recur throughout her loosely connected series of novels, rather as they do in Kent Haruf’s Holt books. In Tell Me Everything, it’s Bob Burgess who comes to the fore.
Bob settled in his hometown, Crosby, Maine, and has been married to Margaret for fifteen years. When Lucy Barton and her ex-husband came to live in Crosby, she and Bob got to know each other, meeting for lockdown walks and becoming friends. Bob harbours more than a liking for Lucy and she does for him, as sharp-eyed Olive Kitteridge observes. Olive’s now living in a retirement community and welcomes the exchange of stories she enjoys with Lucy, even if she is a little mystified by Lucy’s offerings. As the novel draws to a close, Lucy tells Olive a story that will reduce them both to tears.
As ever, Strout helpfully sketches in her characters’ backstories for those who need their memories jogged or are new to her fiction. Bob’s character is beautifully drawn. He’s a good man: decent, honourable, and deeply empathetic - a ‘sin-eater’ as Lucy puts it - soaking up the confidences and problems of others. Strout’s characteristic insightful compassion runs through this gorgeous novel, packed with stories of ordinary, everyday people who sometimes lead extraordinary lives. but often don’t. Written with a quiet brilliance, Tell Me Everything is one of Strout’s best novels yet. She seems to be speeding up her output without compromising its quality, quite a feat. I can’t wait to see whose story she’ll tell next.

Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout is a moving and superbly crafted work of storytelling. The novel renters the world of Crosby, Maine where Bob Burgess a lawyer takes on an unfolding murder investigation to defend an isolated man accused of his mother’s murder. Bob is sustained by his weekly walks and conversations with acclaimed writer Lucy Barton who lives nearby and together they confront their life’s regrets, hopes and troubles. Lucy befriends one of the towns longest residents Olive Kitteridge, who lives in a retirement complex on the edge of town. They tell each other stories of “unrecorded lives”, as they search for meaning and life’s complex secrets hidden in the depths of the people they have met. It is a novel that explores momentous themes such as love, friendship, healing, desire, pain and meaning in new, intimate and refreshing ways. This book is a deeper extension of characters and places Elizabeth Strout has imagined and beautifully portrayed in her previous works and although it can be read as a stand alone book it’s strength is heightened by exploring the history of the characters and setting in her other novels. The writing is simple and crystalline in its prose and the characters well defined and dynamic. At times it is slow paced but like the stories shared between Lucy and Olive this meandering pace highlights the unfolding, river like nature of life and it’s reflective meaning. Another strong novel from masterful storyteller 4 Stars ✨.

A fan of Elizabeth Strout so was overjoyed to read this latest novel! It didn’t disappoint! Elizabeth writes with such warmth and the characters come alive right in front of your eyes! Lovely to see Olive and Lucy share stories as their lives have been pinnacle in earlier books!

Really enjoyed and would highly recommend

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced reading copy.

Oh, how I love Elizabeth Strout. She is one of those authors who always writes the perfect book, and you know you’re in for a good time in her company. Tell Me Everything was no exception. I love the crossing of all her worlds and characters. This is a beautifully written book, musing on love in all its forms. I know it will stay with me long after I’ve finished reading.

I will be focusing on what the new reader may take away from this novel.
This book is about the meaning of life: love. Love and acceptance and understanding in all forms, the beauty of life with its ups and downs and hardships, and the meaning in the every day, our loved ones, communities, trusting time to do its healing and the possibilities.
My favourite parts were the compassion the characters showed each other and the intimacy and satisfaction the alternatives offered without the characters making any rash decisions.
4.5 stars.
The characters are sweet and relatable. Olive, Lucy. Bob and even Margaret are interesting. Matt too, a bit.
The plot is touching but not necessarily sentimental. This is not the type of story I usually go for, but I enjoyed it.
Strout’s craft is fantastic; the writing is casual but never boring or simplistic.

What a beautiful way with words Elizabeth Strout has. Her novels have built up into a world of people you feel you know and it’s always a treat to join them and find out what’s happening. What I particularly love is that what is happening is often nothing monumental and yet it has such a bearing on their lives. The focus of this novel is Bob Burgess, the town lawyer, who is working on a murder investigation and yet that is not really the central story of the book. We spend more time on Bob’s friendship with Lucy Barton, their walks and chats, and how the closeness is affecting their other relationships. We also have Lucy spending time with Olive Kitteridge to tell each other stories they have come across, none of them earth shattering but all an example of what is really happening in the lives of others. The theme of ‘unrecorded lives’ is beautifully told and utterly recognisable, and I raced through this book, completely absorbed. Wonderful.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Another amazing book by Elizabeth Strout! Elizabeth Strout creates the most fascinating characters in her books. I was so glad to get to know them better in this fantastic book.

A new Elizabeth Strout is always a cause for celebration and Tell Me Everything is no exception to that rule. It brings all of her characters together, in the town of Crosby, and examines the details of their lives (& many others) in minute detail. The legend that is Olive Kitteridge finally meets up with Lucy Barton, but this story isn’t so much about them. The wonderful Bob Burgess is front & centre, and what a character he is! Gentle & kind, Bob keeps trying his best, even when he doesn’t know what that means.

I fully expected to love this book & I really did. I feel like Bob, Lucy, Olive, Jim & their friends & families will stay with me for a while now. I’m tempted to reread the whole back catalogue so I don’t have to leave them just yet. Many thanks to NetGalley & Viking for an early copy.

A new Elizabeth Strout novel will always be something that I would be excited about, so I was very happy to receive this as an advance copy. Strout's ability to weave stories is wonderful and I felt I was there in Crosby with living, breathing characters. Olive and Lucy together, what joy. I didn't want to leave their world, surely a sign of a good book.

A very enjoyable book that i won’t hesitate to recommend to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.

Long time Strout fans will be thrilled (as I was) with this latest novel in which Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton meet when Olive invites Lucy to visit her in her care home so that she can share a story from her life. Bob Burgess is playing a larger role now in Lucy's life and the three of them become involved in a crime that has caused huge upset in their small town.

The themes of love and life are prominent, people living normal lives tinged with unspoken tragedy or sorrow. The stories are small; the impact huge.

A real gem. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton get together and tell each other stories. As you can imagine Lucy's are wandering, ethereal stories where you are trying to work out the point. Olive's, with her trademark bluntness, are straight to the point with her own views added on at the end. Whilst it is lovely to meet them again it did feel that perhaps it may be time to retire them both, there were so many other characters in this book that had interesting stories which I would be more than happy to follow. Pam and her husband, the lovely Matt, and the mysterious Katharine the therapist - how does she make all those people joyous?
This is not a standalone book, you need the Lucy/Olive back stories to appreciate where they are in their lives.

A book where Lucy and Olive meet... this was a dream for the fans! Please read it!!!
Thanks to NetGalley, the editor and the author for the opportunity to access this advanced copy.

“𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒖𝒄𝒚 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒐𝒏.”

Lucy Barton is finally introduced to the inimitable powerhouse that is Olive Kitteridge, when Olive decides she has a story she wants to share with Lucy. Meanwhile, Lucy’s friendship with Bob Burgess is a source of immense consolation and comfort for them both. All three deal with a crime that has shaken the town of Crosby and ponder on the meaning of life in the latest from Elizabeth Strout.

She’s only gone and done it again; Strout never fails to make everyday extraordinary. And oh, it felt so good to be back in the Strout universe 😭! Tell Me Everything is not published for months yet, but I simply could not leave it on my NetGalley shelf.

While the much anticipated back and forth between Olive and Lucy is an integral part of the book, this is first and foremost a Bob Burgess novel. And I think I’m kind of a little bit in love with Bob Burgess now? What a man.

As always, the ‘drama’ is quiet, unassuming - almost gentle, in that way that ordinary lives are. The characters are centre stage and the writing is almost hypnotic in a way I can’t explain. I found myself absolutely absorbed once again in the town of Crosby, which has come to feel like another recurring character my heart swells at meeting again.

Love, friendship, forgiveness and storytelling are at the centre of this novel. Strout fans will not be disappointed - is it just me or is she just getting better and better?

Thank goodness for Elizabeth Strout! Tell Me Everything features Lucy Barton and Olive Kitteridge, they finally meet and form a friendship, at it's heart is the two women sharing stories of lives/life . They are drawn together by Bob Burgess, a friend of both women who also a central character in this novel. The writing is as you expect, thoughtful, subtle, emotional and beautifully executed, the plotline is like the other novels driven by the characters within the book. You do need to concentrate on the characters as there are alot in this book and there are multiple plotlines which do all pull together to form another great novel from a great writer.

There was a lot I absolutely loved about this book, and yet some things that grated. I found previously with Lucy Barton's character that I was torn between loving her and hating her, and this book gave me similar feelings...it's absolutely loaded with characters, stories of second-hand stories, stories about sad lives, stories about normal lives, so many different people and names and situations. Really that's the point of the book, looking at all those different lives, and thinking about what life, and love, are. But there were moments when I lost track of who was who or what was happening, and times where it felt disjointed, but then there were others when I was absolutely racing through because I loved it so much! I think knowing at least a little bit about the characters beforehand would deepen your enjoyment - I was certainly glad that many names were familiar, even though I haven't read all of the previous books.
Olive and Lucy are both in this book, and they get to meet each other which was lovely to read, but really the story is Bob's, and I liked Bob very much and found parts of his story very moving.
There really is a little bit of everything in this - even a murder mystery. The final quarter or so of the book I raced through, just didn't want to stop reading!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC. I found quite a bit of this book somewhat of a slog - lots of characters, and I really wasn't feeling it. This was probably a "it's not you it's me" situation. There was a meandering drifting vibe to the book, and I missed the focus of LUCY BY THE SEA (pandemic) or MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON (mothers and writing). To be fair the book does have a thematic focus: "what is the point of these lives that are filled with suffering," and so that is the point of Olive and Lucy's storytelling sessions together. There is even a murder mystery. NGL though, my eyes got a little blurry from the sheer number of names; while reading it often felt like "oh god one person after another, who is Charlene again? And Katherine?" Maybe this is just due to me and my tired, tired brain. However, the last 20% of the book really picked up for me, and the ending is stellar. I really liked Pam as a character, and I would love a book solely about her. I think maybe it is time to move on from Lucy and Olive tbh...? This would definitely be a fitting conclusion.