Tell Me Everything: A Novel
$0.99
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a “stunner” (People) of a novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world.
“Tell Me Everything hits like a bucolic fable. . . . A novel of moods, how they govern our personal lives and public spaces, reflected in Strout’s shimmering technique.”—The Washington Post
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Time, NPR, Vogue, Parade
With her remarkable insight into the human condition and silences that contain multitudes, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, and to her beloved cast of characters—Lucy Barton, Olive Kitteridge, Bob Burgess, and more—as they deal with a shocking crime in their midst, fall in love and yet choose to be apart, and grapple with the question, as Lucy Barton puts it, “What does anyone’s life mean?”
It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer Lucy Barton, who lives down the road in a house by the sea with her ex-husband, William. Together, Lucy and Bob go on walks and talk about their lives, their fears and regrets, and what might have been. Lucy, meanwhile, is finally introduced to the iconic Olive Kitteridge, now living in a retirement community on the edge of town. They spend afternoons together in Olive’s apartment, telling each other stories. Stories about people they have known—“unrecorded lives,” Olive calls them—reanimating them, and, in the process, imbuing their lives with meaning.
Brimming with empathy and pathos, Tell Me Everything is Elizabeth Strout operating at the height of her powers, illuminating the ways in which our relationships keep us afloat. As Lucy says, “Love comes in so many different forms, but it is always love.”
Patricia N. –
beautiful story, beautifully written
It’s been awhile since I read a book I loved. Thank you Elizabeth Strout for bringing to life these wonderful characters and their interesting stories. Heartwarming and rings so true
Anthony Conty –
You Will Learn Everything!
“Tell Me Everything” by Elizabeth Strout continues the interconnected stories of characters from her other novels. You can quickly jump into this book, even if you’re new to Strout’s work. Olive Kitteridge, literature’s favorite misanthrope, plays a supporting role. If you’re unfamiliar with the entire series, be prepared to revisit cast lists and names to understand each character’s role in the Amgash series fully.Though the protagonists are a few individuals, you’ll immerse yourself in many names and stories. You’ll encounter familiar characters like Bob Burgess, Lucy Barton, and Olive Kitteridge, each with a rich and compelling narrative. The story centers around a man accused of murder who seeks well-known Bob’s legal counsel when his invalid mother turns up dead.Bob suffers a personal loss while defending his client, so the fragility of his life plays a significant role. His professional interviews show multiple people affected by death very differently. Like most literary lawyers, he is battling his internal demons and throwing himself into his work to avoid dwelling on them. His dysfunctional marriage does not help matters much, either.The scenes between Bob and Lucy (married to other people) grow on you because the author dares to make intimacy about something other than a physical relationship or casual sex. Olive’s parts require a little background knowledge since you must deduce why she is such an influential figure in her lonely town. I highly recommend Strout’s previous work for that.The ending wraps up in a way that seems like the end of a significant party (and it is) in which everyone walks away with a better sense of who they are, even if the individual stories do not all have closure. You may enjoy other authors more, but few, if any, have Strout’s character development ability and inherent storytelling.
Word Nerd –
*ALMOST* Five Stars
I’ll start with the good stuff, which is truly almost everything. This, like all of Strout’s books in the Olive’s world series, is rich in its telling. The characters, most of whom we know well now, are multifaceted and perfectly imperfect. Relatable, even when we kind of wish we didn’t understand what they’re feeling because we know that doesn’t show us in our best light. Strout has a wonderful way of balancing people’s shortcomings with their humanity, which makes her work a joy to read.EXCEPT one little pet peeve I have. It’s all the “Oh, (insert character’s name)!” SO many times. Far too many. It drove me crazy when I read “Oh, William!” which was an otherwise terrific read and it drove me crazy again in this book. “Oh, Bob!” “Oh, Charlene!” “Oh, Pam. Pam. Pam.” “Oh, Helen!” “Oh, Jim Burgess!” “Oh, Matt!”You get the idea. Add to all those (each in many multiples) all of the times characters begin their sentences with the word “oh” and it doesn’t take long for the annoyance factor to take something away from the story.That being said, Strout’s mastery of storytelling means that when she releases another book, I’ll absolutely buy it. But a note to the author, should she by chance read this review:Oh, Elizabeth! I’m begging you! When it’s time to edit the next one, please remove the word “oh” about 80% of the times it pops up.With enormous respect and gratitude,Word Nerd
ELL5 –
Just okay
Well-written yet slow going and not worth the hype. One of the few books I did not finish over the course of this past decade.
jill d lemmon –
Fantastic read.
I could not put it down. So many complex characters . I finishedFeeling like I knew them all.The themes were incredible. She tackled the difficult topic of the meaning of life and answeredit.
Jane –
A book about telling stories
I was excited to see that Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton were going to meet in this book. They do, to trade stories. Lucy walks with a friend and they tell each other stories. There are subplots and it is enjoyable but there is a bit less action and intensity in the book.
Hedy H. Schoonover –
LOVE IS LOVE
Life is life. That’s all it is. I think it’s Bob Burgess who says this. This is a book of sorrows and suffering, unrequited love and everyday love between friends and brothers, spouses and neighbors. It’s a story of Crosby, Maine as seasons change. It’s a story about doing what is right despite the yearning for what is wrong. It’s a story of the maturation of the soul. It’s a modern day morality tale. And it’s a book about stories. Tell me everything!
Mary B. –
How I love Elizabeth Strout’s Stories– another unforgettable story- Don’t miss this one
No one says it better about life than Elizabeth Strout . The characters in this book in this story were unforgettable. They take the past and blend it with the present and give you hope for the future. The ordinary becomes nostalgic, loving A beautiful experience. Strout allows you to have a personal relationship with each and every character which allows you to feel wonderfully connected and gives you joy. This story is about life and how extraordinary and ordinary are yet the same.
Bluebell Girl –
Tell Me Everything is the latest book from Elizabeth Strout. I absolutely love Strout’s writing, it is amazing how she writes about ordinary lives and people but makes her characters so interesting and alive. This is another simply a beautifully written book, with amazing characters. Strout’s writing is wonderful, evocative and descriptive.Not a plot driven book this is Strout’s view of small town America, with such great characters and storylines interwoven. She writes about people, relationships, the everyday events in peoples lives and how we can impact on each other without knowing. I love her characters, the ordinary everyday dramas that happen. A joy to read. A story about life, love and relationships.I absolutely love reading Elizabeth Strout’s books. My only criticism is that they are too short and I read them too quickly.
lorna w. –
A Christmas gift
Mridul Gharia –
GP –
Elizabeth Strout is one of the best writers of our time, a ‘comedy of manners’ for the 21st century.. Well worth reading, even if you haven’t read all the other books which went before.
Sabina –
For those already familiar with the lives of Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton and Bob Burgess, this is an immediate plunge back into that world. The relationships between the engagingly cantankerous Olive and ever-insightful Lucy develops over the stories they tell each other, and the companionable walks Bob and Lucy take together bring their relationship to a critical point. In the meanwhile, there are other important relationships under scrutiny, quite a lot about the trials of getting older and a murder mystery for Bob to get involved in by taking on the case of the accused man.I did raise an eyebrow at the number of times lucy utters “Oh Bob,” during their meetings and I wondered whether there was any mileage left in writing more books (beyond this) about these same characters, but I enjoyed being in this world as it delves deep into how through the ups and downs of life and misunderstandings between people, life’s truths emerge. Towards the end Lucy refers to what Solzhenitsyn had said, that the point of life is the maturity of the soul.