“The two characters that I have written who are older are Olive Kitteridge and Lucy Barton. It’s interesting because as I wrote them it was their character that was most important to me, and their age was simply a piece of that character. So even though I knew I was writing about older people I didn’t think about that in a way, except to make sure they were always who they were.”
Rathbones Folio Prize Shortlist for Fiction
Honored that Lucy by the Sea has been shortlisted for this year's Rathbones Folio Prize for fiction! Congratulations to the nominees in all three categories.
The Guardian: Interview: There’s a quiet rumbling of violence in America.
“Strout describes her writing style as that of “an embroiderer” – “I will pick it up and embroider a little green line, and come back later and embroider a leaf or something” – and her novels, intricately and painstakingly crafted, overlap and intertwine to create an instantly recognisable fictional landscape.”
Lisa Allardice, “Interview: Elizabeth Strout: ‘There’s a quiet rumbling of violence in America. Is it going to expand and explode?,’” Books, The Guardian, September 24, 2022.WaPo: Elizabeth Strout has ‘millions of stories to tell’
“To Strout, writing is an act of revelation. And she is always writing, often in her studio above a nearby store. She’s amazed that Lucy returned for a fourth novel, but here she is.”
Karen Heller, “Elizabeth Strout has ‘millions of stories to tell’,” Book World, Washington Post, September 22, 2022.BookTrib: Lucy Barton Finds Love During Pandemic
“Strout excels at distilling complex human emotions — fear of failure, regret that we never measured up — into something familiar and understandable.… Lucy By The Sea holds its own as an engaging and relatable story, where human bonds of love and meaning — over-examined and frayed as they may become in crisis — still serve as the essence of what makes us feel we matter and belong.”
Anne Eliot Feldman, “Long-Divorced Lucy Barton Finds Love During Pandemic,” BookTrib, September 19th, 2022.