Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout: 9780812971828 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books (2024)

FAQs

Do you need to read Elizabeth Strout books in order? ›

In terms of plot or spoilers the order of reading is irrelevant, although arguably you do gain a certain something by unravelling Lucy Barton's world in the same way Strout unravelled it in her own mind.

After the tragic death of his young wife, Reverend Tyler Caskey, a New England minister, struggles to hold together his own life, his family, and his town, while dealing with his personal anger, grief, and loss of faith.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout explores the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep, as a former couple reckons with where they've come from — and what they've left behind. Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read.

Lucy Barton is Strout's other recurrent female character of mature years and bears some similarities to Olive Kitteridge. Like Olive, she has lost two husbands. Like Olive, her pain runs in deep veins right back to her childhood.

So it can certainly be read as a stand-alone book. However, I can't imagine coming to this novel without having read the previous books and my appreciation and understanding of it was certainly enhanced since I've travelled the entirely of this extensive journey with Lucy.

6 – Abide with me

So popular this hymn has endured through the years as one of peace and prayer offering comfort and hope in the face of change. Often sung at the beginning of the funeral mass.

to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me. Synonyms: tarry. to have one's abode; dwell; reside: to abide in a small Scottish village.

The hymn is a prayer for God to remain present with the speaker throughout life, through trials, and through death. The opening line alludes to Luke 24:29, "Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent", and the penultimate verse draws on text from 1 Corinthians 15:55, "O death, where is thy sting?

“William has always been a mystery to me,” Lucy observes, “and to our girls as well.” During their marriage, he cheated on her with a number of women; this is why she left him.

What was the first Elizabeth Strout book? ›

Rise to prominence with Amy and Isabelle

While teaching part-time at Borough of Manhattan Community College, Strout worked for six or seven years to complete her book Amy and Isabelle, which when published was shortlisted for the 2000 Orange Prize and nominated for the 2000 PEN/Faulkner Award for fiction.

Elizabeth Strout (born January 6, 1956, Portland, Maine, U.S.) is an American author known for her empathetic novels that are typically set in small towns and feature flawed but likable characters dealing with personal issues. Many of the works are connected, with characters appearing in multiple books.

To answer questions about Virgin River, please sign up. Elaine Marriott You definitely have to read them in order. You miss out on the character development if you don't. Each book introduces new characters and then brings you up to date with the characters that have already been introduced.

Mary I think you can read the book without having read it, but go and read Lucy Barton after you do, and you'll appreciate it. Reading these books is like moving to a small town -- it will take you a long time to really understand the interconnectedness of people in the town.

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout is the fourth book in her popular Amgash series. This can be read as a standalone but is so much better if you read the previous books in the series.

Jonathan Katz While this book does "work" as a standalone (I read it that way), I think the experience of reading the book would be deepened by reading the previous book(s) in the series first.