This was the February pick for my State College book club. I'm new to the club this year, so I don't know if they've read earlier books in this series by Elizabeth Strout, but this was my first book by her. I really didn't find much to like about the book. The main character, Lucy Barton, is a successful author whose ex-husband convinces her to leave New York City just as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting. They move to a recently-vacated but still furnished home in Maine where they take walks and get to know the locals. I found the writing flat and unappealing. It's repetitious in places, with Lucy reporting on everything she hates in a childish way. Later, she meets a neighbor and says hello to him every day, then repeatedly tells her ex how much she loves the man. Lucy is an unlikable character and she narrates the story with a step-by-step account of her days. It's a little boring and I wonder why Strout would present a novel in this fashion. Was she trying to capture the boredom some may have felt during the pandemic? If so, she may have succeeded too well. I finished the book quickly; it's so simple that it's a very fast read. I don't think I could recommend this one.
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