Anything is Possible

I've loved Elizabeth Strout's books. And I know everyone is raving about this one. But first of all, it is NOT a novel. Not even a novel in stories. It is a collection of stuff about Cs she thought of while writing other books. Each one has some dark dreary unsolvable anguish to think about. I felt cheated. i wasn't touched or entertained or moved or intrigued. I was bored.

Beautiful writing, as always. All of the characters came from miserable backgrounds. Some fared better than others in adulthood. All had deep scars from their childhood. Somehow it didn't feel complete to me; perhaps, I would have preferred a more in-depth approach with at least one of the characters. Not sure what bothered me, but, did not enjoy this novel as much as others.

Feels like a fictionalized documentary on the destructive effects of poverty and of early sexual trauma on children. Written with fine turns of phrase. At times difficult to find justification for the title.

I loved this, now inspired to re-read Lucy Barton due to how she is threaded through this set of interconnected stories.
Themes of parent/child mutual disappointment yet love, post traumatic stress disorder, the variety of ways sex plays a role in life in different contexts( some pathological, some therapeutic, some enhancing love, some harming relationships) Yet simple straightforward prose, unpretentious, a real American voice, honest enough to address the complexities without pushing "answers."

I admired Elizabeth's Strout's writing. "Olive Kitteridge," "My Name is Lucy Barton," and "The Burgess Boys" were beautifully written with captivating characters who were deeply felt. Let's just put it this way: Maybe this book was written in an off period for her or something, but this collection -- it's not a novel -- is a big miss.

My impression while reading was that this is a collection of character sketches intended for another book. Perhaps these were exercises for another project or something. Or, maybe she just needs some money! Whatever! I couldn't bear most of the characters and abandoned them with about twenty pages to go. (I remained with them longer than I wanted hoping for better. It never happened.) I knew we were going astray when a couple was engaged in sexually assaultive voyeurism. Pretty desperate plotting if you ask me, but I tried to read on and finally abandoned all of her undeveloped people. Really, Ms. Strout, anything is NOT possible!

I hate this book...I disliked My Name is Lucy Barton and was foolish enough to think that this might be better....but it's just a continuation of loneliness, sadness, hopelessness, regret,not to mention Boring dialogue ....one big bummer Part 2.... I cannot continue to read this and will be requesting a refund.

Beautifully written, but if you are looking for a good story, this is not the book. Some chapters were better than others, but none very satisfying. After a while I would dread having to start a new chapter. In my opinion, the characters themselves were not diverse or interesting enough to make this book work.

I am a big fan of the writing of Elizabeth Strout, and I was delighted at the opportunity to review her latest collection of interrelated short stories, "Anything Is Possible."

First, however, it must be said that in order to fully enjoy and appreciate this book, you really must have read her previous book, "My Name is Lucy Barton." In fact, I think of these two books as companions. In "Lucy Barton," the reader is introduced to Lucy, a writer living in New York City, who is enduring a lengthy hospital stay following complications of surgery. Her mother, from whom she is estranged, shows up one day unannounced and stays at Lucy's bedside for five days. In their conversations, they discuss many people from the past in the small town where Lucy grew up, Amgash, Illinois. In this book, the reader gets a feel for Lucy's traumatic childhood and impoverished family and her remarkable journey to become an esteemed writer.

"Anything Is Possible" tells the reader more about most of the people who were only mentioned in the previous book. It is not a coherent novel with a straightforward plot; rather, it is like a camera giving us a snapshot into the lives of many people from Lucy's past, including her brother Pete and her sister Vicky. It provides us with a backstory on each character, so that what we were told about them in "Lucy" is expanded and fleshed out, making almost all the characters more sympathetic.

I liked all of these stories, but one of my favorites was the first, "The Sign." The main character in this story, Tommy Guptill, whose kindness and compassion are remarkable, is the school custodian who allows the child Lucy to stay after school for hours so that she can keep warm. In "The Sign," we learn about the tragedy that led Tommy to become a custodian, and we see his present day interaction with Lucy's reclusive older brother, Pete. Tommy is one of the most sympathetic characters I have met in a long time.

I also enjoyed "Sister," a story in which the Barton siblings are reunited after many years of not having seen each other. The reader sees how the past has affected each of them and learns new details about the abuse and isolation they endured. I am in awe that they survived at all, given the past; Lucy's panic attack at the end is completely believable.

Strout's writing is wonderful. I am most drawn to the honesty of her observations, her refusal to sugarcoat anything. If you read "Lucy," you will see that this is an obsession of sorts with her, and it is no less evident in this collection of stories. Another collection by Strout, "Olive Kitteridge," is more unified, but given the fact that the unifying character in this book does not even appear in some of the stories, this lack of complete unity did not bother me.

Although I loved this book, I recognize that it is not for everyone. Some members of my book club were put off by the lack of plot in "My Name Is Lucy Barton," and I especially caution readers who have not yet read "Lucy." Yes, of course you can read these stories on their own, but it is hard for me to see what meaning they would have for you unless you had read the previous book. If you are looking for a tight plot, look elsewhere. However, I highly recommend this book for people who appreciate superb, closely observed writing and can tolerate some scenes of almost unspeakable abuse of children.

For those of us who read, Elizabeth Strout's, 'My Name Is Lucy Barton' we will not forget Lucy, her mother or the other characters in her town in Illinois. This novel brings it all together, the background, and the drama of all these people and their families throughout the years. This is one of those novels I did not want to end, read it in two sittings.

We met Lucy Barton as a patient in a New York hospital. She had an appendectomy, and spent five weeks suffering from some sort of infection. Her husband had little time for visits and so he sent Lucy's mother from Illinois to stay with her. Lucy and her family had been estranged for many years. Few contacts, Lucy called when her daughters were born, but there was never any discussion of Lucy's life or the life she came from. And, so it is with mom's visit. Mom sits quietly in a chair, refuses all invitations to rest. She sits and she and Lucy talk about the people they knew. All gossip, and all dismal. These families who were gossiped about come to life in this book.

Lucy is a well-known author, rarely visits her hometown, her poor family was disparaged and is thus remembered by the locals. Her brother, Pete, and sister, Vicky are still around, Vicky full of resentment. We meet Tommy Guptill, a janitor at the school who was kind to Lucy and to her brother, Pete. Pete Barton who has lived a spartan life in the old homestead. Patty Nicely, another good person who is insulted by Vicky's daughter, Lila. Patty's sister, Linda and her husband, may be the nastiest of the bunch. The daughter who loves her mother too much. The brother and sister, Abel and Dottie, who each found their way to goodness and kindness. Dottie's story may be the one I will remember and giggle about for a long time. Abel one of those men whom everyone liked. Charley and the Appleby family, all resounding with Issues. Many of the stories in this small town in Illinois have to do with rank and class. The poor and the rich, never the two shall meet, for very long. And, most of all the people who never risked the passion that put them in danger, simply to be near the dazzle of the white sun as Annie Appleby so elequently expressed.

Elizabeth Strout has given us every emotion from A to Z in these characters who are trying to understand themselves and their neighbors. Such a massive display of every day people expressed in such utter brilliance.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 01-29-17

Is there any grotesque or perverted human behavior in which this author chooses not to ask us to wallow? Child abuse, pedophilia, the screaming of cows dying in a barn fire, voyeurism ... and that's only the first few chapters, which were plenty for me. I can only pity a mind that dwells incessantly on such themes and asks others to join her in her obvious misery. Personally, I'll tune in to the evening news for my daily dose of horror and perversion. At the very least, it's cheaper. I would advise you to do the same.

One of the things I liked best in MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON, Strout’s previous novella, was the understated prose that delivered evocative emotion. Her writing stayed beneath the narrative, out of the way, but the story shined. Strout is superb at illuminating small-town lives of traumatized people who are often suppressed by their abusive pasts. In this novel, the author extends or expands on LB, even including her as a character, and one referred to by other characters in the novel. The things that happened to most of these people from (or near) the town of Amgash, Illinois, are enough to diminish a person’s ego, confidence, and sense of personal safety. And, even more, they are filled with almost unendurable shame. But they endure.

At first, I thought that in this serial narrative, all roads led to Lucy Barton, but by the end, I observed that it was more of an intersecting or periodically parallel cast, most characters being a protagonist in one chapter, and a small presence or reference in another. They were either related to each other or had a connection with at least one other person in another chapter. There’s a little bit of an OUR TOWN feel to it, but rated R, and more contemporary (and yet timeless in ways). And yet, MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON has a show of meta-fiction here, as several characters in ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE decided to read Barton’s memoir, the same novella that we read as fiction.

As in her previous work, the prose is mostly understated, although a few times—and this could just be me, I’m not speaking for everyone—it bordered on a little bit twee, where Strout pushed the “naturalness” so that I felt I saw the woman behind the curtain. It wasn’t often, and didn’t spoil the story for me, but at moments I questioned a few granules of authenticity. Sometimes, the characters were SO nice or placid that they felt stilted or too controlled by the author. However, most of the cast was off-kilter or shaky enough to add substance.

One of the most alarming but sympathetic characters was a man named Charlie who suffered PTSD from the Vietnam War. There was both sadness and a gritty edge to his character that was as good as an occasional gut punch. Strout focused more on upper-middle-aged and elderly characters, and did a fine job of giving them purpose (instead of just being props or archetypes).

Lucy Barton’s memoir also serves as an inspiration to those she left behind: “…Lucy Barton’s book had understood her. That was it—the book had understood her…Lucy Barton had her own shame; oh boy did she have her own shame. And she had risen straight out of it.”

Nearly all characters were terribly abused in various ways. Could the author have portrayed torment, trauma, loneliness, and shame without characters always possessing a background of abuse? That’s an issue to discuss with fellow readers. Occasionally, it wearied me, and I wanted a relief from all the abused men and women. However, Strout also framed the story with a cautious hope that included nuggets of reciprocal love, as well as junctures of insight (vs. inorganic epiphanies). This is a must-read for fans of Strout or even just her last book; however, you can read this as a stand-alone—and then go back and read LB.

Elizabeth Strout has written a brilliant novel of interconnected short stories, similar in structure to 'Olive Kitteridge'. The novel is a follow up to 'My Name is Lucy Barton' but can be read as a stand alone. Reading Lucy Barton first will provide some extra context for some of the characters but this book is enjoyable and accessible in its own right.

Most of the chapters take place in rural Illinois in small towns that are some hours, and cultural light years, away from Chicago. The characters vary in age and socioeconomic status and most all of them are very much aware of how their personal economic standing and character establishes them in the schema of the community in which they reside. Despite this knowledge, they remain without self-awareness of how their emotions impact their actions, for better or worse. Each chapter is about someone who knows Lucy Barton directly or tangentially through friends or family.

As 'Anything is Possible' opens, Lucy is an established author residing in New York City. Her book is on display in the bookstore of the small town where she grew up. Lucy's childhood is alluded to in several of the chapters. She was impoverished and an outsider, quite probably abused by her parents. Her father was a troubled Vietnam vet and her mother a cruel seamstress. She has a sister and brother still living in the same town where they all grew up and when Lucy comes to visit them after seventeen years away, the dynamics are painful and poignant.

Tommy Guptill, the protagonist of the first story, was a rural farmer who watched his home and barn burn down. He left the farming life to be a janitor in a nearby school. He watched Lucy grow up and his kindness towards her and her brother mean more than he realized.

Each chapter is about a different character, all of whom felt well-developed and alive to me. They struggle with sexual intimacy, family dynamics, inter-personal relationships, morality and their own histories. The reader can see the connection between many people who are not even aware of one another's existence.

To say that Elizabeth Strout writes well is an understatement. She is a genius at character development, providing the form and contours for the reader to configure and acknowledge each of her characters. This is one of the best books I have read this year and I highly recommend it.

Elizabeth Strout's new book, "Anything is Possible", is structured similarly to "Olive Kitteridge", in that is a collection of interconnected short stories. I enjoy that format, and certainly Pulitzer Prize winning "Olive Kitteridge", was a beautiful example of how effective that can be. This book is also a "companion" or continuation of Strout’s last novel, "My Name is Lucy Barton". The stories revolve around the denizens of small towns, (i.e., Amgash and Carlisle, Illinois), where Lucy grew up, and the central action is that Lucy has written a memoir ("My Name is Lucy Barton") which affect these characters who were part of Lucy's formative years.

Essentially these are stories about how childhood traumas affect our lives. And if there is an over-arching message, it is that you never know what people have suffered, or are suffering, behind closed doors. Prepare for some pretty dismal stories; NO ONE has a happy childhood in this book (Hello Tolstoy!) The mother-daughter relationship is again a focus, as is sexual, physical and mental abuse. Despite some heavy material, the book also contains humor, hope, love and plenty of extremely endearing characters.

Strout is a writer of enormous talent and the owner of a Pulitzer. Here she builds on the characters she introduced in 2016 with My Name is Lucy Barton. Lucy is back, along with various relations and everyday people. I read this book free and early, thanks to Net Galley and Random House, for the purpose of generating an honest review. This title will be sold April 25, 2017, and those that love strong literary fiction won’t want to miss it.

Lucy has become a successful writer, and she has left behind her early life of extreme poverty and the people she spent it with. They’re still there, and some of them are bitter. Strout crafts each character in a series of consecutive short stories that build on one another, and although most of the people she features here are not ones you might want to spend time with if they were real, she designs them with so many layers and with so much nuance that it’s hard to remember they aren’t. We revisit the Pretty Nicely girls, and Lucy comes home for a visit. But facing the demons of the past, those that her siblings still speak about freely but that she has kept carefully compartmentalized in an emotional deep freeze is too much for her, and she has to leave earlier than she had planned.

One thing I appreciate about Strout’s writing is her affection for the working class and the down-and-out. Some of her characters have been kept from success by hard luck, and others by lack of talent, but they are still people, and they’re sometimes capable of more care and greater compassion than other folks that haven’t ever suffered. Strout develops these characters like nobody’s business, and you almost don’t need a plot, because the people themselves are the whole story. I like the chapter that features the Hit Thumb Theory, and the ramification of privilege it conveys.

Strout writes with an implied intimacy that is rarely found. Sometimes I feel as if I have entered in the middle of a conversation, and there’s a shorthand among the family members present that I have to watch for carefully before I understand what’s happening between them. Most writers don’t even attempt this kind of subtlety because it’s so difficult to achieve. In someone else’s hands, the reader might come away wondering just what that whole thing was about, but here I find myself leaning in, absorbing details carefully meted out with great discipline and flawless pacing.

If you’ve read this author’s work and liked it, you can be assured you will like this as well. If not, be aware that it isn’t warm and fuzzy writing; don’t take it to the beach. Rather, the joy comes from witnessing the way she draws her characters and their lives without trying to put a shine on them, leaving them as stark and real as human beings often are.

I highly recommend this book to those that enjoy brilliantly written fiction, and to teachers of creative writing.

Anything is Possible, Elizabeth Strout, author; Kimberly Farr, narrator
In this novel, the author has continued the saga of “Lucy Barton”, the title and character in her book of the same name, but it is now decades later. Lucy was raised in Amgash, Illinois, a small town with neighbors that seemed overly critical of each other, often exhibiting ridicule when compassion would have been the better option. It also seemed overly populated by troubled residents.
After Lucy left Amgash, as a young girl, she never returned until now, as a much older woman. The author reintroduces many of the people she came in contact with during her difficult and troubled childhood. Those who influenced her life in some way and who were responsible for the adult she became were reintroduced in this book. Who they were, who they became, and why, is the substance of the story.
There were times that I felt the narrative was disjointed, as so many characters from the previous book were recreated and connected to her past. Coincidentally, in one scene, in the same way that Lucy and her mom had a meeting of the minds in the first book, two other characters did the same in this book. Angelina and her mother Mary seemed to reconnect across the distance of miles and time, with a heart to heart conversation that was at once very difficult, but also very revealing and cathartic for both.
Every character seemed to have a story to tell, a horrifying secret to reveal, or a relationship to reconcile. There was nary a character that seemed to simply grow up happily and unscathed. They all had some dysfunction, greater or lesser, with which to contend. All of the characters seemed to leave a trail of confusion or pain in their wake as they grew older; some still seemed scarred even after experiencing a sudden revelation that made them understand or accept their past or that made them able to find a pathway forward.
The author tried to reconstruct the characters as each new scene began, but at times I thought perhaps there were simply too many to keep track of or remember. Still, although it was a bit convoluted at times, the characters did take on a life of their own, even if not always believable. The nature of the novel made it repetitive at times as each character related something of their past and explored their memory of events connecting them to each other.
I found it interesting that in the novel, Lucy Barton became an author who had written her memoir, and this author, Elizabeth Strout, was essentially writing it for her. Lucy Barton was troubled as a child, and although successful, she still seemed troubled as an adult. I was not sure that the author was able to prove her premise that anything was possible.

I, like so many others, loved “My Name Is Lucy Barton”, it was a beautifully written book about a daughter who never knew or understood her mother. We never know much about Lucy’s early life in that book, the story was really about the mother daughter connection. Her mother had appeared at her bedside at the hospital and spent many days talking, gossiping, about the people from her hometown. In this book the characters are described in more detail and we begin to understand more about the ins and outs of life in a small town.

“Anything Is Possible” is really a follow up to that book. Unlike some other reviewers I don’t think this book can really stand alone. I even had a hard time remembering who these characters were from the first book and how they all related to Lucy’s story. Coming into the book I was first disappointed when I realized that this is really more of a short story collection. I have to admit that I kept waiting for an appearance by Lucy, and when that finally did happen, it helped to pull the novel together for me. Though her appearance is short lived in the book, it has lots of meaning.

The stories feature people who lived in this small, poor town and the many difficult, impoverished lives lots of them lived. There were those who owned the dairy farms, the shops in town, etc. who did all right but for the most part many of the people just got by in this small rural town. We meet Lucy’s cousins, brother, sister and some of her neighbors. Many of them are reacting to a new book that Lucy has written which is on display at the local bookstore. The stories they tell about themselves and their neighbors were, for the most part, interesting, some very depressing, many enlightening. Their opinions about Lucy are varied, some are proud that she is so successful and made it out of this small town and her early abusive life, others are scornful of her portrayal of life in their town, many are simply interested and amazed that “Anything Is Possible”.

With so many reviews available I won’t go into the individual characters. The writing is wonderful as in Ms. Strout’s previous books and the individuals are wholly unique. I would urge readers to read “My Name Is Lucy Barton” first to get more enjoyment and understanding from this novel.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Written in a style very similar to Elizabeth Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Olive Kitteridge, (one of my favorite books of all time), Anything Is Possible is a collection of interrelated short stories that also connect to the main character in her last book, My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel. The stories feature people from the same small, poor town where Lucy grew up, and most of the characters interact with Lucy, on some level, at least once in each chapter. So the book is mainly about these other characters, but also still very much about Lucy.

I absolutely loved My Name Is Lucy Barton. Now I know many people criticized Strout for writing a book that didn't give a whole lot of answers about its main character. Lucy stays a mystery throughout--the details of her life, and especially of the abuse she suffered, are vague. But I loved the nebulousness of that book. I appreciated how all Lucy's feelz weren't spelled out for the reader. We were told her story from her perspective, and we weren't going to be able to understand what Lucy herself couldn't understand--which makes sense. As Trevor Noah says in Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, "Growing up in a home of abuse, you struggle with the notion that you can love a person you hate, or hate a person you love. It's a strange feeling. You want to live in a world where someone is good or bad, where you either hate them or love them, but that's not how people are." Abuse is confusing. It's hard to know exactly how to feel, and My Name Is Lucy Barton communicated that dilemma perfectly.

Since I had already made peace with what I knew (and didn't know) about Lucy, and felt no need to know more, Anything Is Possible kind of irritated me. Strout takes a more black and white approach in this book: the past is spelled out, the reality and consequences of abuse are very visible and clearcut, and I knew exactly how I was supposed to feel about all of it. It was all very, I don't know...obvious. And that disappointed me somewhat. I was halfway through the book before I finally just accepted the premise and gave myself permission to appreciate the story for what it was.

So, ultimately, I have mixed feelings about Anything Is Possible. There is no denying that Strout knows how to tell a good story, and there are some truly beautiful moments in this book. Unfortunately, though, it wasn't the story I wanted.

Between three and four. Some of the characters I loved, others I hated. This book contains many secrets and lies, much good and bad. This book is set in the midwest state of Illinois, for the most part, one chapter is in Italy, another in Maine. There are nine chapters, different characters. Family relationships, mothers and daughters, parents and children. Noone knows what goes on in families, behind closed doors. Neighbors talk, speculate, and gossip.

The book begins with Tommy Guptill who had been quite wealthy, but a fire burned his home, his barns, all his possessions and left him poor. He had to take a janitors job, but was never bitter, a kind man who tries to help others, as is his wife. He worries about a man he knew since this man was a child, a strange man, a recluse, who lives alone in a run down house and tries to stay away from people.

The book continues with Patty Nicely, the youngest and nicest of the Pretty Nicely girls. She has recently lost her much loved husband. She is a high school counselor who calls a young girl into her office, a foul mouthed youngster from a poor family. She tells the girl who is a good student she will get her into a good college.

Not all the characters are good, there are some mean, some evil. One woman with teenagers has a brief affair with a male teacher. Her husband finds out, throws her out of his home and of his life. A man, a grandfather, tires of his wife, meets up with a prostitute, gives her a lot of money, his wife finds out and throws him out of the house. A middle aged woman is angry and bitter about her mother who four years ago, left her wealthy, abusive husband to go to the man she loved. This daughter's anger aabout her mom is destroying her life and her marriage.

A lady who owns a bed and breakfast meets a couple, a doctor with a big ego and his mousey wife who stay at her bed and breakfast. While the doctor is attending meetings, the wife tells Dottie the story of her life with all the details. She is embarrassed about the way she rattled on. She and her husband, at night in bed, make fun of Dottie who overhears. I heard a lady say to another woman "talk all you want about me, it means you're leaving somebody else alone."

Three grownups, from a very poor childhood, have strange eating habits. Brother and sister don't like to eat too much. They are skinny. Other sister can't stop eating. She is obese. One lady, who is a seamstress, makes her niece pretty dresses, but her own two daughters get none. A young woman becomes an actress, her family disapproves of this way of life and are indifferent to her success. Her grandmother loves her, is interested and excited about her plays. She must tell Grandma about her actress life.

The book is depressing, most of the characters unlikable, but so true to life.

Following on the heels of My Name is Lucy Barton, this novel finally answers some questions and gives some explanations for Lucy Barton's rather confusing story in the previous book. The book is a collection of short stories about different individuals in the same town who are all connected in some way. Each person is a piece of the puzzle that makes up everyone else's life.

You can probably read Anything is Possible without having read My Name is Lucy Barton but reading both books will give a depth and richness to both works that each book independently cannot achieve.

Strout's writing here is much better than the previous book and comes a bit closer to the luminous writing of Olive Kitteridge. These stories are wonderful glimpses into the human heart - to the motivations, the guilt and the sheer humanity of what helps us to keep plodding on in what is often and overwhelming world. This is not a happy book but it cuts to the quick at many points and leaves with a clearer picture of Lucy and of the background she came from.

Frankly, I was very disappointed in My Name is Lucy Barton but the stories in Anything is Possible go a long way to clarifying the muddled mess of the previous book. If you are a fan of this author, then this is a book not to be missed

Lucky me..I got to take this ARC on vacation. First, I have to say that Strout's first novel Olive Kitteridge is one of my all time favorites, one of the few books I have re-read several times. I also read Lucy Barton, but had many unanswered questions about those characters. This new book begins to develop those characters we met in Lucy Barton by presenting nine vignettes of people who touched her life in Amgash, Illinois. We meet Tommy, the janitor in the elementary school,Vicki and Pete (Lucy's siblings),Abel (her cousin), as well as other inhabitants. Strout uses the same "spider web technique" of presenting a character and then spinning off him/her to reveal a deeper understanding not only of Lucy, but of the new character as well. Characters enter and exit each other's lives illustrating that we are all related and important.I especially liked the character Dotti (and hope to see more of her in the future). Strout's Olive Kitteridge used this technique masterfully which is why I gave this book 4 stars; the revelations of this new book don't quite measure up to the beautifully crafted subtlety in Olive. However, Anything is Possible is a winner, showing us that "anything is possible". I now will re-read Lucy Barton because I have a new perspective on her character.

{Many thanks to the publisher for sending me an eARC of Anything is Possible free of charge.}

Elizabeth Strout has an amazing ability to make even a simple conversation about something mundane seem incredibly poignant and meaningful. Anything is Possible is a collection of short stories, set mostly in small town, rural America that does just that.

If you've read the much-discussed My Name is Lucy Barton (see my review here), then you will recognize some of the names mentioned in Anything is Possible. Strout didn't feel done with the story of the people who populated Lucy's childhood, so wrote this stories about them. (I love a spin off.)

The style of Anything is Possible is consistent with Strout's signature sparse prose and the characters seem painfully real. There are many stories that are dark, touching on taboo topics: incest, infidelity, molestation. Families are tested and raw emotions are often on display.

Lucy Barton herself appears in one of the stories, but there is definitely no need to read My Name is Lucy Barton in order to fully appreciate Anything is Possible. However, reading these details about the lives of people from Lucy Barton adds a layer to the story - we never really know whether people are who they present to the world.

This book is a series of short stories with a common thread of being about people who knew or are related to Lucy Barton (from Strout's book "My Name is Lucy Barton"). I enjoyed the book and it was a fast read for me. The stories delve into all different types of relationships and secret inner thoughts of the characters.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout has done it again with ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. If you have read some of her other books, you know you are in for a treat. This book, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, recalls characters from MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON. You may wish to read LUCY BARTON first, but it is not totally necessary.

This is a book about life in general -- current situations, past occurrences, loves lost, loves found, families, both rich and poor. There are nine short stores, if you will, all of them crocheted together with characters and situations. I loved all of the characters, their families, their situations. I loved how discreetly Strout would mention a character and then THEIR story would come to light.

This book was so down-to-earth and easy to relate to. The characters were all so different and I loved how you became intimate with their minds, thoughts, souls. Some of the stories brought me to tears; while others were somewhat comical. Each story dealt with different problems, ways of life, family. Many of the characters and stories may even remind you of yourself or friends and family. There are plenty of surprises and the writing is excellent.

Strout is such an outstanding writer, one who gets into the heart of her stories and her characters. This book made me feel as if I personally knew each and every character, could relate to their problems, likes, dislikes, loves, life in general. Reading this book was like sitting down with an old friend and hot coffee, just to catch up.

I highly recommend this book and every other Elizabeth Strout book. Happy reading!

Strout's latest is a follow-on to her novel, My Name Is Lucy Barton, and features a group of people tied together by poverty, awful childhoods, and abuse. (Don't worry, it's not as horrifying as it sounds.) Each chapter is its own story--the book is really a series of interconnected short stories--and told from a the perspective of a different character. Lucy comes from a background of poverty and abuse, but she's now a famous author who hasn't returned to her small town in many years. The idea is that each character in every new chapter is tied to Lucy Barton, or her connections, in some way. It's really as simple as that. There is no true story, per se, but glimpses into these associated people and their worlds.

There are certainly a lot of people and connections to keep track of; it takes a little bit to keep them all straight. As mentioned, the one anchoring thread is Lucy Barton--whom many of the characters don't truly even really know well. We get to see her through the prism of a variety of eyes. The linkages are intriguing, and I found it fascinating how all these various people were tied to Lucy and exactly what role she played in their lives.

This is not a particularly uplifting book, though there are lovely touching moments. It is instead a nuanced look at family relationships and what ties and binds people together. Strout has an amazing way of portraying her characters, so you can truly visualize them, and often you find yourself wishing you could learn more about each character, versus moving on to another in the following chapter. Her strength comes in the little details she shares, the small moments she tells about their lives, and how these little moments combine to depict the big picture.

I particularly enjoy how Strout can so carefully show the small injuries of life, as well as the deep effects of secrets on families. There is just something oddly mesmerizing about Strout's books. Honestly, subject matter that might sometimes typically bore you is fascinating in her deft hands. There were a few parts of chapters that dragged a bit, but overall, I just found myself intrigued and engaged by this novel. I was captivated by its characters, the central theme of Lucy Barton, and the various messages it carried. If you read My Name Is Lucy Barton and liked it, you'll probably enjoy this one, too. If you're looking for a book telling a linear story, with a set resolution, you may not appreciate this one as much. However, I recommend this novel for Strout's beautiful writing and thoughtful characters.

4.5 stars

There is something so wonderfully absorbing and enthralling about Stout's books. I am absolutely certain that Stout could write a book about watching pain peel off a wall and I would read it. I love her writing. I read books and think that they are good and then I read Stout and think "Yes! Yes! Yes!" I can't quite put my finger on exactly what it is that draws me to her writing. She has a gift. She is a brilliant Author who can take people and their lives and add a certain type of brilliance to their story.

This book was written in tandem to "My name is Lucy Barton" and showcases the people who grew up with Lucy and continue to live in their small town. Each had some type of connection to either Lucy Barton herself or her family. Their stories are told in the form of short stories. I am not a short story fan but I loved these beautifully written short stories. These short stories are about people and their relationships. The people struggle with love, greed, jealousy, abandonment, loneliness, ptsd, and guilt to name a few. Her characters are well developed, interesting, likable (some not likable), and compelling. Some characters are full of compassion, understanding, humor, and are able to take things as they come. They do not let hardship get in their way of living a full life, while other characters are uncaring, sick, and have their own personal demons.

I am not going to give a synopsis of this book. Please seek out a copy and read this for yourself. If you have not read stout before, start with "Olive Kitteridge" and go from there. Stout does not disappoint. Her words are her gift. There is something so lovely and graceful about her writing. I love opening up, and falling into her books.

I received a copy of this book from Random House and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, I feel very conflicted about Elizabeth Strout's Anything is Possible. Having only read Amy and Isabelle (ages ago, in high school) I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. Going into reading it, I knew it was a collection of short stories centered around a small town in Illinois and characters that are somehow connected to each other through their childhoods and adult lives.

I really enjoy books written in such a format. I sometimes find it more enjoyable to get to know characters in short snippets or vignettes. I think it can give a character a clearer, more accessible presence when they are presented in such a way that you can only view them through one setting, perhaps only one hour or one day of their life. In other words, I was intrigued by this book from simply that information alone and didn't delve much farther into any reviews prior to reading it.

When reading a book like this its almost like people watching from a bench or looking through someones windows on a clear night when their curtains are open. You only get a small glimpse, but they aren't aware you are watching and thus left to behave and think in an honest way true to themselves. There were many passages that I underlined, truth found in the words of these characters. It left me wanting to know some of them a little bit better, which is part of Elizabeth Strout's magic.

"...he understood that all that mattered in this world were his wife and children, and he thought that people lived their whole lives not knowing this as sharply and constantly as he did." p. 6

"Everyone, she understood, was mainly and mostly interested in themselves....This was the skin that protected you from the world- this loving of another person you shared your life with." p. 54

What I wasn't expecting while reading this book was the amount of uncomfortable sexual situations or themes that seemed prevalent throughout each of the character's stories. I'm not sure why it was important to include such themes repeatedly. (The story Cracked left me feeling very unsettled and confused). I haven't read her previous book, My Name is Lucy Barton, so I'm not sure if this is something that was important to her story (she is a repeating character mentioned in Anything is Possible). Regardless, I guess I was caught unawares and left a bit uncomfortable by some of it. By the end, enough of it had accumulated to almost deter me from my earlier awe at the passages I had marveled at. With each story being so short, these themes seemed to stand out more to me than had they been woven into a larger and more linear novel. So perhaps, that is what really struck me more than anything. Each character seemed tagged by one of these experiences, in my mind.

Overall, this book was incredibly emotional and well-written. Elizabeth Strout did a wonderful job weaving together characters linked only by a place or knowledge of a girl named Lucy Barton (or the Barton family). Many of the characters beg for a chance to tell their own story, I feel, and I would love to read that. I will also be looking into her other books as well.

A profoundly moving portrait of the human condition, this brilliant novel left me with a feeling of reverence for life itself. In spite of tragedies and terrible suffering, there is also the sweetness of compassion and connection that makes it bearable.
This book is based on characters from Strout's previous, much-loved book, My Name is Lucy Barton. Although I haven't read that, I'm looking forward to meeting these characters again in its pages.
Each chapter focuses on one character, depicting key events in that person's life. Here's an excerpt of a conversation between two of the characters:

"Lucy Barton.” Charlie stared straight ahead, squinted. “The Barton kids, Jesus, that poor boy, the oldest kid.” He shook his head just slightly. “Jesus Christ. Poor kids. Jesus H. Christ.” He looked at Patty. “I suppose it’s a sad book?” “It’s not. At least I didn’t think so.” Patty thought about this. She said, “It made me feel better, it made me feel much less alone.” Charlie shook his head. “Oh no. No, we’re always alone.” For quite a while they sat in companionable silence with the sun beating down on them. Then Patty said, “We’re not always alone.” Charlie turned to look at her. He said nothing. “Can I ask you?” Patty said. “Did people think my husband was strange?” Charlie waited a moment, as though considering this. “Maybe. I’m the last person around here to know what people think. Sebastian seemed to me to be a good man. In pain. He was in pain.” “Yuh. He was.” Patty nodded. Charlie said, “I’m sorry about that.” “I know you are.” The sun splashed brightly against the blue house. After many moments had gone by, Charlie turned again to look at her. He cocked his head in a kind of assent. “Okay,” he said, and part of his mouth smiled. “Okay, Patty Nicely. I will grant you. So maybe, just maybe, we’re not always alone.” Patty gave him a small nod back, and in the sun they sat. “Well, okay, then,” she said. “My gosh. I’m glad we’ve settled that.”

And another character discusses the struggle to be human in the best sense:

“Tell me more about what you just said,” Pete asked. “About what? What was I just saying?”
“The—struggle, did you say that? Between doing what we should and what we shouldn’t do.”
"Oh.” Tommy looked through the windshield at the house sitting so silently and so worn out there in the sunshine, its blinds drawn like tired eyelids. “Well, here’s an example on a large scale.” And then Tommy told Pete about what his brother had seen in the war, the women who had walked through the camps, how some had wept and others had looked furious, and would not be made to feel bad. “And so there’s a struggle, or a contest, I guess you could say, all the time, it seems to me. And remorse, well, to be able to show remorse—to be able to be sorry about what we’ve done that’s hurt other people—that keeps us human.” Tommy put his hand on the steering wheel. “That’s what I think,” he said.

The plight of these ordinary people touched me deeply. Strout reminds us that it is impossible to judge another person since there is no way you can fully understand what they have been through. In the face of someone who seems different, maybe difficult or even destructive, there is always a choice of how to react, to reach out in compassion, or to to push them away in hardhearted judgement.

I highly recommend this book. Even if you haven't read My Name is Lucy Barton, you will still enjoy it. I intend to read them both again, this time in the opposite order. It's the kind of book you'll want to reread, uncovering deeper layers each time.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

5★
Disclaimer. Elizabeth Strout is one of my favourite writers and I loved My Name Is Lucy Barton, so I was predisposed to enjoy this. And I did. She catches people when they are most vulnerable.

Lucy, her family and other townsfolk she and her mother reminisced about in the previous book feature in separate stories and occasionally appear in each other’s. Whether you connect all the dots or not doesn't really matter, but of course when you do make the connections, it multiplies the enjoyment. Ah, so THAT's why that man did that!

It’s a bit like being in a strange town, sitting at a sidewalk café with a local who points out various passers-by and fills you in on who’s related to whom. You don’t need to know them to get the gist of who they are and enjoy the gossip about them.

Strout’s people are captured almost like deer in the headlights. They aren’t expecting anyone to look at them too closely and they don’t welcome it. They turn away, fearful of letting you get too close, but Strout manages to snap the picture before they escape. And she stops a few in their tracks until they blurt out something they’d managed to keep private until now.

Most of the people have their guard up and converse side-by-side, but now and then, without warning, something triggers and

“She looked straight into his eyes, and he saw it was her; he saw his sister.”

I’ve been startled like that myself with my family – that sudden feeling of deep familiarity instead of the usual everyday relationship.

Many of these people are outcasts who have felt unloved or unworthy of being loved. But sometimes, they find someone.

“Everyone, she understood, was mainly and mostly interested in themselves. Except Sibby had been interested in her, and she had been terribly interested in him. This was the skin that protected you from the world—this loving of another person you shared your life with.”

And then, of course, there are others, like this woman who

“. . . would have liked her own husband, whose intelligence had once impressed her so, to simply disappear.”

There are people affected by poverty, isolation, and war, particularly Vietnam.

“Many young people did not know the name of the war he had served in. Was it because it was a conflict instead of a war? Was it because the country in its shame had pushed this war behind it like a child who in public was still being obstreperous, embarrassing? Or was it just the way that history went? He did not know.
. . .

‘Sorry, uhm, was that in the first Iraq?’ Then Charlie wanted to cry, he wanted to bawl, he wanted to bellow: ‘We did that and for what, for what, for what?’”

For what, for what, for what, indeed? But with all the questions about war and life, Strout's people still find comfort in each other.

Wonderful stories and people.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted (so quotes may have changed).
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Pulitzer Prize winner, Elizabeth Strout, is one of those writers whose work conjures the feeling one had as a child when first discovering the magic ability of books to draw you into worlds not your own, and yet, worlds where you discovered and explored parts of yourself you'd not known about before; one of those writers who introduce you to your own soul by illuminating with truth and insight and glorious, marvelous, extraordinary language the souls of their characters.

One of those writers who reminds you in your jaded, worn out from having so many mediocre to meh books thrown at you that this is writing! This is why I read.

So, you might just as well stop wasting time reading my thoughts about Elizabeth Strout's latest magic act and go get the book. Right now. Read it for yourself. Go on.

Are you still here? All right, well then, I warn you there is little I am going to or can say that hasn't already been better said by others. So, if you must read a review, I suggest Jennifer Senior's from the April 26 edition of The New York Times. [click here] Go ahead. Click. Read a real review.

And STILL you're reading me? Well, it's not exactly what I am known for, but I will try to keep this brief so you can go read the book.

The novel is a hybrid, a beautiful, cohesive portrait composed of stand-alone pieces which coalesce into an emotional chiaroscuro of such depth and subtlety and artistry, one wants to spend forever exploring the shades and shadows and light and dark therein.

There are many themes woven through Anything Is Possible, but the thread which mesmerized me most was the unmasking of all the ways in which humans can misapprehend and misconstrue what looks and feels like and seems to be reality, and how the discovery of those misunderstandings or deceits or ignorances result in disappointment, anger, sorrow, and, almost always, more confusion. Anything Is Possible illuminates in breathtaking, devastating accumulation of particularities that even with all the details and gossip and glut of information we have about each other and the world, we really know very little about anything at all; including ourselves.

This book illustrates the crushing loneliness and ultimate solitude of being alive better than anything I have ever read. It captures the ways in which even the people we love the most are mysteries to us, and we to them, all of us with secrets, and how the distortions caused by the things we haven't told and the stories we don't know disrupt and limit and often destroy our lives.

I promised I would keep this short and I considered quoting the novel at length, but, while nearly every sentence is chiseled and shaped like something Michelangelo has wrought into life from marble, they are each more a masterpiece in context. So, I won't quote. I will simply tell you one more time: GO! GO NOW! READ THIS BOOK! Because Elizabeth Strout is indeed a Michelangelo of literature, and she has made from the marble of our lives, a thing of such beauty it rivals his David.

Go. Read. Marvel.

Describing Elizabeth Strout's novel, MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON, Washington Post fiction editor Ron Charles called it the work of a "mature writer, scaling new heights." In her New York Times review of the book, novelist Claire Messud used terms like "powerful" and "exquisite" to laud it. That lavish praise was representative of the 2016 novel's overwhelmingly favorable critical reception.

Considering that they were writing about an author with a Pulitzer Prize already to her credit for OLIVE KITTERIDGE, the 2008 novel-in-stories about life in small-town Maine, that acclaim is impressive. The good news for Strout's readers is that her new collection of linked stories, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, maintains that high standard. But what will be even more pleasing to fans of LUCY BARTON will be the news that Strout brings her back to life in this new work, a collection of revealing and emotionally potent character studies focused on the lives of people from the small Illinois towns in which Lucy's life was rooted.

Set in the present, some 30 years after the events of LUCY BARTON, the nine stories share an emotional sensibility and an understated tone. Strout has mastered the linked story form, and the subtlety with which she orchestrates the connections between her characters across the individual stories inevitably will encourage rereading. She doesn't depart from classic short fiction technique, and to the extent there is any drama here, most of it occurs offstage.

Strout is more interested in mining the interior lives of her characters, something she does with cool precision tempered by unfailing empathy. That's true whether she's depicting a school counselor living in the aftermath of her husband's death that ended a sexually barren relationship, or that woman's sister, whose complicity in the misdeeds of her wealthy, but deeply troubled, spouse threatens the survival of their superficially desirable life.

Portraits of characters like these are responsible for the mood of melancholy that permeates the book. Mary Mumford, the septuagenerian protagonist of "Mississippi Mary," living out the final years of her life in a squalid Italian flat with a husband 20 years her junior after divorcing her first husband of 51 years, concludes that "life had worn her out, worn her down." Reflecting on her extended encounter with a guest --- the timid wife of an overbearing physician --- at her bed and breakfast, its owner Dottie concludes that the woman "suffered only from the most common complaint of all: Life had simply not been what she thought it would be."

Those descriptions would fit most of the characters living in Lucy's hometown of Amgash or its neighboring communities. Whether it's Tommy Guptill, a school custodian who lost his dairy farm in a long-ago fire and now sees in that catastrophe a "sign from God"; Charlie Macauley, a Vietnam veteran suffering from PTSD who's turned to regular visits to an extortionate prostitute for comfort; or Lucy's brother Pete, living in isolation in the ramshackle family farmhouse, all seem to be struggling to free themselves from some wreckage of the past. Now they and the other characters in these stories gaze out at foreshortened horizons, cursed to live with the lingering belief that somehow life didn't have to turn out this way.

With the exception of one story, Lucy herself is present only in allusions to her and her work by other characters. We learn she has published a memoir and has been on a book tour; its Chicago stop provides the impetus for her to return to Amgash --- where she and her family were best known for their impoverished existence --- for the first time since the death of her father 17 years earlier.

The awkward reunion that visit prompts is the subject of the story "Sister." In a tension-filled scene in the living room of her brother's house, Lucy has to face her sister Vicky's accusation about the reason for her long absence that "You didn't come here because you didn't want to," and finds herself giving the only honest answer she can to that charge.

As would be the case with any work so closely tied to an earlier one, readers will wonder if it's necessary to have read MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON before picking up this work. Despite their intimate connection, the answer clearly is no. That said, many readers who come first to this collection undoubtedly will want to read the novel, if only because of their reluctance to leave the world Strout has so artfully brought to life.

And perhaps they'll share the sentiment of Patty Nicely, the school counselor protagonist of the story "Windmills," who concludes that Lucy Barton's memoir "had understood her." That hardly would be a surprise.

Reviewed by Harvey Freedenberg

Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: April 25, 2017
Length: 272 pages

Single Sentence Summary: On its surface, a small rural community may seem mundane, but everyone has a story: big and small, ordinary and extraordinary.

Primary Characters: There are none. This is a collection of connected stories about members of a rural Illinois community. Every chapter focuses on a different person.

Publisher’s Synopsis: Here are two sisters: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. The janitor at the local school has his faith tested in an encounter with an isolated man he has come to help; a grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country; and the adult Lucy Barton (the heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton, the author’s celebrated New York Times bestseller) returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.

Review: Among my favorite parts of My Name is Lucy Barton were the quirky stories that Lucy’s mom told about the people of Amgash, Illinois. They were gossipy glimpses into the simple lives of people from Lucy’s hometown, and they left me wanting more. With Anything is Possible, Elizabeth Strout gives us more. This new novel really is a series of connected short stories, each centering on someone in or around Amgash. While each chapter/story stands on its own, they also provide subtle insights into the stories of others in the community.

As is the case with most short story collections, some stories resonated more than others. I liked best two that involved Lucy’s older brother, Pete. In The Sign, we get to know Tommy, a one-time janitor at the high school, who’s out shopping for a gift. On his way home he stops to check in on Pete, who has lived alone since his father’s death. I found Tommy’s concern for Pete, a troubled soul, extremely touching. Pete’s reaction to Tommy showed a little of how he’d developed into the burdened, solitary man that he was.

“You asked about my mother,” Pete said after a few moments. “Nobody has ever asked me about my mother. But the truth is, I don’t know if my mother loved us or not. I don’t know about her in some big way.”

Later, in Sister, Pete makes more of a starring appearance. Lucy is coming to visit for the first time in many, many years. In this chapter we learn that Tommy’s concern and thoughtfulness has had some positive influence on Pete. He’s not quite as solitary and the prospect of seeing Lucy’s has him both nervous and terribly excited. This story was definitely my favorite and not just for Pete’s story. It also features Lucy and their sister, Vicky. These three grew up extremely poor in a very harsh home. Their interactions as adults were tense, emotional and heartwarming.

As always, Elizabeth Strout’s writing is superb. Her ability to tell a simple story in such a rich way is truly a gift. I believe she could sit down with almost anyone and walk away with an interesting story to tell. It’s easy to see why she won the Pulitzer Prize! Still, some of the stories fell a little flat for me. I simply wasn’t terribly interested in a few of the town’s people. I don’t see that as a flaw in Strout’s writing, but rather as an expected result from most books of short stories. And for me, Anything is Possible ultimately was a collection of emotionally powerful short stories. Grade: B

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

If you read Elizabeth Strout's My Name is Lucy Barton, then you will know the characters in this novel consisting of interwoven and connected short stories. If you have not read My Name is Lucy Barton, you likely will want to after you finish this one, because you want to read this book.

It opens with "The Sign," which at times feels like a travelogue of Lucy's Illinois hometown. A high school janitor, Tommy Guptill frequently let Lucy stay at the school long after hours because she had no other way to keep warm. A tragedy surrounds Tommy but it does not engulf him because he will not allow it to do so. Rather, he offers kindness and forgiveness to everyone he encounters, especially those who he senses need it dearly. I loved Tommy, and in kicking off the book with this story, Elizabeth Strout immediately immerses you in the people who cared for Lucy Barton until she left home.

Later in the book, Strout gives you the chance to get to know bed and breakfast proprietor Dottie, a woman with an almost uncanny ability to suss out the truth and whose heart loves so deeply and thoroughly that some will take advantage of it. I advise them not to do that, however, because for all of the love she bears, Dottie also can exact retribution.

Another story I liked was "Sister," which tells about Lucy's sister, as well as her brother. Lucy Barton fans will find this story helps you better understand some of Lucy's decisions and motivations, just as it also is a beautiful - if not poignant - look at family.

Elizabeth Strout cannot keep her readers at arm's length. She grabs you and pulls you in so closely to those people that their pains and sadnesses and successes and joys become yours. Even though this book, told much like Olive Kitteridge, does not follow a linear plot, it nonetheless accomplishes everything that Strout's books do: it makes you care.

What a pleasure it has been to read this collection of stories that returns us, however obliquely, to the world of Lucy Barton. Without ever retelling that original story, Strout captures the flavor of the time and town where Lucy grew up with her brother and sister, and, of course, her parents. These stories occur in the present but most of those involved have sharp memories of those years long ago when these children seemed to forage for themselves.

Each story has a different viewpoint, with the emotional core varying from sentimental to powerfully depressed. There is the gamut of human emotions here among people, for the most part, seeking happiness, trying to lead good lives. But there are exceptions too, people who surprise.

There are also various degrees of linkages between the stories. Sometimes a name is mentioned, or a situation, in multiple stories, and you see it through other eyes. Many of these people are or have been fragile, are working to be better themselves or to help others. But they aren't saints in any way, absolutely not. They are people who grew up in small town Illinois, some on the right side of town, some way far on the wrong side. And they have all been working to better their lives and outlive their pasts.

I definitely recommend this book but do believe that My Name is Lucy Barton should be read first as Anything is Possible complements it so well.

4.5* rounded to 5

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE by Elizabeth Strout is a series of short stories that vividly illustrate the fact that even after “the bloom is off the rose” so to speak, people can still discover surprising things about themselves and others around them.

The book takes the reader to the small Illinois town of Amagash and its surrounding communities as a variety of narrators recall the past while attempting to adjust to their present fates. Some of the players quietly accept their lot in life while others are less than accepting of their lackluster “golden years”, living them out in quiet desperation. From Fatty Patty to Mississippi Mary and Charlie Macauley to Lucy Barton, each has a story to tell and an unusual way of dealing with their particular lot in life.

One of my favorite stories was Dottie’s Bed & Breakfast where we are introduced to some aptly named guests – Dr. and Mrs. Small. Their name has nothing to do with their stature but does represent their petty judgements and their desperate attempts to reassure themselves that they are the lucky ones, not only better people but also much better off than those around them who they ridicule behind closed doors.

Another gem is Mississippi Mary, a woman of 78 who left her cheating husband and her hometown behind several years ago and has taken up residence in a small Italian town with a much younger man. Mary gave all to her family with little love or appreciation in return but is now happy and loved -- a fact that her daughter resents and is slow to accept.

Each of the nine stories is thematically connected via the thread of mutual players or experiences in common as they graphically illustrate that time does not necessarily heal all wounds, but it does help to put many things in perspective.

From the author of My Name Is Lucy Barton: A Novel and the smashing hit Olive Kitteridge the HBO mini-series starring Frances McDormand (I loved) — Elizabeth Strout once again "wows" readers and her avid fans, with her insights into the human psyche — when ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Extraordinary novels, deftly combining lyrical prose with heartrending subject matter. A desperate need to be understood and accepted.

Compelling! Nine powerful and emotional stories. Grace and forgiveness. Flawed people who have experienced tragedy and haunting childhoods, abuse, mental illness, injustice, poverty, bullying, regrets, torment, war trauma, imploding lives, marriage problems, and severe loss.

People who hide behind social status. A sense of entitlement. Those who have survived and yet still remain with their own scars. There have been deep fissures in each of these families. The cracks. Some have been pushed to the breaking point, with shattering, unforeseeable consequences.

If you read My Name Is Lucy Barton (highly recommend), you may be rushing back to the title to refresh yourself, as I found myself doing.

Lucy came from a poor and dysfunctional family. She was determined and managed to escape the small town of Amgash, IL. She was diligent and became a successful author. She ultimately forgave her parents.

However, the scars of her past and the people who shaped her life, and the way she was treated by her family, siblings, and people of this town have haunted her.

Strout takes us back to some of the characters, cousins, family members, neighbors, school classmates, and siblings. We learn of the heartaches and fears, the narrow-minded thinking of these people. Where are these people today? Discovering how harsh words and actions stay with people. A profound message.

Even when someone succeeds, there are those who try and tear down the things we are most proud of. Each story sends a powerful message. Who do they blame? Are they accountable for their actions?

Broken people. Such hope for us all if only can learn to communicate. Not only with our families but the people whom we come in contact with on a daily basis. Intuitive. Being able to help those who need someone to care.

We can see from the outside a dysfunctional family can fall prey to those in a small town who do not really understand what's going on with the family as a whole, or those that make up the family (s).

We each have our own favorite stories in the collection. I enjoyed the story of Tommy, Pete, Patty, and Lucy’s return to town which did not go as expected when Vicky (sister) brings up the horrors of the past and Lucy has a panic attack driving her away. I also enjoyed the people from her past which showed up at her book signing.

Family dysfunction, problems, and crossing social classes; people are mean and they are ugly. A cruel world and Strout does not hold back. A reminder to us all. One act of compassion, caring, or kindness can make all the difference in the word.

The characters in the nine stories are shaped and at the same time, haunted by their past. They still feel trapped by the difficulties in their present day relationships and their inability to say how they truly feel. The author is a master at drawing you into the lives of her characters as she weaves in her powerful observations of human complexities and interactions. From anger, frustration, and bullying mixed with fear and cruelty.

I love this stand-out author! Her writing just keeps getting better and betters. Beautifully written, with each book I read, it makes me return to re-read or perhaps one I missed. Strout is authentic, prolific, and has mastered her skilled craft at getting inside her character’s heads, heart, and soul. They come alive on the page. ?

If you come from a small town and you happen to be the one who left and got away (I am) and became successful— you will resonate with these stories. Often those left behind are often bitter and resentful, and lash out in hateful ways and try to destroy another’s happiness when they do not have the facts. Their views are narrow and they do not think big and wide outside the box. They could have made the choice to leave. Everyone has choices. How hard do we want to strive for a better life is the question.

If you have not watched Olive Kitteridge I highly recommend. I want to watch it over and over. It stays with you. I am hoping we will get to see Anything is Possible and My Name is Lucy Barton, will be played out on the big screen. These are powerful stories that people can connect with on many levels.

There is always hope, forgiveness, and love amidst the imperfections. We are reminded that in life Anything is Possible!

For me the Washington Post article by Susan Scarf Merrell offers the perfect summary of ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE:

. . . “These stories return Strout to the core of what she does more magnanimously than anyone else, which is to render quiet portraits of the indignities and disappointments of normal life, and the moments of grace and kindness we are gifted in response.

Such a simple goal, so difficult to achieve. Each of these stories stands alone, but they are richer in juxtaposition to the others. And that’s because over the years, from angle after angle, Strout has been packing and unpacking how silence works — between people, within a single person, on the page, in the spaces between stories.

Omission is where you find what makes a writer a writer; it is in the silences where forgiveness and wisdom grow, and it is where Strout’s art flourishes. This new book pushes that endeavor even further.” . . . Read More

Well said. I just purchased Amy and Isabelle and Abide with Me audiobooks, I missed along the way. Highly recommend this author.

"Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in." —Leonard Cohen

This book reminds me of a plaque I have on my desk:
"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
I am reminded of this each time I return to my small hometown and family.

Fans of Fredrik Backman will enjoy the exploration of small town characters and the examination of the fragile human spirit.

A special thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an early reading copy. JDCMustReadBooks

Random House and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Anything is Possible. Additionally, I received a physical copy of this book via a Goodreads First Reads giveaway. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Drawn from the Lucy Barton world, Anything is Possible provides sketches of other characters that live in the same small town. As members of the town reflect upon Lucy and the rest of the Barton clan, due to Lucy's success as a writer, readers are able to get a clearer picture of the woman/girl who inspired this and the previous books.

The book is comprised of snapshots of different individuals from this small town, ones who reacted either positively or negatively to Lucy as a child. As Lucy leaves home and becomes successful, those who are left behind seem to have issues and problems that fester and become larger. As I was reading, the phrase "Those in glass houses should not throw stones" came to mind. The author clearly conveyed the idea that the townspeople, in their desire to cast a negative light on the Barton family, only managed to illuminate their own failings as the grew older.

The problem that I had with the book was that it was very disjointed and the tiny snippets of each character was barely enough to allow the reader to form an impression. Anything is Possible was very well received by many readers, so my less than stellar reaction to the book surprised me. I may read more by author Elizabeth Strout in the future, although I will not rush out to get the latest publication.

The paperback edition of this extraordinary fiction includes an interview with the author that took place after Anything Is Possible had appeared. The interviewer was the president of Bates College, where the interview took place. He presses Strout to explain how she writes. She comes up with an illuminating answer. She’s written long enough that she’s found her way of writing. She writes scenes. The momentum of the scene carries the narrative forward. "I don’t write a story from beginning to end. I don’t write a book from story to end. And I almost don’t write a scene from beginning to end. But I will sit and start a scene, or a piece of as scene. I‘ve learned how to do that, so that it will have a heartbeat to it."

This current book came out a year after her astonishing My Name Is Lucy Barton, a work of fiction good it’s hard to imagine her coming up with anything better. Anything isn’t better than Lucy, but it is as good, which means … wonderful. But what a difference! Where Lucy tells the story of a child born to unimaginable misery and poverty who makes it out of there to become a successful, much published and praised author, Anything Is Possible is a set of separate stories about separate characters from Lucy’s home town. There’s no continuous narrative flow –rather, connections –one character interacts with or observes or comments on a second character, who interacts in different ways and different contexts with other characters. Lucy appears in only one story, a return visit to her old town and an encounter, not all that happy a one, with her brother and estranged half-sister. The effect is of a mosaic, a milieu and ambiance seen reflected in the behavior and experiences of disparate personalities.

(Stroud said that she had written much of this book in the process of writing the other: as she was writing Lucy, she’d have side thoughts about the other characters with whom Lucy interacted and she’d write them up.)

In the interview, Stroud cited two authors as influences on her own writing: Alice Munro and William Trevor. It’s hard to imagine two more worthy names and Stroud does them both proud in a half-novel, half short story collection that captures some of Munro’s dispassionate but loving examination of small things and Trevor’s passionate ironicism.

Once again, Elizabeth Strout has exquisitely examined and shared the life of a small group of people in a small town in this lovely compilation of intermingled stories that form this novel. If you’ve already read My Name is Lucy Barton, you’ll be familiar with many of them, and with Lucy.

In “Anything is Possible”, the focus is again on the relationships, in this case most are relatives of one degree or another of Lucy. Siblings. Cousins. Parents. Strained relationships in one way or another, all. Some have shared stories, shameful secrets that they hold close, they can’t share them, can’t lose them, so they continue to hold onto them to hide them from the prying eyes of others.

Amgash, Illinois isn’t so much the town that Lucy grew up in; it’s more the small town that Lucy’s family lived on the outskirts of, out where the beyond poor lived. And all through these days in this place, these places, these people, Strout weaves magical links through each of their stories, binding them together in secrets, shame, humility, compassionate service, laughter, pain, fear. All the sorrows, all in the loveliest of simple prose, never using a single unnecessary word, yet leaving nothing unsaid. Each story serves a purpose, conveys a message. This is about Life. These particular lives, yes, but it’s really about every life, all lives. How we hold onto those moments as long as we hold onto life, carrying things we should set down, left behind long ago, but we carry these with us. Never setting them down. Never without them. And yet, we somehow carry on.

Highly recommended.

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House

Anything is Possible is the companion book to "My Name is Lucy Barton"--but it can stand alone as well. It is the third person elaboration of the lives of the many characters who were discussed, but never met, in Lucy Barton. At first, having adored Lucy Barton for its spare, poetic writing, I wasn't sure if I wanted to explore and elaborate on the characters, but rapidly became entranced with the honest, nuanced and pithy stories. Lucy Barton was oblique, with much implied while Anything is Possible is a series of chapters exploring the lives of residents of fictional Amgash, Illinois, people who have frequently been abused, experienced physical and emotional poverty, have been judged and live in a judgemental society and now have grown and are parents and relatives of the next generation, and have come to some measure of peace with their childhoods. This book, like Lucy Barton, will only improve with re-reading. The writing is exquisite--I found myself stopping to re-read sentences for their beauty and meaning. The concept of debt and poverty, both monetary and emotional, runs through the lives of these characters. There is brutality and unexpected kindness and throughout, a profound honesty. Elizabeth Strout is such a talented writer and this is a book of profound depth and as I read the final chapter, despite the pain, it was tremendously uplifting. Strongly recommended and I feel honored to have had the chance to receive an advance copy through Netgalley.

Anything is Possible was my book club’s July selection. It’s not quite a short-story collection but not quite a novel either. Each chapter is a vignette focusing on a different person. All of the main characters in each chapter are connected to the main characters of the other stories in some way – some more closely than others. A couple of people in my book club had trouble keeping track of the relationships between the characters but I didn’t find it to be a problem.

Lucy Barton, the main character of Strout’s novel My Name is Lucy Barton, is mentioned in a few of the stories in this book and she is a character in one of them. However, this book is not a sequel to that book. I haven’t read that book and it didn’t seem to matter much in reading this one. Others in my book club who had read My Name is Lucy Barton agreed that it was not necessary. However, some of the other reviews I’ve read of this book indicate that you will enjoy Anything is Possible even more if you have read My Name is Lucy Barton.

These stories in this book are melancholy, yet hopeful and filled with likeable and sympathetic characters. It’s slow paced and mostly just a slice of life for each character. Even so, I enjoyed it along with most of the members of my book club.

In this book of short stories, Strout delves into the lives of the people from Amgash, IL. We first met them through the stories Lucy's mother told as she sat at Lucy's bedside in My Name Is Lucy Barton.

But here, Strout examines these character's rich inner lives...the emotions, sadness, and pain underlying the face they present to the world. Can anyone really truly know another person? In this book we are given a peek into what make them who they are. The traumas in their past follows them into adulthood, and there are stories that will break your heart.

If this sounds unrelentingly depressing, know that amid the sadness there are moments of hope, grace, kindness, compassion, and human connection. Anything is possible.

Lucy makes only a brief appearance in "Sisters", one of my favorite stories. But all of the stories are linked in some way. One of the creepiest is "Cracked", about Linda and Jay. Linda has pain from her childhood when her mother left them, and, through her sister Patty's chapter, the reader is privy to information that even Linda doesn't know.

I love that Strout assumes her readers are intelligent enough to draw conclusions, fill in the blanks, and find meaning in what she doesn't say, as well in what she does say.

It's difficult not to race through this book but I suggest slowing down if you can and savoring each thought-provoking story. It's not necessary to read My Name is Lucy Barton before this one, but you will surely want to read it afterward.

** I received a copy of the book for review from Netgalley/Random House

I have not read, “My Name is Lucy Barton” and apparently Anything is Possible is a continuation or at least related to that novel. That makes sense, because the only character that I really remember from the story is Lucy Barton.

The book is actually a collection of short stories of the people who live in Lucy’s hometown, Amgash, Illinois. At the time that I was reading it, I had no idea it was short stories. It just seemed to keep tossing more and more characters at me and I honestly couldn’t keep track of them. After reading some other reviews, I see that these are back stories to the characters in the My Name is Lucy Barton book.

The writing is beautiful and even though I had to reacquaint myself with a character each time they appeared, I enjoyed the stories. The only memorable character to me was Lucy Barton. Perhaps because she made it out of Amgash, Illinois and was the only character who’s life didn’t follow a predictable path.

I enjoyed the book and probably would have enjoyed it more if I had known it was to be read more like short stories or essays about the characters in a small town.

I received and ARC of this book.

Following My name is Lucy Barton comes a collection of linked short stories, a continuation of sorts. Lucy herself appears in one of the stories as well when she comes “home” to visit with her siblings after an extended period of time.

The rest of the stories are about the innermost thoughts and feelings of the types of people that would simply blend into their surroundings reminding each of us that we all have a story to tell and each one is engaging in its own right though not necessarily interesting or exciting.

Having not read My Name is Lucy Barton first, I did not find Anything is Possible as engaging as I would have hoped to. I felt a decided lack of context and no real connection with any of the characters.

That said, Strout is a gifted writer with a strong ability to tease out the essence of a character. I have a sense of appreciation for crafting stories around rural family dysfunction though this isn’t my favorite genre to read. The overwhelming sense of depression and lack lent a flatness to these stories.

If you plan to read Anything is Possible, I suggest reading My name is Lucy Barton first. I sense a need for greater context to fully appreciate these characters and their stories.

BRB Rating: Read It.

Quite an interesting book...one which has left me feeling like I wanted more or needed more.

Written in a style unlike other books, I kept waiting for all,the separate stories to have more of a definitive conclusion. I ache chapter was basically told by a different character in the small town.....some had moved beyond the town but they were connected in some way.

As you read each person's story, you are aware of the connection between various characters, which is quite interesting to see. However, I think I wanted some conclusion for some of the characters....I wanted someone to have a happy ending....and as I type that, I realize, this book did not have much happiness in it. In fact, it was a rather bleak look at life.

But, it still held my attention and at the end, i found myself going back to re-read the last couple pages thinking, " Surely I. Issued something." I do think I should read something else by the author just to see another style in her writing.

Elizabeth Strout is arguably one of the finest writers of her generation and her ability to convey character is, in my view, second to none. ‘Olive Kitteridge’ is the book that made her name though I discovered her through the ‘The Burgess Boys’ which remains one of my favourite of her novels.

Here, she chooses to follow on from the excellent ‘My Name is Lucy Barton’ with an Olive Kitteridge-style treatment. These are less short stories than a collection of character studies, the people all loosely connected to Lucy Barton having grown up in or around Amgash, a small rural town in Illinois.

The other thread that links these stories is the mature age of most of the characters all of whom have sprung from dysfunctional families. The optimistic title, Anything Is Possible, belies the unmitigated gloom of the content. The final story ends on a hopeful note but other than this, it’s an unremittingly downbeat read. Does this book really reflect life as Elizabeth Strout sees it? If so, how sad.

This new book is a series of nine short stories that are closely connected to the world Stout created in her novel My Name is Lucy Barton. If you loved that novel, you don’t want to miss this book! These stories expand on the world of My Name is Lucy Barton by expanding on the characters we met in that book, including Lucy herself. As I’m not a fan of short stories most of the time, I was nervous that I wouldn’t love this one but I need not worry. Strout has done what she did with Olive Kitteridge by providing readers with a series of interrelated stories that ultimately read like a novel. The emotional depth of these stories is so wonderful! There is something about an Elizabeth Strout book that just wow’s me! She is able to weave together these stories in a way that felt comprehensive and yet distinctive. Her prose is so impactful yet concise. She brings to live the Midwestern town that these characters inhabit. I found it to be a beautiful exploration of complicated people and relationships. I highly recommend it to any and all! It’s simply wonderful!

Amazing, perfectly written book put together by 9 short stories. If you liked "MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON," then you will love this book which is it's sequel. I love the authors writing which made me feel so connecting to each of the stories and characters. The characters face so much difficulty and pain, but the author writes beautifully on how they make it through all of that.

9 short stories on life and perspective are brought together through the views of different people about one person called Lucy Barton. This is a sequel to a book and we finally get to read a story told by Lucy herself. the rest of the stores are told by other POV'S, but expressing feelings about Lucy Barton.

These characters showed so much compassion, grace, and love no matter what situation they were going through. I love how they face each challenge so strongly and firmly. The author made these characters so divers and fully developed which made the book even better. I can't wait to read more on this author!

Elizabeth Strout's collection of short stories, Anything is Possible, lives up to its title: anything is possible. Those possibilities may not be fairy tale endings in the Disney sense. Still, in this companion piece to Strout's I am Lucy Barton, the battered small town girl of that book is still a famous writer—maybe even more famous, as she is seen through the eyes of her neighbors.

This book is not a sequel, exactly, but a different eyepiece in a kaleidoscope. Strout's genius is her ability to bring us into people's lives one at a time, and in different combination. The characters she creates star in their own stories but bump into each other's orbits as well.

This might not be surprising in the town of Amgash, Illinois, a name that sounds like a self-inflicted wound, but even in the wider world, as these characters find one another. Several go to Vietnam, or to college. A few float in and out of the surrounding countryside. The almost unseen pivot, Lucy Barton, goes all the way to New York City—a location even more alien than Southeast Asia, only to be drawn back to her childhood home.

Yet the people who looked down on Lucy Barton, who considered her "terribly poor," have their own secrets. Those secrets become common knowledge, as things do in a small town.

About those possibilities: Strout satisfies something viscerally in her readers, something we may, in our sophistication, may be embarrassed to admit: the good may not triumph, exactly, but they come out okay. Tommy Guptill, who introduces us to this book, is a good man, loves his wife, helps Lucy, an abused child, loses his farm and forgives the actual arsonist who burned it down, comes out okay in his old age. He is at peace. He still loves his wife. He has lived a life of no great achievement, but of no great shame, either. He will, contrary to Dylan Thomas' instructions, go gentle into that good night. Strout makes us realize that this is, in fact, a pretty fine achievement, after all.

Mary Mumford runs off to Italy to be with an Italian lover many years her junior, leaving her husband of fifty-one years, perplexing, angering her grown daughter. Why? Because it is never too late to stop being unhappy. Even if she waits until her daughters have grown and her husband's cancer is in remission, Mary will seize the moment to try to be happy. It won't be perfect, but it will be better.

Patty Nicely will be with Charlie Macauley, the only man she has ever loved even if he is unworthy of her, and unappreciative.

While plot is Strout's canvas, style is her paint. She revels in the casual aside, the snarky bit, the "oh, you must remember so and so" that brings in fresh new information. Never a false blend. Everything mixed just right. We hear no clangs, except where she wants us to. Characters, to continue the metaphor, are her brushstrokes. They are recognizable, but not distractions. A couple like Marilyn and Charlie Macauley don't have a "good guy and bad guy:" they are two unhappy people, in a sad situation. Neither deserves what they have received from life, but there are consequences. As in real life, the less culpable, Marilyn, seems to suffer more than Charlie who finds someone who to take him in, flaws and all.

Strout isn't telling a morality tale. She is sharing stories of modern America with a world that might not hear them in the blare of fantasy, politics and sex. Ultimately satisfying, "Anything is Possible" paradoxically leaves us open for more.

by D Ferrara
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

This collection of short stories reminiscent of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, is a companion piece to Elizabeth Strout’s earlier novel, My Name is Lucy Barton. That novel takes place in a hospital and is largely conversation between a writer, recovering from a difficult health problem, and her mother who has come to visit her, leaving the Midwest for the first time to care for her daughter.

Her mother tells her of those Lucy knew growing up – and it is these people that these short stories are about – who are they? What are they doing now? Are they happy? Are they going through difficult emotional times?

You don’t have to have read My Name is Lucy Barton to enjoy the power of these portraits, to find in them, something of yourself, your family, your friends. They illustrate the power of Elizabeth Strout’s writing and not to be missed.

Anything is Possible is a lesson on how though all our lives are interconnected, we can be so alone. It is a sad and maybe a bit weary in tone but poignant nonetheless. Many of the characters in these subtly abutting stories are old, reflecting upon their lives and loves -- or lack of loves. Many are the product of poverty, whether in terms of wealth or in terms of affection. And, it is sad to read about these lives but heartening to see how some have overcome these weighted, dire and dreary beginnings. The world of Elizabeth Strout's books is often a cold and meager place to exist, reminiscent of a very cold and bleak winter's scene. The characters are just familiar and just odd enough to be sure they are drawn from life. One can only sympathize with these downtrodden souls, hoping for the glint of sunlight on their patch of frozen and unyielding ground which may just thaw, or even warm them enough that they can sprout and grow. It is this bit of tenacity and hope that keeps me reading more.

I have read some of Elizabeth Strout's previous work and enjoyed them all. However, I have yet to read My Name Is Lucy Barton, which has a direct link to Anything Is Possible. While it is not a sequel, Lucy Barton does make an appearance in this new novel, taking time to visit her brother and sister and confront her childhood and the horrors she experienced.

This novel is composed of characters from the same small town, connected by their experiences, families, and location. Strout is able to put her finger on the ways in which relationships unfold and twist and turn, changing over time. Her characters are real and flawed and interesting. Each one suffered or struggled in their lifetime and we see various sides of these people depending on the situation they are in.

Strout's novels are character driven, beautifully written, and hard to put down. Anything Is Possible is a wonderful addition to her body of work.

What I didn't like:
Every.single.character. was downright sad or pity-worthy. Even the characters who posed as happy or content were, actually, ridden by a deep issue. Not to mention, everybody in this novel has a mommy, daddy or sexual-nature issue. And it's just sad that all the poor people seem to have these problems. It felt a bit judgmental, but who am I to judge? Makes one have a lousy opinion about the human race. Just pick another human issue, goodness!
It left me with a bitter taste and in a funk, not in the mood to enjoy life, if that makes sense.
Clearly, I am not the target audience for this book. Also, I think it would have been better if this was written/ published before "My Name Is Lucy Barton".
What I liked: I wouldn't consider this a novel, but more like a short story collection, with one common thread: Lucy Barton. I've always liked books that are constructed that way.
I also thought that the book was written in a natural way, that is as if the author was telling the story of what happened. It also had a stream-of-consciousness feel about it, which was nice to see.
However, these are not things that redeemed this book.

It was not my cup of tea, thankyouverymuch. Maybe I would have appreciated it more were I in my middle-age stage of life?

Glad I didn't have to pay for this book since I received a free e-book copy from the publisher via Net Galley. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

This was the first book I have read by Elizabeth Strout. I enjoyed it, although, that is a strange thing to say about seeing into people's raw lives with all the covers we use to hide the truth that lies in our hearts. It was an emotional journey.

The style is not something I would want to read all the time, but in this case, I think it was perfectly fitting. I read a book by Maeve Binchy years ago, The Lilac Bus that was the same style. It is like many short stories that are interwoven that makes the novel. Once finished a section, you may or may not read of that person again. It is a surprise and a joy to then be updated of a character you read about earlier.

This book touched me. Some people come from such poor situations and make their life better. Some people are content to live that way. Some feel like they have no control, whether they are rich or poor. This book explores many different circumstances.

You'll never mistake Strout's prose for another writer. She has a style and energy all her own. This is the third of her books I've read and I've loved all of them. Here she returns to the devise she's known for which is a group of short stories or novel with characters that are somewhat interrelated. Almost invariably her tone is wistfully sad but imbued with hope.

In Anything is Possible all the tales circle around mature characters who reflect on their life while coming to peace with the end of life. This could have been morbid but Strout's innate peacefulness makes this milestone almost the same as graduating from college, getting married, becoming a parent, etc., just another phase of life. Even the most evil characters have depth and humanity, they're not props to display the goodness of her other characters. The momentous and the mundane are close cousins when Strout shines a light on them.

I did not read "My Name is Lucy Barton" but I want to now. I got a glimpse into her life from this book but not a lot. This book was about the characters that were in Lucy Barton's hometown. They were quite the crew.

The majority of the book was about and written from Tom the janitor's point of view. He is the one to share what he saw of Lucy while she was growing up. There is also Lucy's remaining family, her brother and her sister. You get a real feel for what life was like growing up in that house when the three of them get together when Lucy, on a book tour, visits the town she left so long ago.

Definitely a sad read, but I did enjoy it.

Thanks to Random House for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group, Random House for an ARC of "Anything is Possible" by Elizabeth Strout. The genre of this book is Women's Fiction. Elizabeth Strout had written the book
"My Name is Lucy Barton". In this book, I find that the author describes many of the dysfunctional complex characters that were mentioned in "My Name is Lucy Barton." The timeline in this book varies, but shows many of the characters older, reminiscing about their poverty and thoughts of Lucy Barton and her family. Now, Lucy Barton is a successful author. Many of the other characters respect and look up to her, and seem to feel that Lucy has run away from the poverty, memories and the town.
Some of the characters we see are :Tommy, the janitor from the school Lucy attended. We also see her brother Pete, and her sister Vicky, and cousins Abel and Dottie.There are many other characters as well.
Some of the characters have worked hard to make a better life. Some of the characters have complicated lives.
Each of the stories about the characters provides better insight into the lives of the other characters.
I do feel that what appears to be seen in many of the characters, is not what it seems to be.
I feel that the author describes friends and family at their worst and best times, hard work, love and hope. One has to wonder is it true that "anything is possible"?

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout is a very highly recommended transcendent postscript to My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016). This is a superb novel.

Anything Is Possible returns us to Amgash, Illinois, and explores the stories found in the lives of others who lived there and the connections they have to each other and Lucy. This exquisite novel is told through a series of chapters that are individual stories which capture the fundamental essence of people's lives (the same approach she took in Olive Kitteridge). Strout manages to capture the whole spectrum of human emotions across the years in these perfect individual but interconnected vignettes.

The themes are timeless, including: the search for love and happiness; self-respect; faith; the bonds of families; divorce and infidelity; the gulf between poverty and privilege; violence and abuse; The individual stories together to create a portrait of a community and those who had ties to it. Not all the stories are completely sad, but they all have a melancholy undertone as the characters have faced the complexities of life and grown from their experiences (or not).

The writing is extraordinary, impeccable, and... just perfect. The characters and setting in each story are finely drawn and eloquently described, even when the lives are damaged and struggling.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House.

I received a copy of "Anything is Possible" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Random House, and Elizabeth Strout for the opportunity to read this book.

I had NOT read "My Name is Lucy Barton" before starting this book - I read one chapter and realized that I should "My Name is Lucy Barton" first. After reading, "My Name is Lucy Barton", I read this book and would suggest reading them in this order as "Anything is Possible" is a companion piece and answer some of the questions from "My Name is Lucy Barton".

While "My Name is Lucy Barton" was more about the character Lucy Barton and the townspeople in her life, "Anything is Possible" was more of a collection of short stories about people in a town. It did not have the cohesiveness that I was expecting.

Now, I must definitely state that Elizabeth Strout is a BEAUTIFUL writer with gorgeous prose. But, I was just not interested in the characters in this book. I would, however, like to read more of her books. Definitely a maybe recommend for me.

For me Elizabeth Strout’s strength as an author lies both in the depth of her characterizations and her remarkable style. Her newest offering, ‘Anything is Possible,’ is again a straightforward story of seemingly ordinary people presented with both great insight and deceptively simple words.

Strout readers will find familiar terrain in Amgash, Illinois, a small farming community where local memories and class prejudice run deep. The book is actually a collection of short stories, focusing on the inhabitants, their families and their collective memory.

Life in Amgash, the childhood home of Lucy Barton ( heroine of an earlier Stout novel of the same name) isn’t easy. The reader meets, among others, Lucy’s siblings Pete and Vicky, as well as the farmer-turned-janitor Tommy Guptill and guidance counsellor Patty Nicely and her siblings. Family matters in Amgash; the bonds of family resonate throughout the stories.

On the surface, Stout’s stories are sometimes dark and often painful. People aren’t always good to each other. Amgash has more than its share of bad behavior. But like Lucy Barton, most of Stout’s characters are survivors who rise above cruelty to respond with kindness. Patty is able to help the student who belittles her; Tommy visits the son of the man who attempted to destroy his way of life, and Lucy is able to return to her own family and reconnect with her siblings.

Perhaps ‘Anything Is Possible’ is a book that we all should read and take to heart.

"Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout is a favorite of mine, so when I saw this book available, I picked it up. Those readers who enjoyed "Olive Kitteridge" should feel a little at home with "Anything is Possible." These are a series of short stories (or longer chapters) that all share a common link. The common link is Lucy Barton, a former resident of a small mid-west town who has now moved to New York and is finding success as a writer.

In this small town we discover a host of individuals from Tommy, the retired school janitor, Dottie, the owner of a bed and breakfast, to Abel, a successful businessman and relative of Lucy. Each of the characters presented have a very personal, very real story to tell, and from each of these characters the reader will take something away.

The writing is very much like that of "Olive Kitteridge" - non-linear storyline, loosely connected. This was an easy and enjoyable read. Each chapter the reader is introduced to another character, another life, another story. Some readers may not like or appreciate this style of writing - I certainly didn't think I would. However, once I started reading, I was hooked. Elizabeth Strout develops her characters fully within just a few pages. I felt as though I knew some of these folks. I enjoyed this book very much.

Maybe Olive Kitteridge was the outlier -- that was a great book. This one? Not so much. Yes, the stories overlap, as per the author's unique style. I do appreciate Ms. Strout's ability to mull over the same incident from multiple points-of-view. There are some moments of insight as people struggle to overcome the sins of their (and their family members') pasts. And she drops in and out of the characters' lives with adept control at revealing details that make each character have his/her own voice. But I kept waiting for some payoff, some overall compelling connection between and amongst this whole collection of Midwestern, poverty-stricken, depressed and lonely people. I was disappointed that it never came together.

Part of the problem may have been my choice of format. I listened to the audio book on a roadtrip, and, wow, it was narrated in such an annoyingly SLOW and drawn out manner that it was actually tough to keep focused on the story line. The 8 1/2 hour narration seems like it really could have been wrapped up in about 7 1/2 hours instead, if the narrator just had picked up the pace a little! Not a stellar effort.

I read Olive Kitteridge several years ago and was not a big fan of the book. When Elizabeth Strout came out with My Name is Lucy Barton, even though I heard rave reviews on the book, I decided to pass it up.

This month, Anything is Possible will be hitting the bookstores, and I am pleased to say that I gave Strout’s writing another chance and read an advance copy. It did not disappoint. In fact, after reading Anything is Possible, I have come to the realization that I have to read My Name is Lucy Barton because I have now been introduced to so many of the people who were a part of Lucy Barton’s life.

The two books were written during the same time frame, but Anything is Possible is a series of short stories that are connected by the character’s relationships with each other and the areas in which they live. Reading these stories now has me wondering which of the characters we may see in the future stories by Strout.

I almost never read short stories, but Anything is Possible was an enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Strout has an amazing ability to delineate characters we are not used to seeing clearly. She favors people who are skilled in the art of melting into the background wherever they are. To a person they seek to hide within their social ostracism. Strout brings them to the foreground and builds entire books around them. In this book, a series of linked short stories describe the relatives of a main character in a previous book, Lucy Barton, who has shed her previous social constraints entirely and remade herself as a famous author. This act, the shedding of her previous social 'skin', consumes the small community up and down its social strata. It speaks of such great possibility, right in front of them, it is frightening and awesome. The stories are wonderful in their creation of the people in the tight community. Strout's ability to create worlds and hopes within brief descriptions is amazing. I thought this book was leaps beyond My Name Is Lucy Barton, the book around which the characters are based. It just took so much more skill and creativity and each section was a wonder to explore. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

There was a scene in the first story of this book that so moved me it took my breath away and I had to stop reading till the tears ceased. This is the reason I read books by this author. The ability to evoke such emotion, to make me feel what her characters are feeling is just simply beautiful to me.

The characters in this book, all tied in some way to Lucy Barton from the authors previous book (kind of like the Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon) are seriously some quirky people. It makes me smile to think of them. So developed were these people that I can see them in my minds eye, smell some of the not so pleasant smells, feel their love and concern for each other, and ache with their loneliness and desire to be loved. Oh how I love when an author is so talented that she can take me right in to the pages of her book and introduce me to people I will remember forever.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves words that deeply touch you, characters that will stay with you always and stories that make you think and feel so much. I loved this very fabulous book!

I really don’t know how to do an overview for this read. This is a tale which is more about a small town and its myriad of people. There are a good many characters and it is disjointed in places. But the stories surrounding each of these players keep you moving along and wanting to know more. The characters each have their own hang-ups and personal issues. Each one struggling to over come, well, life! The novel doesn’t have a main character unless it is Lucy Barton but, she has a minor role.

I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I had read My Name is Lucy Barton first. I have it in my TBR pile. Just have not picked it up yet. I did not realize this novel was a sequel, or contained the same characters. However, no one writes a story quite like Elizabeth Strout. I love how she weaves love of friends and family along with pain, loss and sometimes abuse. She creates stories impossible to forget and the tales stay with you long after the book is finished.

I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.

If you've read Elizabeth Strout before, you'll know she typically doesn't have a straightforward plot per se. I'm usually one for a definitive beginning and ending to a story, but I must say I love her writing. Strout knows where to start a story and when to end it.

Anything is Possible touches on Lucy Barton and her successes in her adult life (side note - I have not yet read My Name is Lucy Barton, but it's on my to-read list!). Each chapter of the book is a snapshot into a different person's life: Tommy, the custodian at Lucy's school when she was a child; Dottie, the manager of a bed and breakfast; Abel (Dottie's brother), who started with nothing and is now successful in his business; Pete and Vicky, who are Lucy's siblings; and several others with their own tales to tell. The characters intertwine with each other, which is something I always enjoy. The book touches on so many different emotions and subjects - love lost, love found, loving someone too much, poverty, success, resilience, overcoming the odds, forgiveness....

Elizabeth Strout's Anything Is Possible is loosely connected to her earlier novel, My Name Is Lucy Barton. In that work, a mother visiting a daughter in the hospital sits day after day, gossiping or grousing about the family and folks back home. Anything Is Possible takes us to that midwest Illinois town to meet the characters mentioned and a few more, perhaps 20 years later. Some are related to each other, but mostly it's a peripheral link--we see each other every day, without really knowing the persons we pass by. The Bartons, poor and without resources were disdained. For the most part they still are, but every family, the high and the low have secrets and shame. The recurring theme is getting out--either physically or emotionally getting out from underneath a burdensome and painful past. Some do, many don't but even those who fashion an exit are tied in ways they only partially realize or appreciate.

The stories I liked best were those that featured a family member of Lucy Barton's--I thought they filled out the earlier work and offered new avenues to explore. Lucy's siblings Pete and Vicky are respectively dazed and embittered by the childhood of abuse they endured. In the story Sister, Strout makes it clear none of them (including Lucy who presumably "escaped") will ever fully heal. Niece Lila is at a tipping point and can go either way depending upon whether she can pursue an education and escape. Cousins Abel and Dottie the young cousins the Bartons would scrounge through food dumpsters with to eat also reappear. There's a wonderfully elegiac story called Mississippi Mary and the stories of the Nicely sisters were poignant while offering a bit of comic relief. As with previous works, the author's prose is spare and authentic; occasionally very touching, without ever being sentimental. Strout wraps up Anything Is Possible with one character's take on what that might be: friendship, kindness, even forgiveness. However fleeting, any and all are possible.

Highly recommended.

Anything Is Possible is a collection of nine short stories intertwined very cleverly by Elizabeth Strout all centered around characters from a small town in Illinois. If you are a fan of her earlier novel, My Name Is Lucy Barton, you will recognize characters from that award-winning piece of fiction. Strout has a transcendently beautiful way of writing, and some of the stories in this collection are sheer genius in terms of their characterization and plot. Others, however, are not and stretch the bonds of credibility even in a work of fiction. They make this work not as well thought out as her two previous books in my eyes.. The stories are also only occasionally uplifting, despite the brilliant writing, and paint a fairly bleak picture of humanity. While this book mesmerized me, it also left me feeling sad. It definitely engaged my attention and emotions.

I want to like this book a lot more than I do. Olive Kitteridge is on my lifetime top ten, and I devoured My Name Is Lucy Barton during a two-hour plane ride and continue to think about it. This one is slow going (I have a couple of chapters left), and I don't think it will have much staying power for me. It is nice to see some of the same characters as in Lucy Barton, though, and in some cases they shed a different light on the same incidents that narrator was talking about, or they help move her story forward. I would definitely recommend that you read Lucy first; otherwise, you'll miss a lot of this one's richness. It's comparable to the Alexandria Quartet, where the first book establishes a set of characters, a plot, and significance to everything, and then the second book comes along and sets all of that on its ear. Elizabeth Strout is always a pleasure to read, but this one just isn't connecting for me as well as I'd hoped.

4.5 Stars.....Oh. Boy. Elizabeth Strout does it again in this sequel to MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON. She takes a group of unexceptional folk and interweaves an exceptional group of short stories as we revisit the small impoverished town of Amgash, Illinois. We even get to have a sit down with Lucy herself.....albeit a somewhat difficult one.

Bad times and sad times are in abundance here though with dysfunctional families and their dark personal secrets, but a couple characters actually brought a smile to my face, and one in particular (Dottie) made me laugh out loud. Wait till you see what she does......

And even though troubled times abound throughout these stories of "imperfect love", loss and "unspeakable pain", there is (thankfully) peace and understanding for some in these connected tales of woe......and. oh. how. it. all. ends.

It was ok. A collection of short stories about the characters we were introduced to in My Name is Lucy Barton and the town she grew up in. My main problem with most of the tales is the characters aren't interesting enough to have their own stories. There are a few really good ones in here, though, and some of them are directly related to Lucy Barton and her family. In fact, in the best story, "Sister", Lucy Barton is in town for a book singing and takes a day to go visit her brother and sister, and is easily the best story of the bunch. There are a couple others worth reading, too, but overall most of this book only made me realize how much more I liked My Name is Lucy Barton.

In these inter-linked stories, Elizabeth Strout once again takes her readers to Amgash, Illinois. There are many characters that were introduced in My Name Is Lucy Barton during Lucy's conversations with her mother. Lucy and her family are viewed from the perspectives of these characters, and the inner lives and pasts of the townspeople take on an added dimension. These are ordinary people living under difficult circumstances that include loneliness, infidelity, abandonment, and unrelenting poverty with its ensuing class prejudice and shame. Amid the sadness and despair in their lives, there are moments of kindness, understanding and connections with other people that give them moments of hope and grace. "The child is father of the man" is never more true than in Strout's insightful writing in all her books, and this book is no exception.

I enjoyed Elizabeth's last book, and had great hopes for this one, but, man, let's use everyone in the whole town as a character, mix them all up and see who we end up with. I thought I was losing it. I'd read one chapter and then the next one had nothing to do with the first. Several chapters later, she'd be mentioning the earlier character, what? was I supposed to take notes? I became very worried that maybe I was losing my faculties until I read some of the other reviews here. (whew! It's not me!) I think anything is possible, but if I could have done it over again, I would not have read this book.

I loved Strout's last novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, and having read that book certainly added to my enjoyment of, Anything is Possible, which returns the reader back to rural Amgash, Illinois and many of the characters we read about previously. This novel reads like a collection of interconnected stories and it delves into the private lives of those who still reside in this close-knit community. Although Lucy Barton managed to escape Amgash and the hardships and her painful childhood, now 17 years later, she is a successful novelist, returning home to visit her brother Pete whose life somewhat resembles that of a hermit. Strout knows how to delve into the psyche of her flawed characters, revealing what makes these humans tick. I was very happy I read this one but, I do recommend reading Lucy Barton first. (4.5/5 STARS)

Shockingly overhyped. Have writing standards gone down? Because this book was revered, and I personally felt the quality of the writing was so poor. The stories weren’t as connected as you hoped they would be in the end. As an avid reader, I had trouble finding motivation to finish this book. The plot line was null and void. Nothing made me want to read on or find out. There was so much perversion, and that’s fine if it works but in this book it was useless. I’m in shock that people love this book. It must be for people who simply relate to the dysfunction. Obviously there’s enough people in the world like these characters, sadly!

I liked *My Name Is Lucy Barton* well enough, but I remember wishing I had read it in a book club, where discussions might have explored some of the subtext and the minor characters. So I was thrilled when I realized that’s exactly what Strout has done here, in this collection of nine short stories that are linked through the shared characters (now grown-up) of Lucy Barton’s childhood, including Lucy herself.

Linked stories are my favorite structure of fiction, and here the linking is used to perfection, deeply exploring characters from a full-frontal perspective in one story and then from sideways glances in others. These characters and their stories interested me so much more than Lucy Barton ever did ... although they do make me want to re-read *My Name is Lucy Barton*, just to encounter the first mentions of them again, now that I know them so well.

Strout has a unique writing style that is almost poetic. She comes up with unusual descriptions and insights into people. This book is no exception. It's not a 'feel good' book by any means, but it's one that makes you stop and think about the characters - and perhaps makes you look around at people in your life and understand them a bit better.

One of the things I liked best about this book is recognizing characters that were briefly touched on before in 'My Name Is Lucy Barton". Or a character in an earlier story in this book suddenly appears in a later story and it takes a moment to do a doubletake and think - oh yeah, her! It's interesting to get multiple viewpoints of characters this way.

The writing is superb and the little stories are haunting. Definitely a good read.

I've always been on the fence about Strout's work. I respect her ability to turn a phrase and her devotion to the language but gosh sometimes I just find her books depressing. Unlike so many others, I didn't love Lucy Barton so I was a little hesitant when I was granted an ARC by Netgalley for this follow up. Think of this as vignettes of characters=not a plot driven novel- and you'll enjoy it more. I think you do need to have read Barton to fully appreciate this because it's really about all the others in their town and their reactions to her. I sort of wish there was more about each of the townspeople so that they would seem more multidimensional but frankly I actually don't think I'd like to be around them much more. This one is for Strout fans- you know who you are.

I picked this up on a 50% off rack at the airport. I should have left it there. Anything is Possible truly ranks as one of my least favorite books I have ever read. I finished it because it was a best seller and I kept thinking: There has to be something amazing that is going to happen and connect everything.

But it never happened. It was SO depressing. The stories were so scattered. There did not appear to be any connection or resolution. I seriously finished it and went: "What just happened?" Disliked GREATLY with NO recommendation.

Sometimes after reading a novel, a reader can wonder about fictional characters, wanting to not let the character go and get to read more about a favorite protagonist. The popularity of serial fiction with recurring protagonists rarely crosses into literary fiction, but Elizabeth Strout chose to do that in her novel titled, Anything Is Possible, because she had more to say about Lucy Barton. Strout brought Lucy back in this volume of connected stories, alongside some new and old characters. Strout’s prose is constructed with great care, and the depth of character development brought me great pleasure. Things are not as they appear, and that’s the making of a fine work of fiction.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

I will not show up as a verified purchaser, as I read this book from the library.
I had read My Name is Lucy Barton and would have to say, while I really, really liked My Name is Lucy Barton, I don't think I quite "got it" until I read Anything is Possible. Immediately after finishing Anything is Possible I reread My Name is Lucy Barton. I do think you can read Anything is Possible without reading My Name is Lucy Barton, but I think My Name is Lucy Barton needs this book to put Lucy in context and fully understand what she suffered through - what they all went through - even the most unlikable of them- one generation to the next. Elizabeth Strout is now tying with Anne Tyler as my favorite author.

I took this book at the local library where I get all of my books I do not buy books. I donated money to my local library so that we can all share in the books. I did like this book very much and was again introduced to a great author. I have borrowed all her other books from the library. that she has written Lucy Barton, Olive Kittredge, etc That's what so great about our local libraries they introduce us to books we might or might not have chosen for ourselves in a bookstore but introduce to other authors we might not have purchased on our own. Its valuable to have a local library and the librarians that run them in offering suggestions to patrons and introducing you to other authors. Knowing what type of genre' the library patrons like. If you don't like the book you can just bring it back.

A lovely book full of real people and insight. I read My Name is Lucy Barton and was so pleased to meet these people again and see where life had taken them. I don't really write reviews, just opinions, because I find with many books, you either get it or you don't. Extolling the virtues (or the shortcomings) isn't going to convince the next reader of anything he or she doesn't feel when the story is read. Everything about this book enveloped me, from the characters to the descriptions of the times and places. As has everything I've read by Elizabeth Strout. The action here is deeper, in minds and hearts and that kind of study of a person's evolution through life is not for everyone. I'm rereading Lucy Barton now.

This is my first book by this author and it led me to read "Olive Kittridge" and seek the rest of her books. The style is deftly crafted to keep you turning the pages to find out more about these people in rural Illinois. It is like meeting any town - sequential stories of lives and how they intermingle from time to time. No, it is not the 'typical novel' but is that all we want as readers? The same presentations with the same sorts of final conclusions? This leaves you with questions and the desire to find out what happens next - or in my case what happened previously. A good read for those who are not locked into the 'typical'!

I enjoyed this book! I liked the small town setting and the author’s style of writing. The book explores the stories of many different characters. It explores each of their lives, including their current life situation, their deepest secrets, and the events and scars of their childhood. It examines who they are now and what they have overcome and achieved. Many of the characters are tied together by a shared childhood and events that occurred when they were young. It is a story about love and relationships; husbands and wives; parents and children; and brothers and sisters. This would be a great selection for a group read!

While the author some wonderful, thought-provoking, highlight-worthy passages, I just did not care for her style of writing. I struggled, at times, to connect the dots. And, despite the title, I would not classify this book as uplifting or hopeful. Instead, it was, at times, dark and a little too edgy for my taste. I don't always expect or need a happy ending, but I do prefer an ending that at least makes me understand the pages I just waded through. That was not the case here and I did in fact feel like I was wading through versus being swept away. I prefer a book that does the latter.

This book is a companion to Strout's last novel, "My Name is Lucy Barton," and while reading that first might enhance this read, I think the book can be read as a stand-alone. In Lucy Barton, Lucy's mother visits her in the hospital and talks about a number of neighbors from home. This book picks up those characters and shares some of their lives. There are nine stories that interweave in the vein of "Olive Kitteridge."

I love Strout's writing and how she can get into the head of a character with prose that is simple yet rich. These stories are intimate, raw, and poignant.

This is a collection of inter-related stories. Although they say it is not necessary to have read "My Name is Lucy Barton" first, I think it is essential to understand the poverty, neglect, and family dysfunction of the Barton family, some of whom reappear in this book. I love everything Elizabeth Strout writes, but this story collection is sad, depressing, a little perverted, and just plain odd. I didn't feel particularly sympathetic towards any of the characters, didn't really care about their lives, and didn't want to listen to them whine.

If you haven't read anything by Elizabeth Strout yet this might be a good book to get you get you introduced to her writing. She is one that you do not want to miss.
As another reviewer indicated, I too read this book in two sittings.
Although this particular book follows the character of Lucy Barton introduced to us in her prior book, "My Name is Lucy Barton", it is not necessary to have read that book before this one.
Ms. Strout has won the Pulitzer Prize and she is well deserving of that recognition.
This book is about everyday people that are survivors. It is satisfying to read of their stories.

I devoured Olive Kitteridge and thought it, essentially, the perfect novel. I was very excited to learn that Ms. Strout released Anything is Possible and I read it as soon as my backlog of books to be read allowed. Ms. Strout is a gift to bibliophiles everywhere. She writes engaging stories about her fictional characters that truly capture the essence of human nature--all of it: beautiful, indifferent, horrifying. You can't look away. If you must read one book this summer, read Olive Kitteridge. If you are lucky enough to read more than that, I urge you to read Anything is Possible next.

Strout writes well, but this book is not a novel. Its a disjointed group of mini-stories about a bunch of people who once knew Lucy Barton. I'd love to say that each stood on its own as a short story, but they really don't, and they trail off rather than end. The characters are at best neutral, and at worst unlikeable, there is no plot, and no coming together of the mini-stories, they just end.

I love Elizabeth Strout for focusing on ordinary people, acknowledging that pain and joy aren't the exclusive purview of the wealthy. Poverty isn't made by her to be shameful, just an additional burden to satisfying one's needs (although the more well favored among us spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make it so for their own selfish reasons). Joy comes in simple ways -- puzzled out through the thicket of memory and experience -- and the sad reality that we are often unkind to each other.

I wish I had composed a chart listing the various characters; a character mentioned in passing often loomed large in a subsequent chapter. In other words, every character was important, not just a literary device. Each word, each sentence mattered. This is not a book to skim.

Speaking of words...there were times I felt stunned by the observations, by the sheer brilliance in use of language.

If a reader is looking for a cheerful book to read at the beach, this is not it. If a reader is open to considering the possibility of living through improbable times, then I recommend settling in with this book. It deserves to be savored.

Read the first story in this collection, and you’ll be hooked.
Lucy Barton is the thread that holds it all together. Or is she? Maybe it’s how each character shoulders the terrible things that happen to them. Tommy Guptill's barn is burned to the ground, and his way of life is ripped away from him. Lucy Barton comes home, and is forced to relive some of the horrors of her childhood. Yvonne Tuttle visits the Peterson-Cornell house, and encounters evil she never imagined.
Could it be that the things that happen in Amgash, Illinois, are no different from what goes on in hundreds of small towns across America? The answer may well be yes. And maybe that’s what makes this book resonate so deeply.

Having loved Olive Kitteridge this seemed like a promising read. Holy cow, it grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. I found myself stopping every few pages to catch my breath, the emotion and depth of feeling is incredible. When I started the book the mention of Lucy Barton caused me to go to OneDrive and check out that book before progressing with AIP and I'm so glad I did! MNILB interacts with AIP in a clever and fascinating way that just punches you in the gut. Three for three, Ms Strout hits this one out of the park

Elizabeth Strout could not have disappointed me more. I understand that, as a top-selling author, her publisher probably pushed her to get another title out while her name is hot. But what I see here is a disjointed collection of character sketches that may have been written as she was creating the Lucy Barton book. There are no tie-ups or solid links made, and oftentimes there is no clear reasons for including a particular chapter. In addition, she revisits the same subjects over and over: children living in poverty, women obsessed with their weight, mental conditions, the arrogant rich, hateful mothers, sexual issues (closet gays, incest, rape, voyeurism, and men who grunt like pigs). Why so much repetition? The book is just a lazy compilation of words. Try a new author rather than buying this purely because Strout wrote it.

Anything is possible is the type of novel with many different characters and stories, eventually interconnecting. Its the type of book that you can put down and then pick back up without missing the story as its unwinding. The characters are interesting but it takes awhile to figure out where they're going. Its funny in parts and somewhat ridiculous in others but overall its a good read.

I was very troubled by this collection. The only Black character is a prostitute with an unrealistic but stereotypical movie/book relationship with a client. I never write reviews but I need to call out this writer!

Much ado about nothing. Absolutely nothing. I taught school many, many years ago during the time that Dick and Jane and Spot were the main characters in every boring story. Those stories came to mind while reading this book. Really? How do books like this get published?

OH, do come back, Mr. Blaine!
A book of fiction that left me wanting to meet the characters and ask them what happened next. I needed something that wasn't heavy to read while sick and this was perfect. A great read for the beach or when you have time to get lost in a story.

Elizabeth Strout knows a lot about the human condition--an enormous amount about how families can be jerry-rigged, haphazard and unpredictable structures; fragilely dependent on what childhood experiences, emotional damage and personal courage parents bring to the enterprise.

In "Anything Is Possible", Strout has assembled another collection of connected family tales that is full of characters who are, above all, survivors of life's random fortunes and misfortunes. The characters know or know of each other here, but the connections are from earlier moments in the past (school, small town interactions, etc.) and are often not central to the story-telling. On the other hand, the tales are often about siblings (and their triangular ties to their parents) and married couples and their struggles to remain connected over time.

Individual chapters are all strongly and movingly written, but two stood out for me in particular: "Missippippi Mary" involving the reunification of a mid-aged woman with the mother who "abandoned" her and her sisters as a septugenarian to flee to an unlikely relationship in italy with a sweet, simple man of modest means; and "Dottie's Bed and Breakfast". a complex story of an insightful and strong woman who provides a therapeutic ear as well tea and toast at her small, midwestern B&B.

The book is disturbing at times (there but for the grace of God...) but in the end, wonderfully effecting.

This collection of interconnected short stories showcases what I love about Strout's writing: perceptively drawn characters that demonstrate the beauty of the human spirit (good & bad). There's no plot to speak of, but the people-watching is fascinating and often uplifting.

The beautiful rhythm of Strout's prose draws me in before I even begin to know the characters. And this is as fine a collection of characters as I could hope to find. She has captured Midwestern small-town life, and the ways in which it has evolved, with remarkable understanding. It's only January, but I know this will be my favorite book of the year. A real treasure!

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Strout's writing so I was eager to read Anything Is Possible. Lucy Barton, the main character in her previous book, is the hub around which all of the other characters in the book revolve. Everything is in relation to Lucy Barton and her success. I could see the lives of all of these characters from Lucy's hometown, and how hard it is to fit in once you've left. Wonderful book. Highly recommended.

I have read well over 100 novels in my lifetime and have never felt compelled to write an the store review until now. And I've never really enjoyed collection of short stories until reading "Anything Is Possible." What I found so engaging were three things: (1) "Anything Is Possible" reads like a sequel to "My Name is Lucy Barton;" (2) the stories are so inter-related that it has the flavor of a novel -- the protagonist of each story referring to some extent to the protagonist of one of the other stories; and (3) each story is character driven: the protagonist of each story reflecting on their own lives, the personal reflection of their past experiences impacting their current ways of thinking, their personal psychology, and their choices in dealing with a challenging circumstance. The humanity of each character came through with a ring of truth, credibility and integrity. Indeed, "anything is possible" in spite of extreme challenges and personal limitations.

I stared reading this and kept thinking the writing reminded me of something. Then I realized it was written by the same author of “Lucy Barton”. I stopped reading immediately. So boring, characters I could care less about and don’t relate to... I know realize Elizabeth Strout writes in a way that I find completely unappealing- simplistic and dull. Not a fan.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a beautiful take of a very quirky town with many secrets and hurts. I would recommend you read "My Name is Lucy Barton" to fully understand all these characters. This is not a fast paced story. It is just a nice steady read of very interesting characters from Lucy's life. This tells their story and their perspective. Very enjoyable read.

Enjoyable read, though sometimes hard to follow so many characters flitting in and out. Set in Am-Gash, IL, the prevailing theme is shame. Lucy Barton appears and reappears. Her shame is gone. No longer poor, she is now a well-known actress of means.
The ending puzzled me. Perhaps some more clever readers can elucidate.

I have to agree with the other "one-starrers" on this one. I stuck through to the end hoping that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel..nope. Lucy Barton was a better book, but, any book would be better than this one. A huge disappointment and massive waste of time.

This book is a finely woven basket. The characters are revealed in many short story scenarios. People's flaws are tucked into narratives of different acts in individual life experiences. The similes used bring a sense of understanding to the chronology.

I enjoy Elisabeth Strout's books. This one has stayed with me days afterwards. Thinking about the characters and their interrelationships. Always the sign of a good book. Almost finished in one sitting.

"Anything Is Possible" is a follow-up book to Strout's bestseller of 2016: "My Name is Lucy Barton."
I have not yet read "Lucy'" but found that this book can easily be read and enjoyed without having read the first one.

Each chapter of this book is about a character who was mentioned in "Lucy."
The book provides a look into the hearts of each of these characters, baring warts and all.

The author is adept at "becoming" each person she has created, to the point where her style of writing becomes their style of speaking and thinking.
Each personality is unique, yet each is so realistic, he or she is likely to remind you of someone you know.
Take for example Dottie, the proprietress of a bed and breakfast. She is sympathetic with her customers, but keeps her true assessment of them to herself for the most part.
Dottie's thinking is scattered, yet she has innate wisdom. She is a compassionate soul; when she loves, she loves big.
But hurt or betray her, and look out.
She will hurt back.

I was amazed by Strout's ability to weave an entire book out of nine short stories, with each person's story leading into that of the next person.
All of the narratives are interwoven with the symmetry and beauty of a perfect french braid.

No individual in the book comes off completely bad, and no individual is portrayed as being completely good.
It did seem that one of the characters was going to be the exception to this rule.
Lucy's mother, who was mentioned but not heard from in this book, was shaping up to be a completely deplorable soul.
Yet, toward the end of the last chapter, even she was seen to have something resembling a heart.

I loved this book.
I read many books, at every opportunity, but "Anything is Possible" has absolutely become one of my top ten most loved.

Elizabeth Strout has an exceptional ability to look into a human heart and put into words the complex being who resides there.
Written with compassion and insight, this book let's us believe that indeed, anything is possible.

This book of short stories is a GEM. From cover to last word. I received it as a gift. The conceit of the collection at the start appears to be one thing, then leaves its moorings and ventures beyond. I especially endorse an uplifting ending and this book has one of the best. Easy to pick up and put down, satisfying read before sleep.

Once again the world of Lucy Barton comes alive. It was somewhat difficult for me to remember the interconnected relationships of the families but it didn't matter because it's so well written each chapter was a story in itself. This author has an amazing facility of language.
I will have to re-read Lucy Barton and this one right after. A joy!

This is a collection of loosely linked stories, follow up to the characters from Lucy Barton's childhood. Reading these stories was like having a glimpse into a moment in the life of each of these characters and who each had become while Lucy was becoming a writer in NYC. The book ends with the title of the book. And I suppose that Lucy's success and the stories of her relatives and neighbors show that anything is possible- who knows from those moments of childhood, often painful, how anything will turn out. You might be surprised.

+ characters stayed in character, making the book cohesive and plausible. I always like wondering who I know who might also be having similar feelings.
+/- lots of interwoven characters; nice if you enjoy having to pay attention and sometimes look back. I enjoyed the challenge.
+ I liked the ending!

Forced myself to finish it for book club and because I hate not finishing books....

Had high hopes as I heard good things about the author but it was quite meh and the characters depressing.

The book was short is the only positive!

I like the format of the book. Each chapter is about a main character and minor characters. The subsequent chapter's story highlights one of the chapter's minor characters and how he/she relates to others in the book. Character development is good, the characters seem mostly real and believable, if not somewhat caricature-ized. Sometimes it was hard to follow so many characters, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

What was the point of this book? While I liked it a little better than My Name is Lucy Barton, it too, was filled with depressing characters in a depressing town. Each chapter was about a different character and I kept waiting for everything (or anything) to somehow tie together (it didn't). A disappointing read.

This was not a plot book. It was much more about showing the complexities of human emotions and relationships. I saw myself in several of the stories which is a testament to the depth of the writing and character development, which can be difficult in short stories. I will think about this book often.

Elizabeth Strout has the rare ability to take you inside the characters she portrays. You feel all of their emotions. Even though this is not a book with a compelling plot, I felt myself drawn to the book over and over with the need to experience the myriad but never simplistic emotions of her characters.

This is a terrific novel comprised of eight short stories. It is truly a carefully crafted book on the issues of class and after finishing it you can feel the impact of poverty on a white citizens in a community rather than the often association of poverty and minorities. The characters are so well drawn and the stories are often poignant that you just want to keep reading. If you have read My Name is Lucy Barton this book helps to fill in some of the unanswered questions you may have had after you finished that novel. I highly recommend this book!!!!!

Not quite as good as My Name is Lucy Barton. It's all very believable but it just seems like Lucy has totally rewritten her past while those she grew up around are still, after all these years, damaged and hurting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this e-book in exchange for an honest review. Anything Is Possible is a collection of stories about characters from Elizabeth Strout's book My Name is Lucy. Not knowing this made it a difficult read for me so I really can’t provide a thorough review. After 4 chapters I discontinued reading. The book wasn’t quite my style nor did I like the stories. Due to not finishing the book I would rate it 2 stars on what I did read.

I loved Olive Kitteridge and recommended it to many friends. The Burgess Boys was okay. My Name Is Lucy Barton well done. HOWEVER, Anything Is Possible is JUST AWFUL!
Most of the stories read like a college Freshman's rough draft for a writing class. The over use of adjectives, the unsuccessful attempt at meaningful metaphor, the voice, the character development, the story arc....It's all lacking. Where were Strout's readers and her editor?
It makes me sad to think that Strout may have actually known all of these people (and, of course, she is Lucy Barton). However, placing the stories in the midwest was a mistake. Strout admits herself that she only spent a little time in Illinois once......and it shows. Her characters don't even speak like midwesterners.
I think Random House and Strout were trying to leverage Strout's most recent successes with Lucy Barton and the Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge so they could make more money. Strike-while-the-iron's-hot strategy. What a shame! In some of her other work, Strout has shown us that she is a competent storyteller, but she's let the industry greed get in the way of her art. If she keeps producing garbage like this, her writing career will soon be over. So sad.

WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE POINT? A LOT OF CHARACTERS GOING NO WHERE. ALWAYS MANAGED TO GET SOME SEX AND MASTURBATION IN. WHO NEEDS TO READ THIS STUFF? GET TO THE POINT. . . .IF THERE IS ONE. DIDN'T FINISH IT.
MOVING ON TO BETTER STORIES WITH DEPTH AND MEANING. SOMETHING YOU LOOK FORWARD TO AT THE END OF
THE DAY.

This is the third book by Strout I've read. To me, it isn't a novel, but a series of vignettes. I thought it would focus more on Lucy Barton years after the first novel with her character, but it brings in way too many characters, skipping all over the place. Ultimately I found it boring and disappointing compared to the other Strout books. I guess others saw something in it I didn't.

Street provides a reunion for those readers who have enjoyed her previous work. I said it was predictable because you know you are going to get rich prose, fully developed characters and nuances that only Strout fashions. Each story is a rich tapestry of small town Americana. A delight to read and re-read.

The book frustrated me at first as I wanted each story to have an ending - happy or otherwise. As I continued to read I realized each story had a beginning. ...I finished it late at night and then stayed up rethinking each story. Highly recommended.

Simply written, using elementary vocabulary - yet, it seemed the simplicity complimented the story. It is tales within tales within tales that are a little too complex and too many - some of which were not unraveled. Yet, with the closing line, perhaps, it all made somewhat of some sense. I think I'm glad I read.

This book took a different point of view for each chapter with a thin string of familiarize between the characters. The changing perspectives and tenuous connections made it difficult to stay invested.

The writing is lovely, but these slightly connected stories are melancholy and sometimes tragic. The characters all have terrible past experiences, but the finale sums up their respective lives with an echo of the title "anything is possible". Lovely ?

the only reason for two stars instead of one (or none) is that I have to admit I was drawn to keep reading the book. Sadly though, the draw was so that I could find out how or why each sad tale was being told. Since I never figured out the answer, I'm sticking with one star. Very disappointed and probably won't bother reading the Lucy book now.

Disjointed, with different stories popping up constantly. One has a wife, watching with her husband, as he spies on females renting a room in their home. Having the husband try to rape the woman on her last night there, the police are involved. Cameras in the bedroom and bathroom to spy on their roomers. Their daughter has previously found videos showing her father having sex with other females in their home. Yet not only is this wife still with her husband but also watching the hidden camera along side him. Who writes about stuff like this and why would anyone want to read this junk?

Lots of characters with depressing bits of their lives spoken about but no plot or story here.

All the characters are united by various threads and I often found it hard to keep them straight. That said, the writing is beautiful. Every book Ms. Stroud writes is full of real life people and the story lines are never predictable. I loved this book.

Strout can write. She cam deve;p[ characters/ But her outlook is so grim that it feels cliched by the end of the book. Does no one have a sense of humor? a different take on life? Is everything about poverty, misunderstanding, p\abusive parenting?
A disappointing read.

I loved Olive Kitteridge and recommended it to many friends. The Burgess Boys was okay. My Name Is Lucy Barton well done. HOWEVER, Anything Is Possible is JUST AWFUL!
Most of the stories read like a college Freshman's rough draft for a writing class. The over use of adjectives, the unsuccessful attempt at meaningful metaphor, the voice, the character development, the story arc....It's all lacking. Where were Strout's readers and her editor?
It makes me sad to think that Strout may have actually known all of these people (and, of course, she is Lucy Barton). However, placing the stories in the midwest was a mistake. Strout admits herself that she only spent a little time in Illinois once......and it shows. Her characters don't even speak like midwesterners.
I think Random House and Strout were trying to leverage Strout's most recent successes with Lucy Barton and the Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge so they could make more money. Strike-while-the-iron's-hot strategy. What a shame! In some of her other work, Strout has shown us that she is a competent storyteller, but she's let the industry greed get in the way of her art. If she keeps producing garbage like this, her writing career will soon be over. So sad.

WHAT EXACTLY WAS THE POINT? A LOT OF CHARACTERS GOING NO WHERE. ALWAYS MANAGED TO GET SOME SEX AND MASTURBATION IN. WHO NEEDS TO READ THIS STUFF? GET TO THE POINT. . . .IF THERE IS ONE. DIDN'T FINISH IT.
MOVING ON TO BETTER STORIES WITH DEPTH AND MEANING. SOMETHING YOU LOOK FORWARD TO AT THE END OF
THE DAY.

This is the third book by Strout I've read. To me, it isn't a novel, but a series of vignettes. I thought it would focus more on Lucy Barton years after the first novel with her character, but it brings in way too many characters, skipping all over the place. Ultimately I found it boring and disappointing compared to the other Strout books. I guess others saw something in it I didn't.

Street provides a reunion for those readers who have enjoyed her previous work. I said it was predictable because you know you are going to get rich prose, fully developed characters and nuances that only Strout fashions. Each story is a rich tapestry of small town Americana. A delight to read and re-read.

The book frustrated me at first as I wanted each story to have an ending - happy or otherwise. As I continued to read I realized each story had a beginning. ...I finished it late at night and then stayed up rethinking each story. Highly recommended.

Simply written, using elementary vocabulary - yet, it seemed the simplicity complimented the story. It is tales within tales within tales that are a little too complex and too many - some of which were not unraveled. Yet, with the closing line, perhaps, it all made somewhat of some sense. I think I'm glad I read.

This book took a different point of view for each chapter with a thin string of familiarize between the characters. The changing perspectives and tenuous connections made it difficult to stay invested.

The writing is lovely, but these slightly connected stories are melancholy and sometimes tragic. The characters all have terrible past experiences, but the finale sums up their respective lives with an echo of the title "anything is possible". Lovely ?

the only reason for two stars instead of one (or none) is that I have to admit I was drawn to keep reading the book. Sadly though, the draw was so that I could find out how or why each sad tale was being told. Since I never figured out the answer, I'm sticking with one star. Very disappointed and probably won't bother reading the Lucy book now.

Disjointed, with different stories popping up constantly. One has a wife, watching with her husband, as he spies on females renting a room in their home. Having the husband try to rape the woman on her last night there, the police are involved. Cameras in the bedroom and bathroom to spy on their roomers. Their daughter has previously found videos showing her father having sex with other females in their home. Yet not only is this wife still with her husband but also watching the hidden camera along side him. Who writes about stuff like this and why would anyone want to read this junk?

Lots of characters with depressing bits of their lives spoken about but no plot or story here.

All the characters are united by various threads and I often found it hard to keep them straight. That said, the writing is beautiful. Every book Ms. Stroud writes is full of real life people and the story lines are never predictable. I loved this book.

Strout can write. She cam deve;p[ characters/ But her outlook is so grim that it feels cliched by the end of the book. Does no one have a sense of humor? a different take on life? Is everything about poverty, misunderstanding, p\abusive parenting?
A disappointing read.

Initially I had difficulty reading the book because I didn’t understand the structure of it. I thought it was about several characters within one story and struggled to find a connection. Once I realized it was a number of individual stories with a bit of connection between them it made more sense and I enjoyed the book.

Elizabeth Strout is just a brilliant writer. I've tried to figure out what makes her so good, but I can't because it's so subtle; she's just a wonderful writer. In this book we're reminded that we never forget the scars of childhood; the lucky ones rise above them, but they still define us.
It's a another fabulous book by this writer.

The chaos of life is mirrored through the unsettled characters. Overcoming adversity is one thing; however, the desperate characters in this book evolved into caricatures. The writing is fragmented, & the characters frenetic & underdeveloped.

I was completely disappointed in" Anything is Possible."T he situations in the stories are often totally unrealistic, unbelievable and the characters mean spirited. I have read all of Strout's writing and have loved Amy and Isabel, The Burgess Boys and Olive Kittridge. Everything is Alright was the most confused, disjointed and just not what you might expect from such a talented writer.