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ashleyjean6's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Beautifully written; this collection of story stories links the people of small, rural Amgash IL through the years. The stories are not all good or bad but very real and raw. Messy, like life tends to be. The book flew by because each story stands alone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Grief, and Classism
kristapeters's review against another edition
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
asienerbrown's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
deedireads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
Elizabeth Strout has done it again. Anything Is Possible is a beautiful and tender of a portrait of a community told through the eyes of its people, one story at a time.
For you if: You like linked short stories and rich characters.
FULL REVIEW:
I haven’t read all of her backlist yet, but I still feel like I can say that Elizabeth Strout is at her best writing books just like this: short stories about different people in the same town. It’s what made Olive Kitteridge the success it was, and it’s what makes this one sparkle with life and squeeze your heart in the absolute best way.
Anything Is Possible s a sort of sequel to My Name is Lucy Barton. It introduces us to many of the people in Lucy’s remote hometown of Amgash, Illinois, through nine linked short stories. Lucy is mentioned throughout, as she’s just published a memoir, and she makes an appearance in one of them, told through her brother’s perspective. She’s a link between these characters, but she’s not the star of the show: they are, and to a possibly even greater extent, Amgash itself is.
I have no idea how Elizabeth Strout manages to write characters that could just walk off the page, fully formed. But it might be even more impressive how she’s able to use them to paint a much larger picture of a place and its community. Each of these characters’ stories broke my heart — their lives have not been easy, and it made some of them more tender and some of them harder. There is pain, humor, and love in these pages that really sticks with you.
I’m excited to go back to Amgash with Oh, William! next month!
TL;DR REVIEW:
Elizabeth Strout has done it again. Anything Is Possible is a beautiful and tender of a portrait of a community told through the eyes of its people, one story at a time.
For you if: You like linked short stories and rich characters.
FULL REVIEW:
I haven’t read all of her backlist yet, but I still feel like I can say that Elizabeth Strout is at her best writing books just like this: short stories about different people in the same town. It’s what made Olive Kitteridge the success it was, and it’s what makes this one sparkle with life and squeeze your heart in the absolute best way.
Anything Is Possible s a sort of sequel to My Name is Lucy Barton. It introduces us to many of the people in Lucy’s remote hometown of Amgash, Illinois, through nine linked short stories. Lucy is mentioned throughout, as she’s just published a memoir, and she makes an appearance in one of them, told through her brother’s perspective. She’s a link between these characters, but she’s not the star of the show: they are, and to a possibly even greater extent, Amgash itself is.
I have no idea how Elizabeth Strout manages to write characters that could just walk off the page, fully formed. But it might be even more impressive how she’s able to use them to paint a much larger picture of a place and its community. Each of these characters’ stories broke my heart — their lives have not been easy, and it made some of them more tender and some of them harder. There is pain, humor, and love in these pages that really sticks with you.
I’m excited to go back to Amgash with Oh, William! next month!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
katelbr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This reads like a collection of notes the author had from writing My Name is Lucy Barton. It’s good, and some of the characters I was really invested in. I love the style of examining a world from multiple characters all related in some way (like Olive Kitteridge). However these characters were mostly disconnected. I liked most independently but I did want more Lucy. What would have made this better is if everyone was more tangled with Lucy’s story, rather than just the gossip her mother wanted to share.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia