Comments on: It’s Not You It’s Me: Mini-Reviews

By: Andi (@estellasrevenge)

Andi (@estellasrevenge) — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 02:28:02 +0000

Olive Kitteridge has been lingering on my ereader (in an account I don’t use too often) for a long, long time. I’ve heard some good things about Lucy Barton but I’ll try Olive first. 🙂

By: Gayle

Gayle — Sat, 23 Jan 2016 02:17:54 +0000

You always review the books that have recently intrigued me. Thank you!

By: Tara @ Running 'N' Reading

Tara @ Running 'N' Reading — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 19:05:18 +0000

Well, I’m glad I decided to skip And Again, Catherine! I really loved Olive Kitteridge but, for some reason, Strout’s latest didn’t “speak” to me and I didn’t add it to my list. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on these two; hope you have a great weekend!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:30:40 +0000

In reply to Sarah's Book Shelves. You're so right about the generational aspect of 'sharing'. It probably bothered me because it so familiar.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 17:28:47 +0000

In reply to Kristin. That's exactly it! I usually keep trying but this year has been so choppy that I've gotten more harsh about quitting books that aren't cutting it. These two were good enough to read, they just didn't wow me.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 16:23:20 +0000

Seems like I’ve been reading several “It’s not you, it’s me” books recently. Two in a row just now! And I”m not the type to quit reading, because I always hope it is going to improve. Urgh!

By: Lauren

Lauren — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 15:48:39 +0000

These are both on my radar, the second more than the first, so I welcome your input. I will still read Lucy Barton, not sure about And Again. Thanks for the insight, Catherine!

By: Kate @ booksaremyfavouriteandbest

Kate @ booksaremyfavouriteandbest — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:52:53 +0000

Don’t judge Olive by Lucy! They’re very different books (Olive more complex) – hope you will still make time for Olive (that said, I loved Lucy but I’m a confirmed Strout fan…)

By: Sarah's Book Shelves

Sarah's Book Shelves — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 12:47:10 +0000

Thanks for linking to my review! And – I’m glad to hear your perspective….for some reason all the hinting without revealing and the stream of consciousness didn’t really bother me. I like your point about Lucy’s desire to connect with her mother despite her past (and, what I really noticed was her mother’s total reluctance to engage on a truly deeper level). For me, I read that as a child still (even at Lucy’s age) seeking a parent’s approval and/or forgiveness for her life decisions…or at least wanting to explain/discuss them. And then, Lucy’s mother, coming from the generation of “we don’t discuss uncomfortable things” (I have seen this SO often in my life) just shuts her down and goes back to safer (i.e. more surface level) territory.

By: crimeworm

crimeworm — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 10:41:26 +0000

I was looking at My Name Is Lucy Barton – I’ve seen it around quite a bit – but your description makes me think it’s not really for me – although I’ll check out Sarah’s review too! That’s one of the reasons I’ve such a large collection of books (although even with this excuse, it’s still excessive) – I never know what sort of book I’ll be in the mood for. So I like A LOT of choice!