Amy & Isabelle

Elizabeth Strout is a new writer for me and gosh am I glad I found her! It is rare, these days, to find true, quality, literary fiction - books in which the strength of the story is as important as the words used to tell it. It is what I aspire to myself. Strout writes with painterly prose, each image and scene beautifully depicted as in oils on canvas. Her characters are forensically rendered, each sigh nuanced and loaded with significance. Their voices are authentic - so human - frail, proud, wounded. This story is not fast-paced although it has its moments of excitement and tension. It is slow, limpid and delicious, rich and satisfying. A joy to read. I particularly enjoyed the scenes which took place in the lunch room of the workplace, where the women’s wax-paper packed lunches and frequent trips to the vending machine, their conversations, rivalries and friendships were all so vivid it was like watching a play enacted, or even a fly-on-the-wall documentary. The frankness of women about bodily functions, gynaecology and family problems was perfectly depicted, along with the pride of women, the things they hold back, their little triumphs over one another. Likewise the troubled relationship between the eponymous characters Isabelle and Amy, mother and daughter, always a relationship fraught with delight and difficulty.

Elizabeth Strout is a credit to American literature. This is the second book I’ve read by her and will certainly read more. Classic English writing without the shallowness of some authors. This is not an ‘edge of the seat’ exciting book-it’s a poignant look at the relationship between a mother and daughter, I would guess in the 1970s early 1980s. Amy, an awkward 16 years old, with an introvert manner and difficult relationship with her mother, Isobel, has a crush on her maths teacher. This leads to trouble. It’s the mundane, everyday happenings that Strout makes interesting and as the storyline progresses the reasons for the difficult relationship are revealed, with a look into Isobel’s past. I would recommend this for its classic writing.

Loved the book. Very engaging and very appealing story, very gripping! Def page turner .

An interesting but depressing account of a repressed mother daughter relationship. My least favourite of Strout's books so far. Isabelle was for the most part an unlikable personality and pity was all I could feel for Amy.

I wouldn't be surprised to find out that Elizabeth Strout is a painter, as well as an amazing writer, or that at least she's very fond of painting. Every moment of this wonderful debut novel is marked by lights and colours, as if they were an indissoluble part of all the characters' lives. This gives such a gentle touch to Strout's narrative that you should really read the book to have a grasp of it. On top of that, the writer is really good at analyzing and describing human behaviours and feelings, in a way that you can't really help feeling sympathetic with the protagonists and very involved in the turnabouts of their lives. At the end of the day that's all you need to turn an apparently simple story - a mother and daughter's story, set in a small town of the American province - into a gripping and unforgettable tale. Highly recommended!

This has many of the strengths of her more praised book and so remains a really good read. The characterisation is convincing, and drawn sympathetically. It was possible to become engaged with their situations and dilemmas. The resolutions were believable and satisfying. Much to enjoy too in the descriptive detail of setting and context.

I’ve read all of her other stories, she is such a good writer

Isabelle is a single mother in the small town of Shirley Falls, working in the office of a mill, her dreams of being a teacher dashed when her mother dies and left her alone with Amy. Both she and her teenage daughter are oddities in their own way, and lacking in confidence. This is the story of how their relationship evolves, Amy’s sexual awakening and Isabelle’s soul searching. This journey is set against the backdrop of a myriad of characters who populate Shirley Falls, affecting the lives and thoughts of Amy and Isabelle. Each of these has a small but vital part to play in their story, cogs in the gears of small-town life. This was a group read that I missed last year due to an accident, so I decided to give it a try as I’d already bought it. I was pleased I did.