Edith Bynum
asked:
Is it necessary to read the prior Lucy Barton books prior to this one, or can this be read as a stand-alone without any knowledge of the characters?
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Lucy by the Sea,
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Lisa
I think it's fine to read this book as a stand-alone. I've read the others, but it was so long ago I don't remember all the details, and I still enjoyed this book. Just about anything you need to know about Lucy and her family you can read about here, and while it would be interesting to make the connections from the other books, it's not strictly necessary.
Mary Novaria
Can absolutely read stand-alone, but the early books may give a bit extra insight into character quirks.
Asa Martin
Lucy by the Sea very much works as a standalone book. It was the first Elizabeth Strout book I read and I didn't feel I was missing anything. I think because the pandemic serves as such a strong theme to the book it works by itself. I read Oh William! next and found that order quite interesting, actually. You could think of Oh William! as a prequel, which it is! Both novels are incredible, and I might actually just keep going in reverse chronological order to read more about Lucy and William.
Denise
You could read it on it's own, but I would recommend reading the others first, especially to get more about Lucy's history.
Beth
I read it as a standalone becasue I didn't know it was in a series and I loved it!
Fran
I recommend reading Oh William first. Reading the first two books would enhance the reading experience, but aren’t necessary.
Gail
I was thinking about that as I read this last book. I’ve read all the previous books, and listened to several on CD which particularly imprinted, and I would recommend starting with the first and reading in order, only because it creates so much depth to each of the characters as they are revisited in progressive books. The layers that each book adds, makes each one more nuanced and intricate.
Laurel
Not necessary to have read previous books. I love the way she weaves in characters from previous books, but you don't need to know who they are at all to enjoy this book.
Tania
I would read in order Not absolutely necessary but definitely enhances the experience
Debbie Blane
I didn't even know until just now that there were other Lucy Barton books so I read it as a stand-alone just fine. If I read more of her books I might change my mind.....
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