Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout – 4 Stars (Rounded up)

[Hannah]

This is my third Elizabeth Strout novel this month, and it is the one I like the most. It tells the story of the complicated relationship between Isabelle and her daughter Amy during an incredibly hot summer in New England, with both mother and daughter hiding secrets from the other. The book is written in two sections, one focussing on Isabelle and the other on Amy, and this allows both characters to be fully fleshed-out, and you can see their points of view. The book started off quite slowly, and doesn’t really pick up the pace until half-way through, and this was probably because it was more of a character-study than a plot driven novel.

[Amy]

I loved Amy and Isabelle!

[Joy D]

I need to check this one out. I have fairly recently read My Name Is Lucy Barton, which I was lukewarm on, and Olive Kitteridge, which I enjoyed.