Anything Is Possible: A Novel
Apr 2017 · Sold by Random House
3.9star
13 reviews
Ebook
304
Pages
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About this ebook
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An unforgettable cast of small-town characters copes with love and loss in this “compulsively readable” (San Francisco Chronicle) novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton
“This book, this writer, are magnificent.”—Ann Patchett
WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, People, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, The Seattle Times, Esquire, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly
In Anything Is Possible, Elizabeth Strout explores the whole range of human emotion through the intimate dramas of people struggling to understand themselves and others. Here are two sisters: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. A grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country. And Lucy Barton returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.
Reverberating with the deep bonds of family, and the hope that comes with reconciliation, Anything Is Possible “confirms Strout as one of our most grace-filled, and graceful, writers” (The Boston Globe).
“This book, this writer, are magnificent.”—Ann Patchett
WINNER OF THE STORY PRIZE • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, People, NPR, Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, The Seattle Times, Esquire, The Guardian, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly
In Anything Is Possible, Elizabeth Strout explores the whole range of human emotion through the intimate dramas of people struggling to understand themselves and others. Here are two sisters: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. A grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country. And Lucy Barton returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.
Reverberating with the deep bonds of family, and the hope that comes with reconciliation, Anything Is Possible “confirms Strout as one of our most grace-filled, and graceful, writers” (The Boston Globe).
Ratings and reviews
3.9
13 reviews
Toby A. Smith
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February 15, 2022
With this book, I complete my visit to Amgash, Illinois, the small midwestern town that serves as the setting for the three-novel series by Elizabeth Strout: (1) MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON (2) ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE (3) OH, WILLIAM I did NOT read the books in 1-2-3 order, but I don't think it really mattered. #1 is Lucy Barton's back story, focused on her disadvantaged childhood, escape from Amgash, marriage, and relationship with her mother. #3 centers on Lucy's relationship with her husband, William and the family secret he uncovers. #2 is different. It's not so much about Lucy, though she does make a few appearances. Instead, like Strout's Pulitzer Prize winning book OLIVE KITTERIDGE, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE is a collection of short stories, about individuals who are connected (some closely, some distantly) to Lucy. Peers who tormented her as a child -- now grown up. Siblings Lucy left behind in Amgash. A few distant relatives and acquaintances. Like all of Strout's writing, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE skillfully and lovingly examines people's deepest vulnerabilities. What's behind the hostility Lucy's sister displays? What is the ex-soldier with PTSD really thinking? Why did the school janitor let Lucy stay late everyday after school? Is there more contentment among those who achieved financial success? Ultimately, Strout reveals how infrequently any of us show our true selves to one another. Underlying all these stories is Strout's exploration of the notion of loneliness. Whether single or married, old or young, living alone or with others, prospering or not -- everyone experiences aloneness. And in many different manifestations. The portraits of these people are thoughtful, nuanced, and emotional. And they teach so much about the human condition. If that sounds interesting to you, you won't want to miss this book.
Audrey Hogan
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July 2, 2017
This Lucy Barton series, specifically Anything Is Possible is so distasteful, the subject matter and the characters.....the storyline is confusing and very disjointed.....ugh......I read for pleasure....this book made me ill. I put it down and then tried to finish, hoping something redeeming might happen.....to no avail.....I am moving on.....
3 people found this review helpful
Donna Cagle
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June 18, 2017
.interesting that the review is demanded before reading the book. Therefore a 1 is given
3 people found this review helpful
About the author
Elizabeth Strout is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Olive Kitteridge, winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Olive, Again, an Oprah’s Book Club pick; Anything Is Possible, winner of the Story Prize; My Name is Lucy Barton, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize; The Burgess Boys, named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post and NPR; Abide with Me, a national bestseller; and Amy and Isabelle, winner of the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize. She has also been a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the International Dublin Literary Award, and the Orange Prize. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines, including The New Yorker and O: The Oprah Magazine. Elizabeth Strout lives in New York City.
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