Elizabeth Stroutová strana 2 z 3

Městečko Crosby v Maine se může jevit jako zcela bezvýznamné. Pro učitelku na penzi však představuje střed světa. Lidé zde prožívají svá dramata - touhu, zoufalství, žárlivost, naději i lásku. Jak se lidé z městečka potýkají se všemi svými problémy, Olive dospívá k pochopení sebe sama a svého života; někdy bolestně, ale vždy s nelítostnou upřímností. Kniha Olive Kitteridgeová skýtá hluboký vhled do okolností a podmínek lidského života, do jeho tragédií i radostí a ukazuje, jaké trpělivosti je v něm třeba. Elizabeth Stroutová, nejčtenější spisovatelka novin New York Times, spojila třináct pronikavých příběhů do uceleného románu prostřednictvím nezapomenutelné hrdinky Olive Kitteridgeové.

Maradj velem - ez Tyler Caskey kedvenc zsoltárának címe. A fohász, egy Maine állambeli kisváros lelkészének fohásza, mely erőt ad a küzdelemhez, hogy visszaszerezhesse tragikusan elveszített boldogságát, családját. Caskey hite, bizodalma Istenben elfedi előle azokat a változásokat, amelyek a lelke mélyén rágják. Nagyobbik lánya, az éppen iskoláskorú Katherine némaságával ugyanazt az utat járja végig, mint az apja, aki a felesége elvesztése felett érzett gyászát meg nem élve, a vallás szavaiból próbál keretet adni életének. Ez az a fordulópont, amikor az éveken át olyan karizmatikusan szolgált gyülekezetének is szembe kell néznie saját erejével és gyarlóságával - bizalommal, képmutatással, lojalitással és lemondással. A kisvárosi pletyka, Caskey indulata, a gyülekezet kritikája kikezdik a változatlanságot, és rádöbbentik a lelkészt, hogy felismerje, az élet a szeretet örök lehetőségét tartogatja.

Jim és Bob Burgess testvérek. Évtizedek óta New Yorkban élnek, húguk Susan maradt egyedül szülővárosukba, a Maine állambeli Shirley Fallsban. Az elmúlt idők moccantlanságát dúlja szét Susan kamasz fia, Zach, amikor egy véres disznófejet gurít be ramadán idején a kisváros bevándorlók által alapított mecsetébe. Ezzel nemcsak saját sorsát robbantja ki a megszokott kerékvágásból, de anyja és két nagybátyja életét is gyökerestül megváltoztatja. A Burgess fiúk visszatérnek a kisvárosba, egyszerre idézve fel a múltat és tapasztalva meg a jelent, amely egy alapjaiban más világot tár főhőseink elé, összezavarva mindent, amit véglegesnek, amit magukénak hittek. Elizabeth Strout (Kisvárosi életek, Maradj velem, Amy és Isabelle) Pulitzer-díjas író regénye érzékenyen, tűpontosan írja le azokat a gomolygó érzelmeket, gondolatokat, amelyek akkor lepnek meg leginkább, ha a világ kifordul a négy sarkából. Egy régi trauma, bagatell tettek, viccnek tűnő segélykiáltás, ki nem mondott, önmaguknak sem bevallott érzések, emlékek alakítják a figurák életét, összeállva világokat döntenek romba és alkotnak újra sorsfordító változásaikkal.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE - NOW AN HBO MINISERIES At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn't always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive's own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse. As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life-sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition-its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires. Praise for "Olive Kitteridge" "Perceptive, deeply empathetic . . . Olive is the axis around which these thirteen complex, relentlessly human narratives spin themselves into Elizabeth Strout's unforgettable novel in stories." "-O: The Oprah Magazine " "Fiction lovers, remember this name: "Olive Kitteridge." . . . You'll never forget her. . . . [Elizabeth Strout] constructs her stories with rich irony and moments of genuine surprise and intense emotion. . . . Glorious, powerful stuff." "-USA Today" "Funny, wicked and remorseful, Mrs. Kitteridge is a compelling life force, a red-blooded original. When she's not onstage, we look forward to her return. The book is a page-turner because of her." -"San Francisco Chronicle" ""Olive Kitteridge" still lingers in memory like a treasured photograph." "-Seattle Post-Intelligencer" "Rarely does a story collection pack such a gutsy emotional punch." "-Entertainment Weekly" "Strout animates the ordinary with astonishing force. . . . [She] makes us experience not only the terrors of change but also the terrifying hope that change can bring: she plunges us into these churning waters and we come up gasping for air." "-The New Yorker"

THE NEW YORK TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER An exquisite story of mothers and daughters from the Pulitzer prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Her unexpected visit forces Lucy to confront the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of her life: her impoverished childhood in Amgash, Illinois, her escape to New York and her desire to become a writer, her faltering marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable. In My Name Is Lucy Barton, one of America's finest writers shows how a simple hospital visit illuminates the most tender relationship of all-the one between mother and daughter.

"#1 NEW YORK TIMES "BESTSELLER A new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout is cause for celebration. Her bestselling novels, including "Olive Kitteridge "and" The Burgess Boys, "have illuminated our most tender relationships. Now, in "My Name Is Lucy Barton, "this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all the one between mother and daughter. Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable. Praise for "My Name Is Lucy Barton" There is not a scintilla of sentimentality in this exquisite novel. Instead, in its careful words and vibrating silences, "My Name Is Lucy Barton" offers us a rare wealth of emotion, from darkest suffering to I was so happy. Oh, I was happy simple joy. Claire Messud, "The New York Times Book Review" Spectacular . . . Smart and cagey in every way. It is both a book of withholdings and a book of great openness and wisdom. . . . [Strout] is in supreme and magnificent command of this novel at all times. Lily King, "The Washington Post" "" A short novel about love, particularly the complicated love between mothers and daughters, but also simpler, more sudden bonds . . . It evokes these connections in a style so spare, so pure and so profound the book almost seems to be a kind of scripture or sutra, if a very down-to-earth and unpretentious one. Marion Winik, "Newsday" "" Potent with distilled emotion. Without a hint of self-pity, Strout captures the ache of loneliness we all feel sometimes. "Time" An aching, illuminating look at mother-daughter devotion. "People" A quiet, sublimely merciful contemporary novel about love, yearning, and resilience in a family damaged beyond words. "The Boston Globe" Sensitive, deceptively simple . . . It is Lucy s gentle honesty, complex relationship with her husband, and nuanced response to her mother s shortcomings that make this novel so subtly powerful. . . . [It s] more complex than it first appears, and all the more emotionally persuasive for it. "San Francisco Chronicle" Strout maps the complex terrain of human relationships by focusing on that which is often unspoken and only implied. . . . Apowerful addition to Strout s body of work. "The Seattle Times" Impressionistic and haunting . . . [Strout]reminds us of the power of our stories and our ability to transcend our troubled narratives. "Miami Herald" Writing of this quality comes from a commitment to listening, from a perfect attunement to the human condition, from an attention to reality so exact that it goes beyond a skill and becomes a virtue. Hilary Mantel Magnificent. Ann Patchett"

A new book by Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout is cause for celebration. Her bestselling novels, includingOlive Kitteridge and The Burgess Boys, have illuminated our most tender relationships. Now, inMy Name Is Lucy Barton, this extraordinary writer shows how a simple hospital visit becomes a portal to the most tender relationship of all?the one between mother and daughter. Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn?t spoken for many years, comes to see her. Gentle gossip about people from Lucy?s childhood in Amgash, Illinois, seems to reconnect them, but just below the surface lie the tension and longing that have informed every aspect of Lucy?s life: her escape from her troubled family, her desire to become a writer, her marriage, her love for her two daughters. Knitting this powerful narrative together is the brilliant storytelling voice of Lucy herself: keenly observant, deeply human, and truly unforgettable. Praise for Elizabeth Strout ?Strout has a magnificent gift for humanizing characters.??San Francisco Chronicle ?What truly makes Strout exceptional . . . is the perfect balance she achieves between the tides of story and depths of feeling.??Chicago Tribune ?[Strout] constructs her stories with rich irony and moments of genuine surprise and intense emotion.??USA Today ?Strout animates the ordinary with an astonishing force.??The New Yorker ?[Strout?s] themes are how incompletely we know one another, how ?desperately hard every person in the world [is] working to get what they need,? and the redemptive power in little things?a shared memory, a shock of tulips.??Peopleshow

Osamělost byla to první, co poznala. Lucy vyrůstala v chudobě s milující matkou a násilnickým otcem. Mezi dětmi byla terčem posměšků a jejím jediným přítelem byl strom v poli. Získala ale stipendium a věřila, že díky studiu unikne drsnému okolí i své minulosti. Po letech, kdy zdánlivě na svou rodinu zapomněla, se ocitla na delší dobu v nemocnici. Nečekaně se ale objeví matka a Lucy s překvapením zjistí, že některá pouta se nepřetrhnou nikdy.

Dětství sourozenců Burgessových bylo poznamenáno nešťastnou nehodou, při níž přišli o otce. Bratři Jim a Bob, pronásledováni přízrakem tragédie, pocitem viny i duchem rodného maloměsta, odejdou z Maine do New Yorku, jakmile je to možné, a oba si najdou práci v právnické sféře. Jejich vztah rozhodně není ideální a napětí, které mezi nimi panuje, se ještě prohloubí, když jim náhle zavolá jejich sestra Susan, která jediná zůstala v rodném městě. Její osamělý dospívající syn Zach se dostal do problémů a Susan zoufale potřebuje pomoc svých bratrů. A tak se Burgessovi chlapci vrací do krajiny svého dětství, jsou nuceni znovu se postavit své minulosti a vypořádat se s pokřivenými rodinnými vazbami. V knize se snoubí vzácná kombinace brilantního vyprávění, skvělé prózy a znamenitého vhledu do nitra postav. The Washington Post knihu prohlásil za jednu z nejlepších roku 2013!

An unforgettable cast of small-town characters copes with love and loss from the No. 1 New York Times bestselling and Man Booker long-listed author of My Name is Lucy Barton Recalling Olive Kitteridge in its richness, structure, and complexity, Anything Is Possible explores the whole range of human emotion through the intimate dramas of people struggling to understand themselves and others. Anything is Possible tells the story of the inhabitants of rural, dusty Amgash, Illinois, the hometown of Lucy Barton, a successful New York writer who finally returns, after seventeen years of absence, to visit the siblings she left behind. Reverberating with the deep bonds of family, and the hope that comes with reconciliation, Anything Is Possible again underscores Elizabeth Strout's place as one of America's most respected and cherished authors.