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Anything Is Possible (book)

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Anything Is Possible
First edition
AuthorElizabeth Strout
LanguageEnglish
Set inAmgash, Illinois
Published2017
PublisherRandom House
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, e-book, audiobook
AwardsThe Story Prize
Preceded byMy Name Is Lucy Barton 
Followed byOh William! 

Anything Is Possible is a 2017 novel of related short stories by the American author Elizabeth Strout.[1][2] The novel returns to the fictional rural town of Amgash, Illinois, which is the protagonist's hometown in Strout's 2016 novel My Name Is Lucy Barton.[3] Former U.S. President Barack Obama included Anything Is Possible on a list of the best books he read in 2017.[4] Anything is Possible won The Story Prize, a book award for short story collections.[5]

Contents

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Story Originally published in
"The Sign" Original
"Windmills" Original
"Cracked" Original
"The Hit-Thumb Theory" Original
"Mississippi Mary" Original
"Sister" Original
"Dottie's Bed & Breakfast" Original
"Snow-Blind" Virginia Quarterly Review
"Gift" Original

Reception

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Anything Is Possible received positive reviews from critics,[6] who praised Strout as a master of the novel-in-stories form, with each short story filling in a piece of her “gracefully constructed narrative puzzle.”[2] According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on twenty-eight critic reviews: twenty-five "rave" reviews and three "positive" reviews.[7] On Bookmarks July/August 2017 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews.[8][9]

Writing for The New York Times, Jennifer Senior said, “Strout was born to be an omniscient narrator, born to flit and swoop from one crooked perch to the next.”[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Senior, Jennifer (26 April 2017). "Elizabeth Strout's Lovely New Novel Is a Requiem for Small-Town Pain". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b McAlpin, Heller (April 25, 2017). "'Anything Is Possible' Is Unafraid To Be Gentle". NPR. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. ^ Jordison, Sam (25 September 2017). "Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout review – a moving return to the midwest". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. ^ Liptak, Kevin; Zaru, Deena (December 31, 2017). "Obama lists his favorite books, songs of 2017". CNN. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  5. ^ John McMurtrie (February 28, 2018). "Elizabeth Strout wins Story Prize for 'Anything Is Possible". San Francisco Chronicle.
  6. ^ "Anything is Possible". Book Marks. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
  7. ^ "Anything Is Possible". Book Marks. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  8. ^ "Anything Is Possible". Bookmarks. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Anything Is Possible". Bibliosurf (in French). 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-04.