Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre at best
Review: This story was okay. I didn't feel like it really said anything. The murder, UFO, and the math teacher were all stories that lead to nowhere and felt incomplete. This book didn't offer any real escapism because it mirrored too much of everyday life and you came away with nothing to add or subtract for having taken the journey. Easily a forgettable read.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderful prose & poignant characters
Review: BRAVO! to Elizabeth Strout. A touching and enjoyable book. The truth often really is stranger than fiction. Amy & Isabelle celebrates the beauty and nobility of the everyday life of ordinary people.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling characters, well developed plot
Review: I read at least a book a week and this is one of the best I've read. The atmospheric background of the town and the depth of the characters is reminiscent of Alice Hoffman. The psychology of Isabelle's character was very well done. I found myself disliking her and pitying her at the same time. I kept wondering how the author would take us to the end of this complex story...and she did it with beauty and tenderness and insight. A good read. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: strong characters and plot development
Review: I really loved this book and look forward to Strout's next book. The characters were so rich, strong and moving with a good storyline. It actually reminded me of three other favorite books- Anywhere But Here by Mona Simpson, Living Other Lives by Caroline Leavitt and Green by Frances Sherwood.
Rating:
Summary: Resonates with truth about parenting a teenage daughter
Review: This is a beautifully written and utterly believable story about the mother of a teenage daughter who discovers that her child is not entirely the person she thought she was. It is a poignant tale of how Isabelle (the mother)lives and copes with that discovery, and continues to strive to influence and nurture her child while at the same time feeling horrified and disappointed. As the mother of a teenage daughter, I was riveted by the issues this book suggested. At the same time I was awed by the beauty of the author's language and the dead-on truth of her material. I will be looking forward to her next book.
Rating:
Summary: best read of the summer
Review: Ms Strout's first novel captivated me on page one and took me on the best reading ride of the summer. The book's slow start set the scene so well I had no trouble picturing Bev, Amy and Isabelle walking through Shirley Falls. To me the book explored the redemptive power of ordinary kindness.
Rating:
Summary: a good read!!
Review: Well written and absorbing story, especially for mothers of daughters; very well pulled together story in the end.
Rating:
Summary: Make that 3.5 stars...
Review: While I can't say I found "Amy and Isabelle" to be unreservedly enjoyable, I did find it compelling enough to read all 300-plus pages over a two-day period. That's not to say there aren't flaws. Some of the symbolism is a little heavy-handed - e.g., the desiccated landscape that mirrors Isabelle's lengthy sexual dry spell, and the inevitable rainstorm that foreshadows Amy and Isabelle's confrontation and ultimate reconciliation. Certain members of the book's supporting cast are almost overbearingly familiar (for instance, Fat Bev, the stereotypical "earth mother" who is simultaneously fat, jolly, and nurturing and to whom everyone naturally gravitates). And the novel's ending seems a little "patched on," almost as if it were an afterthought. But on the whole, the writing and the story are both quite good. I found Amy to be a particularly compelling character. She is by far the most interesting person in the book and the most emotionally comprehensive. Without her, I wouldn't have finished "Amy and Isabelle," but I think getting to know her makes it worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Simply wonderful
Review: I loved this book. The characters really came to life. A real page turner.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, a little long
Review: Not since reading The Triumph and the Glory have I been so absorbed in a novel. I found Amy and Isabelle impossible to put down, the dialogue was lively and moved the plot along well, the relationships were skillfully developed, and I thought the setting was perfect for the theme and the nature of the storyline. I do think that things could have been moved along with a little more dispatch though, the length of Amy and Isabelle seemed unneccesary, I think the story could have been told just as well in a little less time.
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