I have read such glowing reviews for the previous books that I couldn’t wait to curl up and read. I had not read the first two books, and did not have a hard time catching up or following. I will say, I wonder if my opinion of this book would be better if I had read the other two. My first warning should have been ‘Pulitzer Prize Winner’ … I just can’t find the same love.

This book was too slow moving for me, I found myself skimming and then rereading. I found I couldn’t relate to the characters and for me, not very likable. Found the relationships odd and unfulfilling. Although this book wasn’t for me, I can see where fans of character driven books would love it.

Thanks to Ms. Strout, Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

When I requested Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout on Netgalley, I did not realize that it was book number three in a series. Many of you told me that it didn’t matter, and I could definitely read it as a stand-alone. Of course I believed you all, but I still feared that I would be missing out on some valuable information. FOMO is for real, my friends. So naturally, I picked up the first two books in the series at my local library, and read them all in order. And oh boy, I am SO glad I did. I received so much insight into the main character’s past from book number one, and it helped fill in some blanks while reading book number three. The knowledge of Lucy’s backstory was very much appreciated.

My least favorite book in the series would have to be book two, Anything Is Possible. I’m sorry, but this book was just a hot mess in my opinion. It was totally random, and felt like complete rambling gibberish at times. The reader receives only small bits and pieces of Lucy’s life, and the rest is focused on other characters that I really did not care about. I felt bored, confused, and was scratching my head after reading it.

In book number three, Oh William! the reader learns a lot about Lucy’s first husband, the father of her two daughters, William. This book was a great mix of both characters. We learn so much about William’s past, his actions, and begin to understand some of his choices, and behavior throughout the couple’s marriage. I’m not entirely sure if it’s just Strout’s writing style, or the clever way she crafted Lucy, but all I know is that I adore Lucy Barton to bits and pieces. She’s a little erratic, quirky, and wonderfully flawed. I love the way her mind works. She seems scattered and a little anxious at times, but SO genuine and lovable. I don’t think I’ll ever forget Lucy. She has a special place in my heart, and is a truly memorable character. So, in my opinion, I’d definitely read this series in order. To be honest, you could probably skip book number two, but it’s a quick read, so maybe just sneak it in anyways.

“Oh William” is a beautifully written story about Lucy Barton. A woman who speaks candidly directly to us (the readers) about her life, loves, divorce, loss, and everything. I highly recommend this novel, it grabbed my interest from page one, I wanted to know more.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

I read several books in this genre... I certainly understand that this book is not a thriller... and I should not be expecting twists and turns on every page...

I did however expect the story to be engaging, interesting, and intriguing... which it was not, for me, at least.

I was unable to finish the book... i read about 21%... and the actual story (given in the book description) hadn't started yet. It had many characters (I had a difficult time remembering who was who...) and none of them were interesting to me.

I'm sorry, but this book did not do it for me....

I do thank NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read an advance copy!

#OhWilliam #NetGalley

I have mixed reactions to this book. I liked some of Strout’s writing but I sometimes felt the topics she covered were too mundane. Her character development was great but the jumping around to different timeframes sometimes confused me. II had previously read the first Lucy Barton book and though I liked it, I didn’t love it. Perhaps if I had read the two volumes in a shorter time frame, I would have enjoyed it more. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed catching up with the characters again from Lucy Barton. Strout creates an entire world of small moments which pull you into the story.

My Review:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 stars

I have not read other books by Elizabeth Strout, but have wanted to for years. This book is about Lucy Barton and her years-long relationship with William, her ex husband. It goes back and forth in the timeline from before they met, during their marriage, and their friendship now after their daughters are grown. In the present time, they discover a family secret and both are now headed to Maine to revisit someone from the past. There isn’t much that happens, but Strout’s style of writing is incredibly captivating. It reads like Lucy is personally telling her story over coffee to you - and you empathize with her awkwardness and self doubt. You want to to dislike William, but it is clear why Lucy finds so much comfort in his persona, and how she eventually overcomes this need. I really enjoyed this one and want to to check the previous books from Strout.

Thank you to Randomhouse and Netgalley for the e-copy in exchange for my honest review!

I absolutely loved this sequel to "My Name Is Lucy Barton." Because it had been so long since I'd read that one, I made sure to revisit it before I began "Oh, William!" But I don't think I needed to.

Strout's characters are just so rich and unforgettable, and it felt like getting together with old friends and finding out what they have been up to. I was instantly transported back into the world of Lucy and her eccentric, complicated family, and delighted to take another marvelous journey with them.

So many sequels don't need to exist. This one makes me want even more.

Oh William! Oh my! I loved this quirky novel by Elizabeth Strout. With humour, wit and understanding of human behaviour, this story of Lucy Barton and her first husband, William Gerhardt, portrays a sensitive relationship, years after their divorce. But Lucy finds there are still things to discover about each other, and how their choices have affected their lives.

I really disliked this book. Perhaps I am not sophisticated enough for literary fiction! I will not be posting a review elsewhere.

Lucy Barton is back, reflecting on her life, specifically her relationship with her first husband, William. I think I have oddly enough read all of the books in this series except for the first one, and this one easily stood alone but I also do plan on reading the first at some point as I have thoroughly enjoyed all of these books. Strout’s writing is strong but yet easy going, and I settled right back into the groove of these characters especially Lucy. I love her and her interactions with William, they are truly a pair that know each other very well, despite having been divorced and remarried.

William asks Lucy to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret, and their journey together was wonderful. Was it perfect? Nope, not at all. But it was a journey of growth and learning and acceptance and I could not have loved it more.

I also listened to this one via audiobook and it was great that way, the narration by Kimberly Farr was very well done. This is a character driven story, so for those that love plot driven stories, it may not be for you. I however could not get enough and was sad when this was over.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the free digital copy to review.

I read this book with some trepidation because I read "Olive Kitteridge" years ago and did not enjoy it. However, I did enjoy "Oh William!" perhaps because it dealt with issues to which I can relate. I think that the author did an excellent job describing two individuals who later in life have to confront new family issues. I empathized with Lucy although I might not have been so kind to an ex-spouse! This tale was well written and worth my time.

Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite authors. I loved Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again so much. I also enjoyed My Name is Lucy Barton but don’t find her as interesting a character as Olive. That may explain why this book was not a big hit for me. I’d have preferred to hear about William from Olive’s perspective! We get an in-depth look at William, Lucy Barton’s ex husband/current friend/father of her children. William is self absorbed with poor insight for a man of his age. The book reads as though you’re in conversation with Lucy, or overhearing her talking about him. I found Lucy to be weepy and wimpy and her recollections to be meandering and trivial. I would still recommend every Elizabeth Strout book, she has a unique ability to bring characters to life. Thank you NetGalley for this copy.

Good story, but unlike some people I’m not blown away by this author. It was a solid four stars but I haven’t read My Name is Lucy Barton, so I found all the “I told you about this in a previous book” stuff to be irritating. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC. #ohwilliam

I've enjoyed Elizabeth Strout's books quite a bit in the past, and I thought this one was solid as well. Oh William is the third book of her Amgash series. It features Lucy Barton again who is the main narrator in this series.

In Oh William! the story is focused on Lucy Barton helping her ex-husband (who she is still friends with) to investigate a family secret he has just uncovered. In the process, she learns more about her self as well. It's a story about mysteries of friendship, marriage, loneliness, and betrayal.

Like all of Strout's novels, she is able to capture a lot of nuances of human nature and offer insight into the people and how they think. I enjoyed this book a lot, though I still like her Olive Kitteridge books better.

Oh, wow.

I’m not even sure where to begin with this one. I read the first two books in the Amgash series and dove straight into this one.
In the vein of the prior two books, the narrative voice in Oh, William feels both disjointed and ruminative in the best possible way.

This book is the chatty passenger seated beside you on a train. Someone whom you don’t immediately understand but whose stark loneliness and unabashed need to be recognized override their idiosyncrasies, so you sit and listen until you are hopelessly invested in all of the dusty corners of their life story.

Initially, I wasn’t sure how I felt about any of the characters in this book, but they certainly grew on me. This series is one that will stay with me for quite awhile. I feel like I may be unraveling Lucy’s story in my mind for some time.

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the #arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oh William by Elizabeth Strout

The author explores the mysteries of marriage, secrets and divorces.

I was not overly joyed with this book. It was not exciting. It was more like a book of self-help for troubled marriages.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

This is the third book in a series. I have not read the first two books and found the book could easily be a standalone book. Lucy Barton does a very detailed job at making the reader feel like she is and always has been a trusted friend of the family. That being said, I did not care for this book. I found it to be very dull and so very normal. Perhaps this is the beauty of Elizabeth Strout's writing, that there is always actions and thoughts in her characters that readers can easily relate to. But I don't want a normal story book I can relate to. I want an escape. I felt like this book was the ramblings of an old woman who couldn't stick to a story. And that made it hard for me at times to remember who all the characters were. Had she stuck to the story, it would have been a very short story, and nothing interesting at that. Lucy constantly says 'Oh William' and this reminds me of the way Ranger says 'babe' in Janet Evanovich's books. It is a phrase that means so many things, but most of the time when Lucy would say 'Oh William' I had no idea what her point was.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of this book.

This is a charming book that hit more than one nerve of recognition. I love Lucy and now want to go back to re-read My Name is Lucy Barton. Spare and engaging!

I found the writing style used in this book different than what I was use to, but it worked. The main character, Lucy, follows a stream of consciousness path discussing herself and ex-husband and their lives as they connect and disconnect. But it is so much more! The insight on how our responses to family members shape not only their feelings but their lives was surprising. You get to see Lucy’s inner thoughts but also how others see her and it is done in a way to make us think of how we affect others. In a way this journey doesn’t go far but there is so much to learn from it and it is well worth the read!