Elizabeth Strout’s writing is beautiful, engaging and heartbreaking in it’s simplicity. What seems so simple is a masterfully crafted story of a life shared for years, estranged for many and realized once again. A study of grief - solitary, terrifying rendering the stricken invisible. A study in compulsion only a writer can identify and maybe typify. A study in terror - in the middle of the night - nightmares - how to identify and reason the cause - how to make it all go away - it has never been gone. A study in finding yourself after years of inner isolation, realizing that you are capable of knowing what is inside and finding the surprise of realization and acknowledgment of understanding. A study in personalities with quiet, subtle divergences into inner thoughts with flash points of understanding. “What a strange thing life is.”

I don’t know how Strout does it but the force of her title “Oh William” resonates in your mind as you hear her whisper it, in your heart as you feel the the impact of the words through all the visceral memories described in exquisite prose.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a copy

Oh William, by Elizabeth Strout, is the third book in a series about Lucy Barton. As you might know, I am a bit fanatical about reading a series in order. Unfortunately, I was well into the book before I connected the dots and just soldiered on. While it does work as a stand-alone, I am convinced that I would have appreciated the book and the characters so much more had I followed my own rules. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating character study of a woman just entering the state of “elderliness.” There is not much of a plot. At 63, Lucy is in a transitional period and very reflective about the husband who has just died, and her first husband, William, now a good friend. Imagine joining Lucy for a long lunch and listening to her recount her recent trips with William, memories of both husbands, and talks with her adult daughters. She is brutally honest with herself and still figuring out who she is. I enjoyed meeting Lucy, and I suspect that her voice will stay with me for more than a bit! Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

Everyone raves about Olive Kittredge but the author’s writing style just didn’t wow me here. Ms. Strout uses an almost formal way of speaking.

I very much enjoyed the story, which is a sequel to I Am Lucy Barton (I did not read that and it is not necessary to read it prior to reading this one.) Lucy and her former husband William remained on good terms after their divorce. He turns to her when he receives surprising news after signing up for an online genetic profile, and this is their story.

I didn't really care much for William, an aging professor who seems to have spent his life cheating on and then divorcing various wives. I liked the narrator Lucy and she touches on events from the previous books, which I do want to read more about. Not too much happens in this book, however, and the way in which the narrator speaks ("Oh William!") just didn't interest me. I love family dramas so maybe I am just not smart enough to understand this book.

(Thanks to the publisher for providing an advanced copy via NetGalley in return for an honest review.)

Lucy Barton is back but now as a much mature 63 year old woman. Her and William Gerhardt were married and have two wonderful girls. But Lucy has left William after 20 years of marriage.

I don't want to go into a lot of detail, Strout does a great job of that. I will say that she has an uncanny understanding of people including her characters and her readers. She doesn't over explain things in her book and has a magical way of walking us through it all.

The relationship she has created between Lucy and William is touching and sweet despite them being divorced. They maintain a strong relationship and she is there for him through all his crisis's.

Such a wonderufl book about people. Its a quick read. Much shorter than I would have expected, but still such a huge story.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

This is the first book I've read by this author and was not disappointed. I feel her skill lies in taking the normal occurrences that can happen (divorce, death of a spouse, poverty, emotional abuse, family discoveries) to a person and then weave them into an insightful discussion about how that individual is affected. Strout puts her characters in a positive light, flaws and all. When Lucy Barton (the main character) laments her ex-husand's faults, she does it with great empathy, usually by giving insight into his earlier years and his relationship with his mother. It never sounds as if shes making excuses for him, but truly understands his idiosyncrasies. Lucy also understands how her relationship (or lack thereof) with her own mother affected her and what shortcomings she has had to deal with as a result. "As the twig is bent, so grows the tree". I think that the more damaged a person is, the more sensitive it makes them to others' feelings.
I think it is a rare author who can take a book about characters dealing with failures, depression and sadness, and not have the reader reaching for some antidepressants!

“thought to myself: William is the only person I ever felt safe with. He is the only home I ever had.”
― Elizabeth Strout, Oh William!

Fantastic read of Lucy and her relationship with her former husband, her daughters and herself. Strout writes from the heart and the soul of her characters in their ever-flawed, ever-endearing way. Such appreciation for Lucy's relationship with her recently passed husband David, and how she remembers him - in what she loved and how he made her feel is so heart-felt. She also spares no expense to the ends she'll go for her former husband William. Such a deep love, although no longer romantic, a lasting, connected love.

In Oh William!, readers revisit Lucy Barton, a writer, who fans of Strout may remember from My Name is Lucy Barton. Her husband, David, has recently died and she is still grieving. David is her second husband, the one who truly understood her. She still has an amiable relationship with William, her first husband, and father of her kids. Over the years, they have somehow remained friends and William often confides in Lucy things that he doesn't share with his wife. Lucy has now reached the age where her children have grown up, moved out, and she is getting used to this new quiet life without them and without David. When William finds out a family secret, he turns to Lucy to help him unravel it and they travel to Maine to find out the truth. It involves his mother, Catherine, whom Lucy has always admired. Lucy admits Catherine was a critical part of her relationship to William. Elizabeth Strout's Oh William! is a quiet sort of novel that explores the human condition. It asks these questions: Do we ever really know someone? Do people ever change? Even Lucy says in Oh William!, "We are all mysteries."

I am ashamed to admit that I never read My Name is Lucy Barton, but I have heard so many amazing things about Strout, that I just had to pick up Oh William! I alternated between reading the text and listening to the audio version, which was actually an incredible experience as the audio book is outstanding. Despite the fact that I didn't read the first book in the series, it didn't deter my enjoyment of this excellent novel, although I probably could have appreciated Lucy a bit more than I did if I was more familiar with her.

Lucy is a really interesting character in Oh William! She is a writer who is thoughtful, smart, complex, but also lonely and sad at times. She wants to help William on his quest regarding the family secrets, but I am not sure she should as he is not a very nice guy. He is a philanderer and he hasn't really changed since they were first together, but here she is dropping everything to help him out. Maybe it's because she cared so much for his mother and wants some answers as well? What Lucy finds out makes her have to really think about Catherine and see her in a new light. She wonders if she ever truly knows someone...a question we can all relate to. Also, Strout is a master at character development, because it wasn't like there was much going on in Oh William! The novel is a deep dive into the characters, their relationships, and how that evolves through the years.

Oh William! portrays life after children are grown and how that can feel empty at times, especially if your spouse dies. I found it to be a very thoughtful portrayal, but also deeply sad. Oh William! wasn't by any means a cheery tale that is comforting, but more of an accurate representation of a season of life that many of us will face or are currently facing. While there's still much for Lucy to look forward to, she often finds herself looking backwards and thinking about all the things she wish she knew. Strout writes such a pensive novel and one that will stay with me for quite sometime. I can see why they call her a modern Hemingway as her writing isn't flowery, but it hits you right in the gut. It means something and I found myself thinking about the Strout's deeper messages hidden just below the surface.

So, if you are looking for a smart read this fall or a compelling audio book to get lost in, I recommend Oh William! Are you a fan of Elizabeth Strout? Have you read this book yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

I started out really enjoying this book. The writing style is different, but I liked it. It felt like I was chatting with a friend. However, by the end I'm not even sure what the point of the book was. I didn't realize that it was part of a series, but I did wonder as Lucy mentions a few times in the book that she's already written about this in another book.

I'm quite sure that fans of Elizabeth Strout will adore this book.

I really tried to get into this book and wanted to enjoy it. However, I ended up giving up fairly quickly because of the writing style. I find that in the last couple of years since the pandemic started my attention span has suffered and I need straightforward and short sentences, but this novel had a more complex writing style.

Oh William! is about Lucy Barton, still grieving and healing from the death of her second husband, reaching out and helping her ex-husband William deal with his own crisis. Despite being divorced for many years, they maintain a friendship, with Lucy often calling William for advice and someone to listen, though how much he does of that is unclear. The book reads as if Lucy is delving into and revealing her inner thoughts about her life, talking to the reader as they sit in high back wing chairs in front of a cozy fire. She's going on a journey of discovery, coming to terms with the choices she did and did not make regarding her relationships with her parents, William, and her children. Elizabeth Strout knows how to get to the inner workings of Lucy, having her confront her feelings memories about her past, her marriages, and her relationships with her daughters.

I didn't realize this was the third book in a trilogy but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely have some other books by this author to check out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an eARC of this book.

I have not read My Name is Lucy Barton, but I want to go back and read it. In this book, Lucy Barton is now in her sixties and thinking back on her life. Her first husband was William. They have remained friends even after their divorce. They have a mystery to solve together. Enjoyed Elizabeth Strout’s writing very much. Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance readers copy.

This is a short book, but man does it pack a punch. I devoured this one. So well written and surprising. A great addition this trilogy.

Oh William! is one of those books that enlarges your life. This book was marvelous. A book that did not drown you in useless words and allowed you to enjoy the revealing of truths. The main character of Lucy and her voice throughout the book was wonderful.

The storyline follows Lucy and her divorced husband through various stages of their life. I like how the journey opened them up to various understandings about them as a couple and each of them as a person. I liked Lucy and William overall even when I thought they were being clueless. The obstacles and the joys, the truths and the secrets, made them fallible and so so human.

I loved the book. I loved the story. I loved the truths revealed. Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout is a Fabulous Read.

Oh, William is the 3rd novel in the Lucy Barton.. series.. i have read all three but this could be read as a stand alone. Strout is a beautiful story teller. Her characters are so wonderful.. this story is no different .. They were married, had two daughters and then divorced. There was so much hurt but they learned
how become close friends, best of of friends.. they become each other’s person.. which is sometimes how things go.. There relationship started when they were young and even with all the hurt.. they need each other. Lucy Barton is a writer.. successful and recently widowed, from her second husband.. she loved her second husband so much and felt his loss so deeply. William is the midst of the end of his 3rd marriage.. is falling apart.. he is broken.. in the midst of a crisis.. the two set sail on uncharted waters and this new relationship is so human and honest. The writing is so good.. the story flows so well. I feel like can’t even review it properly.. i really enjoyed this book.. it was a five star read for me.. I hope you enjoy.

Oh William is one of my favorites of 2021! Strout's writing retains its shapely turn of phrase and keen insights into human nature. On display here are the dynamics of the past intersecting with the novel's present reality, all funneled through the point of view of a protagonist, Lucy Barton, that manages to be both insightful about her own context while perceiving her ex-husband's awakening realizations. This is not a story of good guys and bad guys, but what it means to be at different points in a ring around a situation that defined multiple lives, experiencing the context in ways surprising to one another.

Lucy Barton was first introduced in the book, My Name is Lucy Barton. I think a reader could read Oh William and gain plenty from it without having been previously introduced to Lucy, but it does make for a richer experience if you've already spent time with her. This book is recommended reading for all readers of contemporary fiction that successfully straddles the line between popular and literary.

Lucy Barton seems, at face value, to be weak, insecure, and terribly shy. But as she continues to talk to me, I slowly begin to realize she’s none of these things. Lucy is entering her retirement years and is reflecting on her two marriages, and more specifically, her constant and binding friendship with her first husband, William. We don’t like him at all; he repeatedly ran around on Lucy when they were married. We want to consider Lucy weak for allowing this, for being friends with him still, for not acting petty and feigning hate and anger for eternity.
But this is one example where Lucy is strong. She rises above the natural human knee-jerk reaction. She moves on with her life without feeling anger, and she honestly still has compassion for her ex-husband. During the course of the story, they take a trip together to research some family history that William is curious about. The function of the trip isn't the storyline, the thoughts of Lucy along the way are what’s so endearing and captivating.
Lucy touches on her childhood, her two daughters, her mother-in-law, her second husband (who has now passed away). She rambles and repeatedly states that’s all she's going to say about a certain subject, then she goes back to it again after a couple of other thoughts.
Sadly, Lucy is a bit awkward, she has never felt like she fits in. She’s an accomplished writer, an intelligent and independent woman, but she has never shaken off the cloak that was thrown over her as a child: you’re nothing, you’re poor, and you’re smelly.
Reading this was like having Lucy talk to me; I was captivated, my emotions varied depending on the topic, and I was sad to see her go. Ms. Strout’s writing style is descriptive, enveloping, and finely detailed. Although this is the third of a series, it can very easily be appreciated all by itself.
Sincere thanks to Random House Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date was October 19, 2021.

Once again, Elizabeth Strout writes a masterpiece. She sends the reader on a journey that will cover a full range of emotions. I enjoyed the continuing story and character development.

This is the third book in a series about Lucy Barton. In the first book, Lucy is a young woman who suffers an unknown illness while trying to decide if she can leave her husband. In the second, Lucy is divorced from her first husband and happy in a second marriage. She is also a successful author, telling stories about her childhood and people who still live in her hometown, including her sister and brother. Now, in this third installment, Lucy is a new widow, still involved in a platonic way with her first husband, William. William is about a decade older than Lucy and is in his third marriage, married to a much younger woman, with whom he has a third daughter.
The story meanders through several events in William's life that become entwined with Lucy's life as she tries to help him as well as deal with her own grief, after losing her husband.
This is a character driven book, as are most of Strout's books, The narrative about the action (plot) is definitely secondary to the characters, in this case, primarily Lucy and William. The reader hears Lucy's voice as she laments her own actions in the past and William's actions in the past as well as the present. Various other characters meander through this novel, including their adult children, William's mother, Lucy's family members, and a few friends.
Lucy treats her own parents, who were abusive in various ways, with quiet compassion. She offers this same compassion to William who was not a very good husband to any of his wives as he is too self-centered. Yet, he comes across as a lovable mess, thus the title: Oh, William, which Lucy repeats affectionately throughout the book.
Strout's body of work is quietly and ephemerally real; the characters speak to my heart and live both on the page and in my consciousness. This is the highest level of writing I can imagine. Lucy is a real person in my mind and I would love to know her.

Immersive, heart-breaking and yet hopeful. It was such a pleasure to be dropped into William and Lucy's lives again and to experience all of the love and frustration that comes with such a long relationship.

Oh Elizabeth!
And sometimes the quietest books can resonate the loudest. Lucky for us Strout isn’t done mining the world of Lucy Barton, and in this outing further deepens the connective threads between Lucy and her ex husband William. When William gets information regarding a family secret he asks Lucy to accompany him on a fact finding trip up the New England coast. Strout is a master of simplicity creating an intimacy between her characters that feels so familiar without relying on over the top plots or hooks. It’s just a slice of life told with brevity, insight, and honesty by one of the finest writers we have today. Loved it. Thanks to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the advanced copy.