Oh, Book Review Time! (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

Lucy is going through a transitional time in her life--Her husband, David, has just died, and Lucy is thinking through her life. At the same time, her first husband, William, is going through a difficult patch in his life as well. These two team up and go on an adventure together.

Oh William! is a bit of a mixed review, thus, the three-star rating.

The positives: Oh William! had some really interesting and complex relationships (which were not all clichés). This book also didn't have a tremendous amount of characters. The main characters, Lucy and William, really carried the book. Oh William! is the third book in a series; however, while I had not previously read the other books, this book was pretty easy to pick up.

What could use improvement: The prose was poorly developed, and the book was short, but it felt long, largely as a result of the author having paragraphs which were too long, and the entire book is exactly two chapters (not an exaggeration). There were too many sentences with "I". Although the storyline/plot was enjoyable, the book was missing quotable quotes. Finally, this book wasn't light at all. It definitely gave off "The Ride Share" vibes (a couple embarking on a hilarious road trip together), but this book lacked the funny.

Overall, a short read that packs a punch but better editing would have made that punch much stronger.

*Thanks, NetGalley, for a copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.

I think I already admitted that I wasn’t as impressed as everyone else with Strout’s “Olive Kitteridge” but I really enjoyed the two books she wrote with Lucy Barton (“My Name is Lucy Barton” and “Anything is Possible”) as her main protagonist. Obviously, when I heard that she was publishing a third book with Lucy, I had to get ahold of it – either as an ARC or in print. Well, surprisingly enough, after being denied the ARC on both NetGalley and Edelweiss, the publisher approached me directly and offered me the ARC (not because I reviewed the other books, but rather because I enjoyed a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. Go figure)! Thankfully, this jut fit into my reading list and although was itching to start reading it right away, I had to wait and read others first. That’s why I only got to it review it now, on publication day! So, with that out of the way, let the festivities begin.

To begin with, I must say that this novel will not disappoint those who read and loved the previous two Lucy Barton books. In fact, I think that most readers will find it even more compelling than those two, because of how it feels so very personal and intimate. You see, this book feels like Lucy is talking directly to her readers, as if she’s written a type of memoir or journal, and allowed us access. In fact, some of the prose here is practically conversational. For example, there are things she repeats several times throughout the story, as if she doesn’t remember if she’s told you about them before. Surprisingly, this isn’t at all annoying. Another example is how sometimes, when Lucy is telling us about something that might have some significance to her life, she’ll stop in her analysis of the event and just say “I don’t know.”

Obviously, this usually means that Lucy is not the most reliable of narrators, and yet, her honesty about certain things often contradicts this. For example, when one of her daughters accuses her of being self-absorbed and not thinking of others, this leads Lucy to review some of her actions in order to see what she’s done and said that proves her daughter right. Furthermore, there are times when Lucy thinks carefully about what she says or does in a difficult situation, before she acts or speaks. These thought processes make us believe that maybe Lucy’s daughter isn’t totally correct in her assessment of her mother, but rather that this daughter doesn’t see how much Lucy does think of the people around her, particularly those closest to her. I would also like to point out that Lucy’s widowhood, and how she describes her love for her husband, takes on yet another perspective as we see how Lucy reacts and acts with William, whom she left and divorced because of his infidelity.

All of this is just to say that if you thought you knew Lucy from the previous two books, you’ve got another thing coming (and that's a good thing). I should also note that even though you could read this as a stand-alone, I would reading the previous two, since I think they’ll be missing quite a lot. I say this particularly regarding Lucy’s relationship with her mother, brother, and sister, which enter this story as minor elements, but are the focus to the other two books. All that said, and while some things made me chuckle at the humanity of all of these characters, I’m afraid that Strout didn’t make me cry. Because of this (and I don’t want to expand on that because I think it should have done, but because… spoilers), I’m going to very warmly recommend this book but I think it gets a 4.75 star rating, rounded up to five for all other intents and purposes.

This was a wonderful walk down memory lane with Lucy Barton she is now 63 and tells us her story about William her first husband.
I loved every story in this series!



My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another homerun by Elizabeth Strout. A master storyteller, Ms. Strout returns to her heroine, Lucy Barton, for a third time. Still friends with her ex-husband William with whom she has two daughters. Lucy helps William discover some unknown things about his mother. She agrees to accompany him on a journey to uncover the secrets his mother kept. The story unfolds in Strout's moving prose, and expertly drawn characters. She returns to her themes of the mystery of human nature and the inability to truly know a person, even those closest to us. I highly recommend this to fans of women's fiction and literary fiction.

I’m finding it a little difficult in reviewing this book. I did enjoy it and read it in two days. I thought it was a bit sad, really. The writing style was different but well done. I felt like Lucy was right there chatting with me about her family, her loves, her regrets, her losses. The friendship she continued to have with her ex-husband amazed me. I found Lucy Barton to be a very caring and forgiving person. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while.

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

“I’ve always thought that if there was a big corkboard and on that board was a pin for every person who ever lived, there would be no pin for me. I feel invisible, is what I mean.” Lucy Barton

With summer thrillers in the rear view mirror, settle into this slow burning family story, an extension of “My Name is Lucy Barton”. In “Oh, William!” Lucy’s ex-husband gets his own chance to shine, warts and all, through the eyes of Lucy herself. This could be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading both. The two embark on a journey to Maine to discover more about family history, secrets and motivations. Not only are they connected by their two adult daughters, but also by their thirst for understanding; how life brings them together and keeps them apart. At the heart of this story is a longing for home, in whatever form that may take. Many of the characters have been deceived in one way or another, but the quest for the truth is risky and complicated. Passages relating to poverty and the often-distorted perception of it, are as eloquent as they are heartbreaking.
My library here in Northern Maine is across from Main and Pleasant Streets and Ms. Strout’s account of the small town rural landscape rings true in every detail. As in her previous books, she allows the reader space to digest the raw humanity of each character and reflect upon it in a personal way. Readers who enjoy Fredrik Backman novels will especially appreciate this one!
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh William! is my first book from Elizabeth Strout.

Lucy Barton remembers her relationship with ex-husband William as she deals with the loss of her husband, David, and he deals with his current wife leaving him with their daughter. William discovers secrets his mother kept and struggles to deal with the harsh reality of who his mother really was

Through it all Lucy will remember things that happened to her and things during her marriage to William - even as she watches him flounder. There are many references to events from a previous book - I Am Lucy Barton - that would have been helpful to read first but is not absolutely necessary.

If you come from limited means (grew up poor) you will recognize many of Lucy's fears. How do I navigate this world I know nothing about? How can I make a better life for myself? How do I improve my self-worth? Lucy struggles with all of these and there are some interesting observations from Strout.

Sometimes there is a stream-of-consciousness feel to it. Strout likes a long sentence with multiple ideas and punctuation. One sentence I highlighlighted had 109 words and nine commas. So there are times the reader has to slow down to follow the thoughts.

This is an enjoyable, relatable read from Strout.

I have been reading ELIZABETH STROUT ALL WEEKEND!

Actually, I have been reading her since yesterday.

I just finished MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON on Sunday, and OH WILLIAM today!

Wow, it’s been a treat!

And I’m not sure if I love Elizabeth Strouts' writing or Lucy Barton as a character. It doesn’t really matter.

At this point, I’ll read anything she writes.

If you call it reading, I call it basking.

It might be the descriptions of disparity and of being poor. It might be the quick lines, short chapters, and aha moments at every passage. I’m not sure.

I’m still basking.

OH WILLIAM comes out tomorrow, and I can’t imagine if you’ve read (basked in) Elizabeth Strouts writing before-then I don’t need to convince you to pick this one up.


Ahhhhhhh
😌😌😌😌

Please don’t bother me while I’m in my afterglow!

See you next week!

Thank you to @prhaudio for this wonderful audiobook so that I could continue to listen to the wonderful Kimberly Farr narrate.

And thank you to @netgalley and Random House Publishing for putting this book on my radar!

“But when I think Oh William!, don’t I mean Oh Lucy! too? Don’t I mean Oh Everyone, Oh dear Everybody in this whole wide world, we do not know anybody, not even ourselves! Except a little tiny, tiny bit we do.”

OH WILLIAM! is a return to the world of Lucy Barton as previously written about in two other books by Elizabeth Strout. I love Strout’s writing and the observations on humanity that she incorporates into the thoughts and conversations of her characters. In this book, Lucy and her ex-husband William take a road trip together after William uncovers a family secret. Lucy is both surprised and not surprised that it is she William has invited, as they have remained connected even after all of these years. The book is a look back at the surprises and disappointments of their marriage and an exploration of loneliness, belonging, and home. If you’ve enjoyed Strout’s other works, this one is not to be missed! But it also works a stand-alone and would be a great introduction to her sharp writing and astute observations. 4/5⭐️—I liked it!

3.5 ⭐️

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦: 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦.

I have liked Elizabeth Stout since I first read Amy and Isabelle, 17 years ago. I have always felt she is an excellent character writer, especially when dealing with the melancholy lives of her main characters.

Oh William! finds Lucy Barton shortly after her second husband dies joined up with William, her first husband, after his third wife leaves him, in search of uncovering a large family secret.

This is a quick read and as a fan of Stout and some previous works, the premise and characters were interesting enough to make this a mostly quick and enjoyable read. The main issue I had, was the narrative choice to have Lucy speak as she does (the MC is also an author herself). She ends SO MANY SENTENCES with “is what I mean” or “is what I’m saying” that it almost becomes distracting. Here are some word for word examples:

I kept myself separate is what I mean.

I don’t care, is what I’m saying.

You can see him going away, is what I mean.

I felt love for them, is what I mean.

When I was young there was no escape, is what I am saying.


If you can get past that, this is a good choice for a quick read. Thanks to @randomhouse for the advanced read copy!

-Kristin 📚

Lucy Barton left her ex-husband, William, many years ago, but they have remained friends, through her very happy marriage to David and his subsequent two marriages. They are bound by their own two daughters, as well as their mutual affection and familiarity. When Lucy's husband dies and William, also newly single, learns of an old family secret, he turns to Lucy for guidance.

They travel to Maine, where they both learn more about the early life of William's mother, Catherine. Although they both loved her, Lucy's affection was tempered by her belief that Catherine always looked down upon her.

It's hard to define what makes Elizabeth Strout's books so good. She creates complex, flawed characters who you nonetheless care deeply about. I confess I've not yet read My Name is Lucy Barton, and really, you needn't have to follow this book, though I do plan to read it now. #OhWilliam #NetGalley

I did not read Elizabeth Strout’s previous novels, featuring Lucy Barton, so I found it difficult to jump into the story with no background and no knowledge of the characters and their earlier lives.
The book is written, much like a journal, frequently going back and forth in timelines, that were sometimes confusing. Lucy Barton’s life and those of William, his mother Catherine and Lucy’s own family are very sad and emotional. Many scars are found and they impacted the families that followed.
Lucy seems very strong at times, but there is a fragility that can never be ignored. Although a very successful and well known author, she often comments that she feels invisible and has never left her tiny house that she grew up in and the mother that never loved her children.
The writing is brilliant and it certainly is not a “feel good” story, but one that some readers will come away entertained. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. But I’m sure that those that read her previous novels, will find satisfaction and closure to Lucy Barton’s and Williams story.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

In Oh William! we meet again Elizabeth Strout’s alter ego, Lucy Barton. Lucy’s second husband David has recently died. She considers her own grief in addition to the state of mind of her first husband, William, who begins to experience some shocks in life.

First, William’s third wife, Estelle, leaves him abruptly. Then William begins to find out some family secrets, particularly about his mother, Catherine. Lucy, who has remained on good terms with William, reflects upon her relationships with him, Catherine, and her own family as she tries to help him.

As usual, the story, which is told as a series of apparently random recollections and incidents, is written in lovely prose. What stands out for me even more than that in the Lucy Barton books is Lucy’s gentleness and the loving, accepting way she approaches the world and the other characters. Although Strout’s novels are not strongly plot driven, once you start one, you just want to keep reading.

“Intimacy became a ghastly thing.”

Elizabeth Strout’s Oh William! is the third Lucy Barton novel; Lucy’s story begins in My Name is Lucy Barton, and she also appears in Anything is Possible. In this third novel, Lucy, a successful writer living in New York, is newly widowed following the death of her much-loved second husband, David. In the aftermath of David’s death, Lucy finds herself thinking back over her life–in particular her complicated relationship with her first husband, William.

My second husband, David, died last year, and in my grief for him I have felt grief for William as well. Grief is such a–oh, it is such a solitary thing; this is the terror of it, I think. It is like sliding down the outside of a really long glass building while nobody sees you.

Lucy and William were married for almost 20 years, and they had 2 daughters together. Lucy came from “terribly bleak poverty,” and from snippets she drops, there’s a past of horrible abuse. The feeling of security and love that her relationship with William initially gave her was blasted into outer space when she discovered his serial infidelities which ended with William marrying, and subsequently divorcing, the ‘other woman,’ Joanne. William and Joanne had an affair for at least 6 years and were married for just 7 years. William “understood this about Joanne, that her intelligence was moderate and his attraction to her all those years had simply been the fact that she was not his wife, Lucy.”

For many years William, who works at NYU, has been married to his third wife, Estelle, 22 years his senior, and they have a child together. Lucy, who has the occasional social contact with William at social events held at his home and sometimes meetings with just William, begins to sniff that there are issues afoot. She notices that at 69, William is beginning to show his age, and at first attributes this to the night terrors William is experiencing– night terrors that are connected to his mother, Catherine. William confides in Lucy–not Estelle– about the night terrors, but perhaps he’s motivated by the fact that Lucy knew Catherine who was long dead before wife number 3 popped up. Later, Lucy overhears Estelle making an odd comment to a party guest; it’s a remark that causes Lucy a vague disquiet. Lucy’s husband dies and so Lucy shelves concerns about William, but later, Estelle, who has the most sanguine temperament, departs, possibly for younger pastures. Hardly a shock given the huge age difference. Suddenly it’s all hands on deck as both of Lucy and William’s adult daughters and Lucy begin to be concerned about William’s mental and physical well-being.


William’s mother, Catherine, was a strange creature, and while Lucy says “we loved her. Oh, we loved her; she seemed central to our marriage,” I can’t help but wonder if Lucy loved the idea of loving her mother-in-law. Catherine, who also came from harsh poverty and seemed to ‘get this’ about Lucy, didn’t always use that knowledge well. She patronized Lucy and occasionally acted in ways that could be construed as deliberately cruel. Loved the bit about how William and his mother dumped Lucy with the two small kids while they sat “somewhere else on the plane.” But that’s the thing about Lucy, her great ability to forgive and to understand people. Catherine is long-dead when the tale begins, but some great mystery from her past rears its head and causes William to ask Lucy to accompany him on a road trip to Maine. Meanwhile William and Lucy’s 2 adult daughters wonder if their parents will get back together,

While I really enjoyed the novel, I felt some frustration with Lucy, so I was glad when, on the Maine trip she pushed back on his swollen sense of self-importance. William turned out to be such a dick during their marriage, and still seems oblivious about that, so there’s a lot to forgive. Lucy manages to do just that. With William’s latest crisis, Lucy comes to the rescue and it’s all about William. Lucy is newly widowed and devastated but William’s troubles selfishly trump all in the manner emotion eaters apply to dominate the lives of others. Things are only important if William thinks they are important. No one else’s problems register–only William’s problems. William is lonely. Well, boo-hoo. Lucy is lonely too, but William is always the only important person–according to William, Lucy and their daughters. Of course, these things happen in every family. Emotional hierarchy: Handle someone with kid gloves as they are sensitive, make sure you call so-and-so as they will be put out if you don’t blah blah. Back to one of my favourite all-time quotes from Amy Witting:

This world. This human race. It isn’t divided into sexes. Everybody thinks it’s divided into sexes but it isn’t. It’s the givers and the takers. The diners and the dinners.

This may be William’s story, but I think it’s more Lucy’s. She weaves in so many marvelous memories, and one thing that comes through loud and clear is that this woman who could be bitter and hard, instead has managed to cherish the positive in her life. The door is closed on many painful subjects, and I’m all for that. She tells her tale tentatively, creating a sort of intimacy with the reader, as if she’s still working out things in her head, so she uses phrases such as ““I need to say this,” and “please try to understand this.” She comes to revise her opinions about several people she thought she knew. I have to add here–the horrible comment Lucy made to Catherine as she was dying. Was this revenge? Or naivety?

Probably not the best idea to go on a road trip with one’s EX. Especially if he spent years deceiving you and now expects you to hold his hand and give him moral support:

As we drove I suddenly had a visceral memory of what a hideous thing marriage was for me at time those years with William: a familiarity so dense it filled up the room, your throat almost clogged with the knowledge of the other so that it seemed to practically press into your nostrils–the odor of the other’s thoughts, the self-consciousness of every spoken word, the slight flicker of an eyebrow barely raised, the barely perceptible tilting of the chin; no one but the other one would know what it meant; but you could not be free living like that, not ever.

Finally this wonderful scene illustrates William’s incredible ability to see himself as the centre of everyone’s universe.

“Did you ever have an affair with Estelle? I mean did you ever have an affair while you were married to her?” I was surprised that I asked this, that I even wondered this.

And he stopped chewing the toast he had just bitten into, and then he swallowed and said, “An affair? No, I might have messed around a few times, but I never had an affair.”

“You messed around?” I asked.

“With Pam Carlson. But only because I’d known her for years and years, and we’d had a stupid thing way back, so it didn’t feel like anything–because it wasn’t”

“Pam Carlson?” I said. “You mean that woman at your party?”

He glanced at me, chewing. “Yeah. You know, not a lot or anything. I mean I knew her from years ago, back when she was married to Bob Burgess.” “You were doing her then?”

“Oh, a little.” He must not have realized as he said this that he had been married to me at the time. And then I saw it arrive on his face, I felt I saw this. He said, “Oh Lucy, what can I say?”

Indeed.

The upbeat, life-affirming conclusion brings an epiphany to Lucy, and she deserves it. She experiences many shifting emotions throughout the book and finds still at this late stage in life, there is always new knowledge to be gained about people:

But we are all mythologies, mysterious. We are all mysteries, is what I mean.

Olive Kitteridge (I must bring Olive into this) and Lucy are opposites in many ways. Olive is caustic while Lucy is loving and generous. But both Olive and Lucy are outsiders for different reasons. Olive Kitteridge should have had dinner with Lucy and her EX. I would have liked to have been there for the fireworks.

Review copy

Thank you @randomhouse for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review!

Pages: 256
Pace: steady
Genre: literary fiction
Rating: 3 ⭐️

Themes: failed marriage, family history, divisions in social class, parental neglect, growing old, self worth, shared past, infidelity

My thoughts: this book is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and has a Goodreads rating of 4.04. I thought the narrator had a sweet voice and an interesting perspective on marriage, relationships, and family history, and how all of those things are intertwined. There were parts that made me laugh, and it definitely had me in my feels at times. That said, I found that it was lacking a plot, and I didn’t find myself invested in the story at all. I should say, though, that this is NOT my typical genre and I usually struggle with ANY book that is character driven with general musings on life. I also had trouble connecting to the characters’ experiences, just because it involved a lot of infidelity which I’ve said before is a major turn off for me, and usually an unforgivable character trait. It also involved life experiences that are a bit older and wiser than is relatable for me right now (William is in his 70s). Personal stuff aside, though, if character-driven lit fiction is your thing, please read this one because it is beautifully written, and I’m clearly in the minority here. In fact, I’ve already recommended it to someone (@booksforbrunch) who loves this stuff!

Who should read: fans of Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler, character-driven literary fiction

A story about a couple, linked through shared experiences, who never quite let go. This is the first of Ms
Strout's books that I have read and there were a couple times where wished I'd have read the others first. The writing style takes a while to get used to - Dear Reader stuff, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story. (The characters, not so much!) Really well-written.

My first Strout novel was Amy & Isabelle --which seems like decades ago. When I was offered an advanced e-copy of Oh William!, I immediately thought of that gorgeous written book from long ago.

Why didn't I read more of her works in between?!

Oh William! is an insightful look into relationships and of how our personalities and personas are affected by the people we form close relationships with. At the heart of the novel is Lucy and her relationship with her ex-husband William. It's a bit hard to describe, but Lucy tells us of a specific point in time where she and William set off to learn more about a family secret that William uncovers about his mother.

Strout's writing, from the point of view of Lucy, is nuanced and multi-layered. It's as if Lucy is directly telling you the story, but purposely holding back at the same time. Strout has an uncanny way of capturing the human condition. Lucy looks backs at her life with William, the two daughters they raised, and how he has a person has truly affected her life.

I didn't know that Lucy has been featured before in two other novels but this can be read as a stand alone. I definitely want to read more about Lucy as there are many passages about her early childhood and life.

This literary novel will surprise you with its understated elegance. I enjoyed it.

Elizabeth Strout is a master at rich, real, deep, human characters that make the reader see, feel, and be right there with them. Loved Oh William!

I was excited to read the third book in the Amgash trilogy. My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible are amongst my favourite books, and Oh William! is another masterpiece.

Lucy, now in her early sixties, is grieving the death of her second husband David. But the book focuses more on Lucy’s relationship with her first husband, William Gerhardt, with whom she still has a friendly and supportive relationship. William is floundering after a third failed marriage and calls on Lucy to accompany him on a trip to Maine after he has uncovered a family secret. The trip becomes a journey of self-discovery because Lucy discovers truths about herself as she gains insights into others’ behaviour and choices. She comes to better understand her ex-husband and her marriage to him, as well as her former mother-in-law, Catherine Cole.

This is very much a character study; it is introspective, almost meditative, not plot-driven. What emerge are complex sketches of characters, especially Lucy and William. A professor’s wife once described Lucy as a girl with “’absolutely no sense of her own self-worth’” and though Lucy is a successful author, she still has lingering self-doubt. For instance, she always seems amazed when someone mentions having read her books and recognizes her. Her insecurity also shows in her concern about how others perceive her, worrying that she might “still give off the faint smell of what [she] came from.” About ten times, she mentions feeling invisible. She also seems overly concerned about being misunderstood because she constantly uses the phrase “What I mean.”

After reflection, Lucy comes to understand that she is not alone in feeling “what it is like to be marked as separate from society.” She acknowledges that though she has definitely been scarred by her difficult, impoverished childhood, she has the ability to love, something which surprised even a psychiatrist familiar with Lucy’s upbringing. She hates when William retreats into himself and doesn’t communicate, but realizes that she too did that and so denied William “any chance of comforting me – oh, it was an unspeakably awful thing.” She realizes too that she can be self-absorbed.

We learn about William through Lucy’s thoughts and comments. She describes him as being distant often: “with his pleasant distance, his mild expressions, he was unavailable.” At one point she mentions being so tired of “the petulant boy beneath his distinguished and pleasant demeanor.” However, she also mentions his sense of authority and admits, “This authority was why I had fallen in love with William.” Though her marriage to William had been for a time “a hideous thing,” she is grateful he “ushered me into the world” which she knew little about because of her childhood. Each of us has positive and negative qualities so I loved how Lucy would describe something negative about William but then continue with “But there is this” or “Except I do need to say” and an example of something positive about him.

Oh William! is the perfect title. Lucy utters the phrase often, though it expresses different emotions: surprise, embarrassment, pity, exasperation. Always, however, there is affection. William has struggles, fears, doubts, and failings, but she does too, so “when I think Oh William!, don’t I mean Oh Lucy! too?” William is flawed, but so is Lucy. He, like she, has been shaped by experiences over which he had no choice.

A major theme is our inability to really know another person. Lucy tries to understand the behaviour of her mother, father, and mother-in-law but concludes “who ever really knows the experience of another.” Though our ability to understand ourselves and others hopefully develops as we mature, in the end, “Everybody in this whole wide world, we do not know anybody, not even ourselves! Except a tiny, tiny bit we do. But we are all mythologies, mysterious. We are all mysteries . . . This may be the only thing in the world I know to be true.”

I loved the style of the book which reads like a spontaneous conversation with a friend. I felt like I had sat down with Lucy for a catch-up chat. The conversation touches on subjects and emotions that will strike a chord with people. I certainly recognized myself. The book inspires readers to consider their own relationships and to perhaps be more forgiving of themselves and others.

This is definitely a book to read . . . and re-read. Though it may seem simple, it has great depth that may not be fully appreciated without at least a second reading.

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

Oh my soul! Elizabeth Strout's writing has such a cozy feel that draws me in each time. I realized that I've grown apart from literary fiction during the pandemic, but it's so good to read a book that feels like home.

This book tells about Lucy Barton's relationship with her previous husband, William, and the ongoing journey of self-discovery we all take throughout our lives. The book dives into themes of family, relationships, and how well you can truly know someone.

The only reason I gave this one four stars rather than five was due to it not meeting or exceeding the connection and feeling of being seen that I felt from My Name is Lucy Barton. While the books can be read out of order, I'd recommend reading that one first so you have more of a background on who Lucy is. I really love how you never know when Elizabeth's characters from other books will make an appearance and there really is a small town feel to her books, even those outside of this series.

Highly recommend if you are already a fan of Elizabeth Strout!