In this follow up to her 2016 novel, Elizabeth Strout once again takes us along on the oft eccentric, sometimes perplexing, yet very contemplative journey as dear Lucy recalls her most memorable moments with her most precious loved ones.

I must admit that as much as I liked 𝑂𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐾𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒 and absolutely loved 𝑂𝑙𝑖𝑣𝑒, 𝐴𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛... I don't count 𝑀𝑦 𝑁𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝐿𝑢𝑐𝑦 𝐵𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑜𝑛 as one of my faves. So, I began this story with trepidation. However, I was pleasantly surprised and so glad I gave it a chance! And giving second chances is just one of the many lessons I took away from Lucy in this novel.

This time, Lucy wheedled her way into my heart as I read her quirky thoughts and experienced her unique life journey. I think I most appreciated that in this novel, Lucy was more introspective and really learned a lot about herself and her choices in life.

Through a stream-of-consciousness narrative, Strout takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery, empathy, and heartache, as she allows us to see human nature in its most vulnerable form.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was the 3rd book in the series of Lucy Barton. This story revolved around Lucy and her ex, William. Through the years of meeting in college, the birth of their daughters and eventually their divorce, you get a good sense of their back story and why they are still friends today.

A must read if you have read the other 2 books!

Oh, William is Elizabeth Trout’s third book about Lucy Barton, and I so loved returning to this world. In this novel, Lucy’s second husband, David, has recently died; in her grief for her beloved David, she also finds herself grieving her marriage to her first husband, William, who is very much alive. After their divorce, Lucy and William remain friends, and William often confides in Lucy. When William discovers a secret about his past, the two head to Maine on a voyage of discovery. Lucy contemplates how well we know the people we love, and where we come from and how that makes us who we are.

I was very excited to read this new novel by Elizabeth Strout because, well, it's ELIZABETH STROUT! And she does not disappoint. This follow-up to 2016's "My Name is Lucy Barton," a novel I read and listened to after a book club friend talked about and we added it to our list of titles for 2020. We read it for our January 2020 meeting because we had tickets to see the one-woman play starring Laura Linney at Manhattan Theatre Works. We went, we saw and we loved it. She is phenomenal and this play was fantastic.

Back to "William.' He is Lucy Barton's first husband. We learn more about him and their relationship in this novel. I love being inside Lucy's head and getting her response to the world around her. I'm completely enamored with this book, so much so that I've selected Lucy Barton for the library book club discussion for November! I'm sure they will all want to be put in the queue for this title as well!

📚Book 46 of 2021: Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout

🙏🏻Big thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the arc.

💬Reader’s Digest Version: Oh William! depicts the lives of Lucy and William, a couple who met in college and married shortly thereafter. Elizabeth Strout reveals the complexities of raising a family and battling through the struggles of marriage. This story shows the ways that Lucy and William’s relationship changes through raising children, suffering through the pain of long-hidden secrets, divorce, and becoming friends again.

My Take: Elizabeth Strout truly nailed how complicated and flawed relationships are. There is no black and white. There is no perfect love. Her portrayal of Lucy, the narrator of the story, gripped my heart. Strout’ s ability to make Lucy’s voice so painfully real and relatable made her character jump off the page. Lucy’s internal dialogue is raw, bursting with unabashed truth, and delightful to immerse yourself in. Lucy is one of my favorite characters from a novel this year.

Honestly, this book is hard to describe. Just know that it will grip you from page one, and that Strout’s portrayal of the complexities and imperfections of the human condition strike a painfully relatable note throughout the entire story.

Oh William! is a quiet celebration of the ordinary. Long divorced with two adult daughters, Lucy Barton has stayed in touch with her ex-husband William although he is married with a child. William’s behavior was responsible for the divorce and it is now taking a toll on his latest relationship so he asks Lucy to accompany him to Maine. He’s discovered a hard to believe, long hidden family secret that he hopes to disprove. Lucy’s levelheaded behavior is a perfect foil to William’s self centeredness.

Elizabeth Strout writes with a confident, no nonsense style so clear that you feel you are in the car with Lucy and William. Lucy’s stream of consciousness, sometimes repetitive thoughts deliberately move the plot. Oh William! Is a book to be savored. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group and Elizabeth Strout for this ARC.

There is something about an Elizabeth Strout book that always touches me in a quiet, but meaningful way. I absolutely loved Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again. I read the first book in the Lucy Barton series years ago. I have the second on my Kindle. I decided to read this one even though I hadn’t read the second one. That was a good decision. I will get to that one at some point, but did not feel lost at all. This one definitely does well as a stand alone. We meander through Lucy’s mind with her as she deals with being a widow, having a supportive relationship with her ex, William, and supporting her two grown daughters. Lucy is quite a character so meandering through her mind is a pleasure. Another winner from Elizabeth Strout.

This is my first book by Elizabeth Strout and I will be looking for her other books she has written. This book is about a divorced couple, William and Lucy, their two grown daughters, their life together and their lives post divorce. The story doesn’t go in a straight line from point A to point B, but meanders through different points in time. The story is well written and I enjoyed the dialogue and descriptions. An enjoyable read.

Oh William! Is written in a stream of consciousness that focuses on William who is Lucy's ex husband. I didn't realize this is book 3 of the series though I think it can be read stand alone. Their are basically two chapters though they aren't marked that way, Short but packed with memories.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

I did not care for this book. It’s gotten a ton of rave reviews and most people claim it can be read as a standalone without having read the other books involving the same characters, so maybe it’s just me and my mood at the time.

I didn’t read the other books in this series, so this was my first encounter with the characters and the author’s style of writing.

I felt a bit lost since I didn’t know the characters and I didn’t enjoy the way it was written. The book did allude to the other books and Lucy would say things like “oh, but I touched on that previously” or something to that effect, so I knew I was getting a glossed over explanation to fill me in, but it still felt like walking into a conversation that’s been happening for hours.

There didn’t seem to be a real beginning, middle, or end.

I had hopes for this one since it was recommended to me by the publisher having enjoyed Taylor Jenkins Reid, but it just wasn’t for me.

This is the third book about Lucy Barton. Lucy is now 63 and a recent widow. She has lost her second husband, her soulmate.
Lucy grew up in poverty to less than loving and violent parents. This experience has a profound impact on her entire life. She lived a sheltered life and had no exposure to the world. She received a scholarship and attended college where she met and fell in love with William. Like Lucy, William lived a sheltered life. William raised a Hasidic Jew left his family and his faith. They married and had two daughters. The marriage ends in divorce due to William's infidelity.
Lucy and William continue a loving and supportive relationship that transcends their marriage.
William is now 70 and discovers that his mother had a daughter he did not know about. It is Lucy he turns to and asked to travel to Maine to find out more. It ends up being a trip that they learn more about themselves and each other.
Elizabeth Strout as wonderful writer and this book reads like a genuine memoir. The characters are the main focus of the story and the plot is secondary.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the gifted copy.

I have not read any of Elizabeth Strout’s other books, so I cannot compare this one or know if this book was written in the same format as her others.

The story itself with Lucy and her first husband William traveling to Maine to learn more of his roots was very entertaining. The book was written from Lucy’s POV as stream of consciousness, which was not my cup of tea. I wish there had more doing than telling in the story.

The ending also seemed cut short, leaving me unsure as to whether that’s how it ended, or if maybe I received a sneak peek.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me.

Wow, what a book that it took me over a month to sift through my thoughts to form a review. This is not in my normal wheelhouse of works. love, loss, and the family secrets? absolutely things I love to read about. divorced couples? not so much. but somehow Strout makes it so even if you aren't one for everything in this book you still want to know more.

“This is the way of life,” Lucy says: “the many things we do not know until it is too late.”
OH WILLIAM! Had me entranced from page one!! It’s the story of Lucy and her ex husband William but most obviously, it’s about Lucy and the people in her life. It’s a beautiful message by the end for all of the readers. I was drawn in by Lucy’s introspective and intimate thoughts and the way she so perfectly brought them to life. I LOVE her story telling with little interruptions that make it feel as though we are the ones she is recounting this all to. “I need to say this, though” or “but there is also this” there is such a graceful touch of intimacy between Lucy and the reader.

Lucy and William have been divorced for years, but have remained good friends who rely on each other, who can be brutally honest with each other, and still have a closeness between them. He asks for her help now as he struggles with changes in his life and trying to deal with a revelation about his mother’s past. Lucy, being the person she is, stepped up to the challenge to help William through the turmoil and face past demons. Lucy didn’t have the easiest upbringing and the love of her life passed away. Some moments are sad, and heartbreaking, you really develop a friendship with these characters throughout the story!

This is a well done reflection of the human condition, parenthood, relationships, and the perfect story to remind us all we are no without fault but to look at the brighter side of things. To look at where we came from and how well off we truly are to be alive!

Told in the voice of Lucy Barton, a matron who has had many loves and losses in her life and is now alone, this book is more a character study than a novel that is plot-driven. Lucy and William were a couple, married and with children. After their divorce, they continued an unlikely friendship because William was Lucy’s confidante in all things that occurred in her life. She tells her story without a great deal of emotion but in a lot of detail, some in a voice like she is whispering secrets. Indeed, family secrets are revealed in the course of the novel. I found the book to be entertaining but not engrossing, with a slow, steady pace of Lucy’s recounting of her life’s story. The changes in her life are not unexpected but sometimes her reaction to them are. She and William established an entire life together with a relationship that superseded the separation, the divorce and finding other partners. I cannot say that I loved this book, but I did like it. It was an introspective and reflective look at how others influence your life long after they have left it and how resilient you must be in order to overcome obstacles and hardships. Definitely contemporary women’s fiction that deserves to be read and enjoyed solo or in a book group.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Lucy Barton and her ex-husband, William, remain friends and embark on a journey to uncover a secret kept from William until a chance DNA testing gave him a startle. I have mixed feelings about this book... and since I really didn't know there were some previous stories about Lucy Barton until I had finished this one, I understand why! I have read other books by the author, and her style of writing about flawed characters whose perspectives on life are sometimes off-putting, is interesting. While there were parts of this book that I liked, I found the characters' relationships frustrating. I would however add that if I had gotten familiar with Lucy and William in previous stories, this one may have made more sense. I did see a learning journey for Lucy in this book...but not sure I felt the same about William!! Who I would have kicked to the curb a long time ago!! I know there are many faithful followers who will absolutely love this book. However, my rating would be a 3.5 but since I cannot give that...I opt for the 3.0 mainly because of my own frustration with the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. #NetGalley #OhWillialm

I normally love Strout but I could not get behind this one. I did not love the structure, as well as the way she world she creates. Much like the predecessor to this novel, My Name is Lucy Barton, I found this one too meandering, without a direct purpose.

Another knock-out in Elizabeth Strout's Amgash series which centers around the life of Lucy Barton. I love how this book delves into Lucy's relationship with her ex-husband, William. Much like all of Elizabeth Strout's work, she takes what on the surface seems to be a simple story and gives it depth and elegance. And the writing, oh, the writing.is phenomenal.

Much thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. I have been recommending it to everyone!

Wow! This book was a journey into the exquisite lives of two people who have been divorced but still have very deep mutual respect and understanding!

William was Lucy’s first husband, father of her two daughters, her friend and her confidante! He has been that home to Lucy which she never had with anyone else. I felt in a trance reading Elizabeth’s writing as the characters felt so real and you could relate to their feelings and their imperfections!

Thank you @penguinrandomhouse and @netgalley for the gifted galley of this mesmerizing book that releases on Oct 19, 2021

I love how Elizabeth Strout’s novels center around the same characters from Lucy Barton’s life. In this novel, Strout chooses to write about Lucy’s ex-husband and the father of her two daughters.

Even though Lucy and William had been divorced for many years, their daughters having grown and married, they managed keep a good relationship. Like old friends, in a sense. When William hits a difficult time in his life, he turns to Lucy to confide in.

A family secret on William’s side is revealed, he and Lucy share a road trip of discovery and find that they had more in common than they realized. During the trip, Lucy reminisces about her past and their marriage, which gives the reader a better understanding of what this couple is going through.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read an advance copy. I loved the story and am happy to give my honest review.