Easy book to recommend for fans of the previous Lucy Barton or any Elizabeth Strout's books. A gentle examination of love, marriage, and aging. Readers do not need to have read the two earlier books in the series, but as this is a character based book, your connection to the characters will be enhanced if you do.

Audiobook was well narrated and a delight to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook ALC provided by Libro.fm's Advance Listening Copy program for Librarians.
https://libro.fm/alc-program

Elizabeth Strout is my favorite authors, so I was happy to receive an ARC for her new novel Oh William!
Lucy Barton is back; she is now separated from her husband William but still in good terms. She explores her past and present relationship with him. What I like of Elizabeth Strout novels is how she is able to create characters so human and so close to reality.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

In this latest novel in Elizabeth Strout's Amgash series, the main character, Lucy Barton, writes about William, her first husband, their past history, their children, as well as a few new things they are learning about the people in their lives. Can we ever really know another person, even one as close as a mother, a husband? Or ourselves? 'This is the way of life: the many things we do not know until it is too late.' I really love these novels--the steam-of-consciousness style, the self-examination, the personal growth that takes place. It's like having a conversation with a good friend.

I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

Lucy Barton is back and better than ever. She’s in her 60s now, and this book is about her reminisces of her late husband, William. He was her first husband, but they stayed close after their divorce.
Lucy is one of my favorite literary characters. She tells it like she sees it, and shares stories we can all relate to. This is a truly exceptional book that I highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Random House Publishing Group and #NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I wasn’t enamored by this one as I thought I’d be. The description seemed promising try as I did I failed to connect.

3.5 ⭐️‘s
Through Lucy Barton’s journey, I have liked each book of the series a little bit more. The writing is superb, but the storylines have been a bit depressing. In this book, Lucy fills in some of the gaps left in the previous books, although I do think it can be read as a stand alone. As Lucy revisits her past history with William, it’s refreshing that even many years after their separation they remain dear friends. Strout delves in and basically asks the question of how well do we really know each other. A poignant story of past and present ending with these very fitting words ... “But we are all mythologies, mysterious. We are all mysteries, is what I mean”.

I'm torn about this book. There were parts I loved and parts that just didn't draw me in. The characters while for the most part were likable, some were hard to warm up to as was the case with one of the main protagonists.

The book explores the relationships in what I consider a relatively dysfunctional extended family unit.

Elizabeth Strout's "Olive books" are two of my most favorite books. Unfortunately, her latest book, "Oh William!" just wasn't for me. After being blown away by the author's earlier works, I can't help but wonder if I missed something while reading this one. While I love Ms. Strout's writing style, I just wasn't captivated or drawn into this story. The characters didn't come alive for me. There wasn't really much of a plot and I found myself skimming much of the book. Maybe I just couldn't relate to how Lucy would bend over backwards to support her ex-husband who had numerous affairs while they were married. Perhaps I have too much personal baggage in that area to relate.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Once again, I am amazed how Elizabeth Strout gives me so much to think about in so few words. If I could write like Elizabeth Strout, the following review would be one paragraph long.

Like the first book in the Amgash series, My Name is Lucy Barton, this one is told from Lucy's point of view. I think it stands just fine on its own, but the books are short, and I'm glad I read them all. I like the series as a whole more than I like any of the books individually.

Oh, William finds Lucy grieving her second husband, the one who didn't cheat on her, and still friendly with her first husband, William, the one who did. Lucy and William dip in an out of each other’s lives, still connected by two grown daughters, and it’s still Lucy William turns to when his fumbling through life (professional shortcomings, serial cheating) catches up to him. When William finds he has an older sister that his recently deceased mother abandoned, it is Lucy he recruits to help him figure out what he wants to do with that information, to accept it’s not entirely up to him, and, more importantly, to help him cope with the realization that his mother wasn’t who he thought she was. His mother was the kind of woman who could abandon a child for selfish reasons. His mother grew up every bit as poor as Lucy did, an interesting revelation in light of the way both she and William approached Lucy’s own childhood poverty and lack of sophistication.

Throughout the series, Strout shows how identity is so often wrapped up in our roots, not just for those who suffered the kind of abuse and hardship that Lucy did as a child. How our families treated us and where/what we think we came from affects what space we think we can claim in the world. She shows us, especially in the second book of short stories about the residents of Amgash, that the people we think have the “good” families often don’t.

But she also shows us healthy, supportive relationships can be forged out of unfortunate circumstances. She shows us that it really is true that how people treat us is often more about how they feel about themselves than how they feel about us or anything we did. In this final book in the series, we see that Lucy not only manages to break the cycle of abuse with her own children, but has honest and supportive relationships with each of them. She’s had more successes than those with bigger head starts and less to learn and who were less timid about going after what they want and need.

Lucy removes herself from bad situations and manages to not be bitter. She realizes that most people don’t really understand why they act the way they do. A lot of people don’t even try. She knows some people are just damaged, like her own parents. She doesn't let understanding what motivates people's bad behavior excuse it. She focuses on herself and her own choices and actions and relationships.

“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.” That’s where the magic is: feeling seen and known for who you think you are, good and bad. We only get a few of these – the people who ground us and remind us who we are during those times our world upends all around us. This is, after all, why William turns to Lucy in the first place. It is not because she loves him most but because she knows him best and helps him navigate without judgment. It made me happy to see that Lucy got both - to be known best and loved the most by the same people - her second husband and her daughters.

I think the first book, My Name is Lucy Barton, is about this: I’m me and I get to choose what kind of person I want to be and how much I let relationships and events define me. Oh, William is about being kind and compassionate towards those figuring that out and remembering that we are all on crazy paths, things change, bad things will happen, and that we all have to figure it out again and again and again.

Thanks to NetGalley; my review is unbiased and not in exchange for the advance copy.

This could just as easily be titled Oh Lucy. Lucy Barton, long divorced from William and now 63 (to his 70 something) finds herself helping him as he tries to find the truth about something his mother Catherine (a dynamo in her own right) hid for years. Lucy knew William cheated on her but not the extent of his liaisons. She also knows that she's still struggling with the effects of that marriage and of Catherine, who treated her poorly. It's a spare novel about life and marriage that's also melancholy. I've been on the fence about Strout's work over the years- never the writing but the characters and the plots. I was not a fan of My Name is Lucy Barton- but whether I've grown into them or the character has become less difficult, I found this kept me engaged as I actually cared about Lucy. It should be perfectly fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Strout's fans will be happy with this one.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Elizabeth Strout's books. Oh William is no exception.  I love the different voice in this book. It's like you're sitting down with a friend and she's telling you a story. I have not read My Name is Lucy Barton but it will be on my short list to read soon. 

Note, this the second ARC on a row with a few long chapters instead of true (shorter) chapters.  This one worked better than the last, but I still don't like it.  I hope this isn't a new trend.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am rounding this up to four stars from 3.5

Reading Anything is Possible right before reading this might have been too much Amgash. My Name is Lucy Barton was really good. I loved how it was written and learning about Lucy's mother. Anything is Possible felt a little disjointed at times and downright depressing too. Oh William! is also a bit disjointed to me. I did not understand what Lucy ever saw in William. Maybe if the story had focused on how they met in college and fell in love I might have felt more interested in William. Instead I thought he was a pompous ass. I get learning his background is supposed to make us see how he became to be the way he is, but I just didn't care.

Strout's writing is what gets me. How it feels like someone is talking to you. Maybe it's because Lucy is a Midwesterner at heart and I understand where she comes from in that regard. Whatever the magic is it is what keeps me reading her books.

If you have read the other Amgash books then I think you will get something out of Oh William! too. If you have not read those, but are interested in this book it works as a stand alone too. At least I didn't feel as though I wouldn't understand the story without having read those books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

I have just read Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout.

This is an Author that I have been wanting to read for quite some time, and thank Goodreads, the Author and Random House Publishing Group for my advanced copy to read and review.

Wow – I really enjoyed this book, and the Author’s style of writing. I found that it was a simple storyline but really captured the insight of the characters. I found that I did not want to rush reading the book as I wanted to take in every word and sentence.

The main character Elizabeth Strout is a very interesting one, as are her family.

I will read more from the Author in the future, as she is a new favourite of mine!

#netgalley

Elizabeth Strout's writing is both crisp and lyrical. Strout's words are easy to follow but full of meaning and beauty. Lucy and William were married for almost twenty years and have two adult daughters. They have remained friends and both have been remarried, but now they are both single again. As Lucy spends time with William she reflects on their marriage and wonders if she ever really knew him. Strout's readers have met Lucy previously as she is Lucy Barton, a beloved character who suffered through a tumultuous childhood. Lucy has become a famous author and a remarkable friend. Oh Lucy! we are glad to see you again.

Elizabeth Strout has a very distinctive writing “voice”. It’s intimate, brutally honest, but not always sweetness and light. Inevitably her characters seems more alive than most any other author I can think of, as though you’re living inside their heads. Many readers I know insist Olive Ketteridge must be a real person, that’s how spot on she is in Strout’s novels. Now add Lucy Barton to that list, because in this new novel, Strout brings back the protagonist from My Name is Lucy Barton and fleshes her out at a time in her life when she’s recently widowed and dealing with rebooting her life as an older woman. We learn more about her backstory, her first husband William, his enigmatic now deceased mother Catherine, the grown daughters they had together, and most of all, Lucy herself as she and William take a road trip to Maine to explore his family origins. The insights into this long-ago first marriage are heartbreaking and poignant, revealing a deep-seated love hidden beneath years of recriminations and heartache.

Not much “happens” in the novel if you’re the type of reader who craves plot, but if you long for an intimate character-driven story, this one is for you. There are plain-spoken nuggets of wisdom hidden every few pages that make you stop reading to contemplate your own life choices, your own desires and relationships, and most of all, the roads and maybe detours that have brought you to where you are today.

Highly recommended.

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout is a very highly recommended character driven novel.

"We are all mysteries," is certainly the thought in the forefront of writer Lucy Barton's musings, especially when considering her ex-husband, William. He has always been a hard man to read. The two have two adult daughters and remained friends after their divorce over twenty years ago due to his infidelities. Now Lucy is 63 has lost her beloved second husband and soul mate, David, a year ago. William has turned 70 and is married to his much younger third wife, yet he still calls Lucy when he has night terrors. Then, after his third wife leaves him, William asks Lucy to accompany him on a trip to Maine after he discovers that he has an older half sister that he never knew about.

As the novel unfolds, Lucy reminisces about Catherine Cole, William's mother. William's night terrors often involved his mother. Although she says they both loved her, some of the stories reflect a much more complicated and complex relationship between Lucy and Catherine that reflects less love and more control, insecurity, and a focus on social appearance. The road trip to Maine reveals Catherine's background and Lucy has a startling revelation about William's relationship with her.

This is the third of Strout's Amgash series, including My Name Is Lucy Barton and Anything Is Possible, and continues her reflections on the mysteries, fears, struggles, secrets, and insecurities inherent in families, marriages, and all relationships between people. Narrated by Lucy Barton, Oh William! is a character driven novel that explores themes of loneliness and betrayal. All the characters are flawed.

As expected the writing is glorious and perfectly executed as the complexity of relationships is examined and reveals new insights. The plots unfolds through Lucy's thoughts, insights, musings, and reactions. Fortuitously, Lucy is a thoughtful, introspective, and reliable narrator who is cognizant of the human condition and attuned to human failings and foibles. She accepts the inscrutability, and ultimately the enigma of everyone's inner thought life, and as such, the impossibility to truly understand another person.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Random House via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

Title: Oh William!
Author: Elizabeth Strout
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Random House
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

My Opinion:
What a good read from this author that gives a good viewpoint of Lucy, who was William's ex-wife. In this read, we learn about William's quirks, good and rough times, three marriages, and his family.' Why was 'Hansel and Gretel' referred to as Lucy and William in this story? Well, you will have to pick up "Oh William!' to find out just why that was. At times I felt sorry for Lucy as she had PTSD that came from her childhood. And all of this didn't help with her failed marriage to that William. However, moving on with her life, Lucy did meet and marry David, and that seemed to be the love of her life until...but having earlier putting up with her ex with his philandering ways, their children, his ex-wives...what will be left for Lucy? Will Lucy help William through some trying times with his situations as he calls upon her and she tends to come running? The characters and the secondary ones were all well-developed. They defined that brought in the story that kept the reader wanting more on this emotional journey for Lucy and William.

The ending was somewhat strange, but it seems that Lucy can't help but be there for William. For a man in his seventy's, he was something else and would probably remain that way. So he calls, and she comes!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchanging my honest opinions.

Elizabeth Strout is a master observer of the human condition (both external and internal), and has the admirable skill of being able to turn these observations into the most memorable of literary characters. I have never read a book with so little "action" yet which in it's subtlety so beautifully expresses the richness of family life!

A favorite character of Strout's previous books, Lucy Barton, is back. Lucy, now 62, has just lost her second husband, David. As she mourns him, she also finds herself reexaming her decades long relationship with William, her first husband. William, now on his third wife, finds himself calling on Lucy regularly to help him make sense of his life.

This quiet, introspective, and wise novel is sure to be one of the best books of the year. Grab a cup of tea or coffee, put your feet up, and get lost in the world of Lucy. Enjoy!!

My most sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel which is scheduled to be published on 10/19/21. All opinions in this review are my own and are freely given.

Lucy Barton quickly became a friend, I felt she was telling me her most private thoughts.
We end up living her life with her, and notice the parallels between her and her ex-husbands mother, wow!
This is an in-depth look into family dynamics, and boy does Lucy end up going deep.
Even though long divorced I loved the beautiful relationship between Lucy and William, she is there for him!
Now this is the first book in this series that I have read, but will go back and pick up the others!
I received this book through Net Galley and Random House Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.