This was obviously well written and i have read Amy and Isabelle and was blown away it was so good. I haven’t read My Name is Lucy Barton and maybe Oh William! would have been better to me if i had read it. Oh William! was not uninteresting but it was a little slow and repetitive. Lucy is a writer but kept explaining things then saying it over again and says “is what I mean”. I would think Lucy would be a little better at explaining things.

It’s great that Lucy and William get along as exes. They both seemed a little paranoid. William did not seem like a very nice person to me.

It is a short book so a quick read but didn’t have much of a story to me. Not awful but not that interesting either.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this book.

Oh William can certainly be read as a standalone, it's that good.
But if you are a fan of Elizabeth Strout and the character Lucy Barton you can't miss this story. Oh William affords you the "behind the scenes" (Inside Lucy Barton's mind) of William and Lucy and their children. The narrative is that Lucy is still friendly with her ex husband, William and assists him on a journey to learn more about his past. Along the way, Lucy "chats" to the reader, providing inside information and touching on past history already discussed.
Elizabeth Stout has the ability to create an utterly charming story even when many of the secrets revealed are anything but. If you enjoy Elizabeth Strout, you will certainly love the newest Lucy Barton book. #OhWIlliam

My name is Lucy Barton is one of the best books I've ever read so my hopes were high. I'm happy to report that this lived up to Lucy in every way. While you don't absolutely have to read that first, I think you should. This book broke my heart and put it back together again. I can see this being in my top of the year.

I love Elizabeth Strout's books and I enjoyed this one. It reads like a rambling, meandering memoir and perhaps someone expecting more 'action' wouldn't enjoy it; but I like the introspective aspects to it. It's interesting to see yet another look at Lucy Barton.

I don't always like Lucy but I find her interesting. She presents herself with unflinching honesty here and it's fascinating to watch her realizing things about herself. The other characters are realistic and though there isn't much action to the story, that's like life isn't it?

I hope Strout continues to write about Lucy at her next stage of life.

I like Elizabeth Strout. I’ve read a few of her books and was excited for a new one. I didn’t realize it’s actually the third in a series. I’ve read the first one, My Name is Lucy Barton. I haven’t read the middle one. I’ll have to pick that up.
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Lucy is in her 60’s. She’s a successful author, mother to two adult daughters, and recently a widow. Over the years she had kept up a friendship with her first husband, William. They have remained friendly for the sake of their girls and because they have a genuine fondness for each other. In this book William has some issues come up and he leans heavily on Lucy as he tries to cope. Lucy is a supportive friend and through the process learns from it.
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I really enjoyed the book. This author writes ordinary people so well as to make them remarkable. I think that writing normal people in their normal lives and making it so interesting is not something you run across very often.
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Thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for an advanced copy of this book!

I just love Elizabeth Strout’s quiet, seemingly simple way of storytelling. In simple language and uncomplicated plot, she gets to the heart of each of us feeling alone or different or invisible. Her novel causes the reader to reflective on how each childhood affects who we become and how we feel about ourselves. So powerful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC to read and review.

Elizabeth Strout has written a lovely companion novel to My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible. It has been a while since I read both of those so only some details have stayed with me. With that said I didn’t have any trouble with understanding what was happening in this new book, Oh William!

Strout is an auto-buy author for me and I am a particular fan of the Olive Kitteridge books. Oh William! steps more inwardly and examines the world around us, our histories and where we came from, and what we seek out in others.

In this novel, Lucy has lost her second husband, David, a year ago and is still mourning. Her ex-husband William and Lucy are good friends and share two grown daughters. Lucy left William after his cheating on her with a common friend. Now William’s third wife Estelle, with whom they have a young daughter, is unhappy with him and moves out.

Leaning on each other for support, William invites Lucy on a fact finding trip with him about his past and that of his mother who has passed.

I admire the way Strout captures real life. She doesn’t sugar coat how people speak or feel. For example you can still love someone and have them totally piss you off.

The writing always draws me in and I come out of my reading time thinking about the lessons that the characters live by.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Oh William! Publishes October 19, 2021.

Oh William
Elizabeth Strout
October 19, 2021

In 2016 Elizabeth Strout gave us our first introduction to Lucy Barton. This novel told of her troubles as a girl, her relationship with her mother, and more of her struggles as a wife. In 2017 we find Strout giving us a second look at Lucy. It is the second book of the Amgash series where we find Lucy after 17 years struggling to meet with her sister. Now in 2021 we find Barton in Oh William taking a look back at her life, her marriage, and her parents. She talks easily about her father who she dearly loved. She goes into some details about the mother who really didn't love her at all. Lucy questions the sad relationship she was destined to live with the hurtful woman who never offered kindness, consideration, or affection.
As I read through the conversations with her ex-husband it seemed that they needed more, just more. Sometimes it appeared as if I were reading the consultation and notations from a counseling session. In this characterization of William he seems to be a best friend not a lover or husband. He calls, he visits and would like to travel with Lucy. Reasons always dealt with something less than a personal bond.
Oh William will be published on October 19, 2021 by Random House of New York. I appreciate their allowing me to read and review another triumph narrative by Elizabeth Strout. It is another literary winner destined for the best seller list.

This is my first exposure to Elizabeth Strout’s work. While I recognize that she is a popular, award-winning author, the book was not an enjoyable or satisfying read.

This story, apparently the third that features Lucy Barton, explores the complexities of her relationship with her first husband, William, now seventy years old. Despite her divorce and a subsequent second marriage, she still maintains a unique connection with him, discovering that paradoxically she knows him well and not at all. The author posits that we are all mysteries and that we do not know anyone, even ourselves.

The story is told in a first-person narrative by Lucy. I found it challenging to read on several levels. First, the storyline rambled with an overabundance of breaks and asides, skipping back and forth in time and place. There was also a fair amount of repetition, which, coupled with a slow pacing, made the reading tedious most of the time. Finally, I never felt fully engaged with either Lucy or William. I appreciated the impact of their respective unresolved childhood issues, yet I felt little or no emotional connection to either of them.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

This is the story of Lucy and her husband, then ex-husband, Wiliam. It is a beautifully written personal examination of love, loss, and friendship. It chronicles Lucy's life and realizations of how she and William were impacted by their parents and by the places from which they came. Sadness, anger, contentment, love, acceptance and resignation. It was a thoughtful and thought-provoking book that inspires an examination of one's own life. It is genuine, honest, and sometimes maddening - as life often is. It is not artificially bright or dark, it just is, and that's enough. .

Oh William! Is a beautiful book about love and loss as you get older in years. Told from Lucy’s perspective, it feels like you are listening to a lovable aunt tell you about her love life. I have read Elizabeth Strout’s other books and love that she brings back characters that you have met before (but it is a stand alone story). Lucy makes you realize you never stop learning about yourself and other people. Loved it!

Oh, William by Elizabeth Stout is absolutely the most unique and lyrical book I’ve ever read. Lucy’s stream of consciousness takes us through out the whole novel and keeps us wondering where this delightful, quirky woman is going to end up. While I wish I had read the first book about Lucy, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of Oh, William. I will immediately be purchasing the rest of Strout’s backlist.
Lucy’s life hasn’t been easy. When her husband, David, dies and her ex-husband, William discovers shocking news, Lucy must decide the direction in which her life is meant to go. This isn’t an easy book to describe but one that will grab you in immediately.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. I enjoyed the story overall but I felt some parts repeated too much. I felt very disconnected from the characters and this may be because I have not read the first two books and did not realize this was the third book until about 50%. It was a quick read for me but I felt like it just didn't have a lot of substance.

Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhouse for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, even more than all of her others. I loved how it showed how real people act and what they go through in their lives. A wonderful character study!

I started Lucy’s start with this one! I haven’t read earlier books in the series to know about who Lucy or people in her circle are, but I liked the sincerity of her voice. Lucy talks about her husbands, one particularly: William. He is the father of her children and, as much pain as he caused for her, he is still one of her best friend.

Every time Lucy says “Oh William!”, I felt like she is saying “Oh Lucy!” to herself more. She is reflecting on her childhood and the days she was raising her children through William’s experiences. Lucy has a very calm and collected tone even when she was talking about William’s affairs and her daughters’’ both past and recent struggles. She wanted to make sure that she can protect herself from emotional harm while letting her daughters to continue respect their father.

I’m sure I would have more comments and find more connections, if I read the previous two books. But it was still enjoyable as a stand alone story of a woman trying to make peace with her childhood and ex husbands. If you liked other Lucy books, this one is calling your name.

Thank you to the publisher for the free galley ebook in exchange for a review!

I enjoyed reading Oh William and finished it in one sitting. I typically don't veer towards character driven novels but this one really grabbed me from the beginning. It was fast moving and written in a stream of consciousness type language very similar to the author's I Am Lucy Barton (not surprisingly this book had recurring characters). If you want a fast, enjoyable read without a lot of drama and upheaval...this is your book!

“But who really knows the experience of another?” As a teacher, I spent decades trying to figure out students - what baggage they carried with them into my classroom, how their past influenced their present, how their prejudices, biases, passion impacted their behavior and interests. Elizabeth Strout has that same curiosity and has spent three books exploring these ideas through the character of Lucy Barton and the peripheral people in her life. In this finale of her Amgash series, we meet Lucy’s husband William in all his complexities and sorrows embedded in his past. We see how this relationship, both when they are married and once they are divorced, affects both their lives. This is not a plot driven book so if you’re looking for a hard driving thriller, this isn’t it. For me, it is a gorgeous study of humanity in all its messiness. It is authentic and real, and it struck me deep into my core. Do you need to read all three books in the series? IMO, yes, you do. Without My Name is Lucy Barton, I would not have understood the depth of poverty from which Lucy rose. Without Anything is Possible, I would not have seen the broad connections in Amgash, of the friends and family that tie Lucy to her past. Both of these books shine the light of brilliance even brighter on Oh William!

5+ stars

Oh Wow! Those are the first words that come to mind as I sit down to write this review for Oh William! Written by the incomparable Elizabeth Strout, Oh William! is one of of those anomalies I did not want to put down and dreaded coming to the last page. Every book I have had read by Ms. Strout has been phenomenal, and Oh William! is now a new favorite.

Oh William! takes us through trial and tribulations in the life of author Lucy Barton as she ponders her experiences from childhood right up to present day. The storyline discusses in great detail her difficult, complicated and traumatizing childhood which she reflects back on quite frequently to explain how she became who she is today. Despite always feeling invisible, anxious and less than, Lucy becomes successful against all odds as she secures a full scholarship to college, becomes a renowned author, has two successful and supportive daughters with first husband William, and a second marriage to a man with whom she found true love.

The novel centers around Lucy's complex relationship with her ex-husband William as they still talk and see each other - taking trips, celebrating milestones, and supporting one another - intermittently through the years. Lucy spends a good deal of time pondering why it is so difficult to untether herself from the codependent relationship she continues to have with William, and what drew her to marry him in the first place.

After Lucy's second marriage leaves her a devastated widow, and William's third wife has just left him for another man, they take a life changing trip to Maine in search of discovering unanswered questions about William's ancestry. Along the way they discuss warm and hurt feelings never before revealed to the other and come to a place of greater understanding and less resentment towards each other from years of perceived (and real) slights. One moment on this trip in which I found particularly relatable and hysterical (literally laughing out loud as I read) was when Lucy notices William is wearing pants that look ridiculous on him because they are much too short. Upon hearing her observation he looks down and starts belly laughing at himself. Lucy was especially touched by this because William rarely laughs and she was glad she could draw this out of him. This moment also brings to light much about who they are to each other.

It is only at the end, after processing what and who she saw while on the trip with William in Maine, that Lucy realizes that she (growing up poor) and William ( growing up with wealth) have a lot more in common than she ever imagined. Her journey is touching and relatable, giving a voice to the difficulties and insecurities many of us share which are too often left unspoken - and ultimately, that no one is terminally unique

With special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #OhWilliam!

Elizabeth Strout does it again. She truly has a way with words that makes the reader feel every emotion. She makes us laugh, makes us cry and makes us go hmm.

Oh William! is narrated by Lucy Barton who we met in “My Name is Lucy Barton” and “Anything is Possible”. This time around she tells us about her marriage to William, which was strife in infidelities, and the numerous challenges a marriage can bring, including divorce.

Even though Lucy and William have been divorced for years, and have both been remarried, they remain close. They are confidantes who are brutally honest with each other and this is one of the reasons their friendship thrives.

William finds out through DNA testing that he has a step-sister so he asks Lucy to help him find her. During their travels and places they encounter, Lucy starts to think about her abusive past and how people’s lives are so intertwined with how and where they were raised and the difficulties they endured. William and Lucy are stunned that his mother, who has always been somewhat of a saint to all who knew her, gave up a child in her early years. It causes them both to do some self-reflection and us readers get to feel all of their remorse, confusion, happiness and regrets.

This book is written in sparse words that Strout weaves into such beautiful prose. I am addicted to her stories, all of them, and Lucy Barton has become so real to me, simply because of the author’s ability to write as if she’s actually having a conversation with the reader. I give this a well deserved five stars!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Random House. It is due to be released in mid-October and you need to get yourself a copy. #OhWilliam #NetGalley #ElizabethStrout #fivestarreview #readthis

This was not the book for me. I did finish it but mostly only to see if I would start liking it more. For one I wasn't the right demographic, maybe my MIL would have like it more. Two Lucy's voice and constant justification of what she was saying annoyed me. Three nothing happened and nothing interesting or true was said as far as I could tell.