Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout is a unique and interesting novel that I really enjoyed. Elizabeth Strout has written, yet again, a great novel. The novel revolves around a man named William and his family. The relationship between William and his first wife is so thought provoking. Why do we marry who we do? After a divorce how to you maintain a civil relationship with your ex? These characters actually manage to maintain a somewhat loving relationship and the dynamic of this is so unique. What about secrets? Why are they kept and how can these secrets shock and hurt others? By reading this novel I was challenged to rethink what I thought divorced relationships were about and how they evolve. Thank you to Netgalley, Elizabeth Strout, and Random House for allowing me to read this novel in advance in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thanks so much to Random House and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review Oh William in advance of publication!
I am a huge fan of Elizabeth Strout, and was very excited to learn that a sequel to My Name Is Lucy Barton was coming out. After reading Olive Again, which blew me away with its mastery, I looked forward to reading Oh William. After finishing, I realized I hadn’t read My Name is Lucy Barton in so long I actually bought it on Kindle, so I could thoroughly parse the sequel. It wasn’t until I’d reread Lucy Barton that I fully appreciated how amazingly Oh William dissects marriage, divorce, parenting, and death in Strout’s signature style. It distills beautifully the essential mystery of human relationships. Lucy is very different from Olive, which made for a fascinating comparison as these two women are etched in my brain. Brava to Stout’s skill and mastery for etching unforgettable portraits of human beings in all our messy glory.

What a delightful surprise to find yet another Lucy Barton novel! Here is Lucy late in life with her story of her first marriage and her involvement with that man in the present. After My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible, the reader expects and finds a narrator who is herself an observant, curious novelist with her complicated life taking yet another turn. Elizabeth Strout is a modern master. I envy the reader who is new to her work all of it!

Elizabeth Strout has done it again. She has managed to take her lovable character Lucy Barton and expound upon her unique observations about life and how we and those around us choose to live it. It amazes me how she can take what seems to be just rambling streams of consciousness and turn them into an insightful and lovable story. Oh William does just that. It takes the character of Lucy's first husband and expounds on their relationship and each of their pasts that develop them from childhood to adults. The choices they made and the experiences they endured that formed them. But sometimes we don't have a choice, the choice is made for us, whether by our parents or a decision a spouse makes that we have no control over. How all of our choices affect the next generations. Choose wisely.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

To be fair, I have not read the other books, written by Elizabeth Strout, featuring Lucy Barton. It didn’t matter, for I didn’t feel the need to know the character in her previous books. This story was intriguing by itself, in that the character, Lucy, reflects on her marriages, childhood, and her relationships, in particular, with her ex-husband, William and his mother!. The story is told by her, in the first person, and all the characters play a role in her realizing who she really is, and who her ex, William, was to her! Her story should be relatable to everyone, who as a person, is shaped, willingly or unwillingly, by the people in it, good and bad! Thank you for introducing Elizabeth Strout and “Lucy Barton” to me!

3.5 stars rounded down (probably says more about my tastes than the novel).

First confession: Poor research on my part, but it turns out that this is the third book about Lucy Barton. It did stand alone for me but I suspect I would have enjoyed it more and got more out of it if I’d read the previous two.

Lucy is in her sixties and is mourning the death of her second husband. Her friendship with William, her first husband, deepens as they both explore life alone. Lucy’s narration swings easily backwards and forwards in time as she expands her understanding of herself, her relationships, and her future.

Second confession: I read this several books ago and honestly can’t remember much about it. There’s not a lot of plot, and plot-driven novels are usually more up my alley. What I do remember is the power of Lucy’s voice. It’s quite conversational yet ventures into profound territory on topics such as the scars of childhood, the warmth of family, and the shattering debilitation of grief.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

I didn’t realize this was the third book in a series when I requested it. (Some of the reviews said you do no need to read them in order.) The premise sounded good with family secrets, but I just couldn’t get into this book. The writing was sort of all over the place, and the characters were not very relatable to me. I was bored and maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time.

Bottom Line: At the time of my review, the book had really good reviews on Goodreads, so I can’t say not to read it since I didn’t finish it. Maybe it picked up? It just wasn’t for me.

**I received a copy of Oh William! from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Oh, William picks up Lucy Barton's story years after the events of My Name Is Lucy Barton. Lucy's second husband has died, she is a recognized writer, her daughters are grown and William's second marriage has failed. Through the intervening years Lucy and William have maintained a bond that keeps them connected. Now in her 60's Lucy finds herself responding to William's needs, his frequent night terrors, moodiness. and fear of his waning career. After William's mother dies he and Lucy set off to find out more about her early life. Family secrets are revealed, not all of them good. Reading Oh, William is like sitting down with a friend you haven't seen for years and catching up on all that's happened in the interim. If you've read My Name Is Lucy Barton much of the book will be familiar. What is new is the recognition that we all look for a place of safety throughout our lives,
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to catch up with Lucy's life.

Oh, William! had a very cleverly done diary-like feel that worked extremely well for me. The characters were all so real and knowable -- and therefore lovable, frustrating, heartwarming, pitiful. In this regard, Elizabeth Strout really has a gift and this book made it shine.The prose was also really lovely. That said, this story is very character-driven and meditative, which made it less readable than I was expecting. I had to convince myself to pick it up each time, though felt immersed once I did.

This is another installment of the Lucy Barton series. In this one, Lucy is musing on her ex-husband William and their life together then and present. As in all her books, the prose is beautiful and thought-provoking. The characters seem realistic and are full of human imperfections that we all have. Both the good and the bad parts of their lives are portrayed with honesty and Lucy comes to some realizations that are surprising to her. In this book Lucy is now 63 and William is 70 and they are still friends, even though their marriage has been over for awhile. The book takes us through their college years, their marriage, bringing up their children, their divorce, their remarriages, and their friendship.

I have enjoyed all the stories involving the writer Lucy Barton. Her struggles with her dysfunctional family, her marriages, her fears and insecurities have been fascinating.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy. This will be published on October 19, 2021.

"This is the way of life; the many things we do not know until it's too late." Oh William! is a novel which brings back my soul friend Lucy Barton (now i must re read the other two books she featured in). I just love the way Elizabeth Stout writes. With a gentle clarity and finesse she manages to tell a poignant story, full of emotions without a lot of superfluity. Her ex husband William is also back, a very flawed man with a great deal of emotional baggage. Lucy is newly widowed and we travel together with them to explore this new chapter of their lives. It is a short novel but not short on content. A huge thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and most of all Ms. Strout for the Arc.
5*****

I loved hearing about Lucy and William's marriage through Lucy's eyes as she navigates how dynamic it has been over time. I have not read Lucy Barton, but I cannot wait to do so now in order to better understand Lucy. I also found myself craving more backstory on William! What a great and special book. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This was a finish in one sitting book for me. I find myself completely engrossed in Lucy and her musings about William. Of course, it is about much more than William. Marriage, motherhood, mental health, career. Touches on all of these things in a unique way. Beautiful writing.

I really enjoyed reading Lucy Barton again.

In this book, the story is told from Lucy Barton's perspective which she is a writer herself.

This book is a very personal story. An intimate story of Lucy and her life as a whole. The author gets in the mind of the character and delivers her story. She is able to show Lucy's vulnerability and how raw her emotions are when certain memories come back to her.

Lucy talks about her marriage to William, who and what she thinks William is before and after their marriage. And there's so much there!!! I just love Lucy and how her brain works!

While this is a story about William, it also touches on motherhood. It isn't talked about in a big way but it touches on motherhood in such a deep way that it's almost painful. Different mother, different stories. It will keep you in wonder what their story is behind Lucy's story, like that of Catherine Cole. What a mystery, that woman!

I especially love the part just before the story ends. William, oh William! I felt so much for him and his story. If we could delve into William's childhood too, Elizabeth?

If you have not read Lucy Barton, I think you should read it to understand Lucy better!

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy for my honest review!

Pros: I reread My Name is Lucy Barton to refamiliarize myself with the characters before I started this book. I don’t think readers have to read the first book to enjoy this book, and for those who have read it but it’s been awhile, this book does a good job adding in subtle reminders of important things from the first book. I also enjoyed the brief mention of characters from The Burgess Boys. At times I had to remind myself that Elizabeth Strout wrote this book, not Lucy Barton, because Lucy Barton is also an author and is telling the story.

I’ve read several of the author’s books, and I always appreciate her efficient prose. I tend to gravitate toward plot-driven books, but her books remind me that character-driven novels are often more rewarding. This book focuses on aging, grief, loneliness, families and their secrets, choices and regret, and nostalgia.

Cons: This is something I thought would be a con but did not end up being so: Some readers might be concerned when they pick up this book and see that there are only two chapters. I was concerned at first because I prefer books with more chapter breaks so I can start and stop reading as needed. Although this book only has one chapter break, it has many section breaks and can be read in one sitting, so the lack of chapter breaks did not end up being a negative for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read this book!

4.5 stars

I have shared this review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4117982122
I have shared this review on StoryGraph: https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/6422cf4f-dda4-498e-b28c-1f12f0d8ab64

I DNF at 25%.

I really try to not DNF books, but I just didn't click with this one.

I received an e-arc but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

In a stream of consciousness narrative, Lucy Barton describes her ex-husband William and all his flaws and strengths. Throughout the course of this novel, we learn more details about Lucy’s childhood, her relationships with her first and second husbands (William and David), and her insecurities. Lucy also sees how William exploits some of those insecurities while at the same time he values her continued friendship. Lucy and William’s friendship and inter-dependency change over time, sometimes for the better and sometimes taking a turn for the worse, especially when William learns some information about his mother and her past which shocks and bewilders him. He immediately turns to Lucy for support.

I found myself cheering for Lucy throughout her emotional journey with William. The novel is touching and sometimes Lucy is brutally honest. While her narrative provides background information about her life, I wish I remembered more details from the two previous novels about Lucy Barton which I read in 2016 and 2017. It’s not necessary to have read them first to appreciate this novel, but Lucy’s story is so much more complete knowing her past. All-in-all, I found Oh William! to be an enjoyable and engaging read.

The first few chapters had me happy to be visiting with Lucy Barton once again. I’ve enjoyed her in past novels, her easy believable dialogue made me feel like an old friend popped in for a visit. However, after a point, maybe about the time William was celebrating his 70th birthday, the banter got a bit tedious. I know that Lucy can be a bit scatter-brained and flighty with her dialogue. She will be talking about one thing, which will remind her of something else, and off she goes with another story, another memory.

Lucy and William have been divorced many years and have two grown daughters. This novel is a reflection of their marriage, what was right, what went wrong, how it affected their nuclear family. They didn’t divorce because of lack of caring about one another, they still do and remain friends, but their relationship was complicated, and yet not complicated at all. He was a skirt chaser, and Lucy never felt like she was enough for him, yet his perception of her is entirely different. Lucy is a recent widow and misses her second husband immensely. He was apparently the right match for Lucy, though his character isn’t well developed. After all this is about “Oh yes… William.”

As a fan of Elizabeth Strout (especially her Olive Kitteridge series) I find it hard to rate any writing by her less than 4-star worthy, but this one I will. It felt disjointed for me at times, with no real plot, just a nostalgic look at their relationship and at the journey that brought them both to this point in time. Both William and Lucy had their fair share of baggage brought into the marriage.

Others have liked it much more than I did, so don’t let me discourage you. Read it and decide for yourself. You may just enjoy the chuckles, the situations which will seem familiar to many of you and more characterization as to Lucy’s childhood, which helped shape her into the loving and forgiving person she is today. You know the old saying “what doesn’t kill you….”

Many thanks to #NetGalley, #PenguinRandomHouse and #ElizabethStrout for my complimentary e-ARC to read and review prior to its publication on Oct. 19, 2021 -- All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley, Elizabeth Strout and Random House Publishing Group, for the ARC of Oh William. This is my personal review.
This was a book by a new author for me and the description sounded like a book that would be interesting to read.
It was for me a short and sometimes confusing book to read. This is the third book in a series, but it is not really a series if that makes sense. If you have read other books by this author, I am sure you will greatly enjoy this one.

Strout’s style is very evident here, with scattered inner dialogue and an entirely character-driven plot.

As usual, her characters are deep and complicated, and we get a beautiful glimpse into their consciousness. From the polarized emotions about a spouse, to the decoding of a stranger’s facial expressions and what they might mean. Reading Strout is like stepping into someone else’s mind and realizing it’s not unlike your own.

I gave 4 stars because Oh William, while lovely to read, still seems incomplete.