Elizabeth Strout, true to form, has not disappointed her fans. The character studies are thorough and completely drawn from the very beginning of the novel. Her style of speaking to the reader as if she were a friend in the same room is both captivating and charming. It lends to a more intimate understanding of what is going on.

Although the plot seems slow to develop, the pace of the book remains steady. It draws the reader in with anticipation of what Lucy Barton will ultimately decide to do. Understanding the background of all her characters lends credence to this decision. . This book explores more the relationships and the interactions of the protagonist with the rest of the characters, than it does their physical actions.

The title of the book itself, “Oh William”, is like a thoughtful sigh rather than a call to action. I found this title to be a perfect description of what was presented to the reader by Elizabeth Strout.

Read through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I know that this author is well respected and her other books have been big hits so I had high hopes for this book. Maybe my mistake was not reading the 2 books that came before this one? But I just didn't care for this book. It seems like a bunch of just rambling on and on about things that are normal to a lot of us. The characters didn't seem like anyone special. We all have "stuff" happen to us and bring things from our childhood into our adult lives. Many of us go through divorces and deaths of loved ones. Again nothing special. I did finish it because I had received this book as an advanced reader so felt some sense of obligation to finish it. But I just kept waiting for a punchline that never came.

Its been quite some time since I last read a book by Elizabeth Stout and I had forgotten how much I enjoy her writing. It's very unique in that you feel at times you are having a conversation with an old friend or just listening to her stream of consciousness. She addresses complex issues like marriage, love, divorce, children and grief in such simple terms that make you relate and understand them in ways you hadn't considered before. In this book she explores her relationship with her ex-husband William while grieving for her late husband. It's a complex relationship but she sorts through it and takes the reader along for the emotional ride. This is a fast read but very enjoyable and thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

The story of Lucy Barton continues in Elizabeth Strout’s latest offering.
Lucy is in her sixties, clear in voice and thought. Her stories reflect on her ex-husband William. Although divorced for years, they have established a continuing relationship, one of honesty and reliability. Bill has learned something about his mother’s past that is troubling and he has turned to Lucy for her help. In doing so,
Lucy is also forced to deal with her past and the moments faced that stir her emotions; her lonely and violent childhood, neglect, going to college, marrying Bill, dealing with his affairs and being a mother. Lucy’s story can be anyone’s story and it is told as if she is sitting across a table from the reader having an intimate conversation.
Elizabeth Strout’s executes the frailties and strengths of the human condition. Her revelations and reflections are truthful and identifiable. The lessons learned by these characters and the lives they live make this a compelling read.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Oh William!-aren't you a piece of work???? Wives are disposable, friends a nuisance, children a burden-unless you need something from them. Although the title is Oh William! the unequivocal star of the show is Lucy-William's first wife and the one he always turns to in times of trouble. Lucy is the voice of your best friend, beloved grandmother, and Dear Abby rolled into one-few nail the plight of the human condition as well as Lucy Barton. She's the yin to William's yang, the calm to his storm, the sunshine to his darkness. Oh William! is a slim novel, but Elizabeth Strout packs more emotion in a few hundered pages than others do in thousands. Oh William! is a joy to read-even though you want to smack William upside the head for his cluelessness. Oh William! is the third novel featuring the fearless Lucy Barton (you don't need to read the previous two to follow the story or appreciate what an amazing character Ms. Strout has created with Lucy), but I hope it isn't the last. Lucy Barton is a wellspring of wisdom and insight-I'll listen to her anytime even if William doesn't.

Oh William! What a treat this was! This story is so heartfelt and genuine that it felt like I was reading the life story of an older distant aunt. Elizabeth Strout's writing makes even the most subtle and mundane occurrences sparkle. She truly captures the strength and fragility of human connections and presents them in such a brilliant and heart warming way.
I am very honoured to have received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher. All opinions are of my own.

William is Lucy’s ex-husband. They still have a good relationship with their grown daughters and each other. He has had more than one wife since Lucy and slept with several women. When he needs someone to talk to and examine his sorted life, Lucy is the one he calls. He found out he has a sister from his mother’s first husband and decides to go check her out. Lucy is asked to go along. We learn a lot about both William and Lucy growing up and their life together through flashbacks. We are a product of our environment; just how much can we change? I found this book reflective but did not like it as much as some of her other books.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lucy goes on a trip with her ex husband William to learn more about his family. On this trip, Lucy learns more about him than she knew when they were married. I enjoyed reading this story.

I struggled with this book. I really like Olive Kitteredge and her eccentricities. I found William, in this story, to be self-centered and uncaring. He and Lucy, his first wife, share two daughters who are now grown. When William's third wife leaves him, he discovers, through a DNA test, that he has a half-sister in Maine, and he asks Lucy to go with him to Maine, to see what they can discover. He not only discovers the half-sister, but also secrets about his mother, whom he revered. And he discovers that the life his mother created bears little resemblance to her real life.

Fans of Strout's earlier novels won't be disappointed. The reader is given the opportunity to spend more time with Lucy Barton and learns much more about her first husband, William. Told in Strout's signature style, the reader gets the privilege of spending more time with Lucy and her insights.

Thanks to Random House and Elizabeth Strout for the chance to read and review Oh William!

As I was reading Oh William! I wondered how many people would enjoy a novel where nothing happens. The answer is "lots", if it's by Elizabeth Strout. If you loved Olive Kitteridge you know what I mean.

This is another book about Lucy Barton, a character we have met before, but not, to my mind, with the depth and inner life we entered previously. It is full of wise and thought-provoking ideas. One that resonated with me is the attraction people have for those who seem to be in authority. It's as if we seek people in our lives
( I never mentioned Trump!) Strout also makes you think about how much your childhood, where you came from, where you lived, what class your family was influences who you are now. It's a book that will make you pause and think about your own life.

Lucy is 63 in this novel, having recently lost her beloved second husband, David. She has continued a post-divorce relation ship with her first husband, William, because they have two daughters together. William seems to count on Lucy a great deal despite being in a third marriage and having a third daughter with his third wife. William is 70 when his current wife leaves him and he looks to Lucy for sympathy.

When I said nothing happens I mean there are no surprises, yet I found this book impossible to put down. Perhaps I could chalk that up to loving Strout's writing. But it is more likely that she is a crafter of the human condition we can all relate to.

Every one of Elizabeth Strout’s book is aching with empathy, often for those who don’t seem to have earned that empathy. Her books, at their core, exude that feeling you get when you see, just for a moment, someone’s deep hurt and your heart breaks for them.

Oh William! is no exception, following as it does the journeys (real and metaphorical) of Lucy Barton (a recurring Strout character) and her first husband. Over the course of the book, you find yourself angry at almost every character, only for Strout to slay you with a deep insight into the flawed people who inhabit her world.

This is not a plot-driven novel; read it for those moments of painful empathy and for Strout’s unique, lovely voice. (And I swear this book is way more entertaining than this description might suggest.)

Lucy Barton is working hard to fill in the missing pieces. Now in her late 60's, she is trying to make sense of her life's journey. Her second husband has recently passed and she is spending time with her first husband William. We get glimpses of Lucy's impossible childhood, the gaps William filled for her, how his remoteness led to their marriage falling apart, the way their children fit in, and the question of reconciliation.

Lucy darts around and teases us with shreds of information, exposing us to things she is not going to get into right now. She refers to other parts of her life covered in other books... but always keeping the narrative going strong. I really feel for her character and will be putting Elizabeth Strout's previous Lucy Barton books on my TBR list.

I want to thank Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and Elizabeth Strout for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. #OhWilliam #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishing

I am posting this on NetGalley and GoodReads July 22, 2021.
"Oh William" publishes on October 19, 2021 and I will be posting reviews with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookBub, Twitter, and Facebook on that date.

Oh William by Elizabeth Strout is a very confusing read. Confusing in that it is a stream of consciousness which means Lucy’s thoughts are all over the place which means this reader was lost a lot. I also don’t understand how if Lucy loathed William by the end of their marriage how is she still close to him? Their daughters were off to college by the time they divorced so it’s not like they had to work out custody details. I just didn’t get this book, but I’m glad so many others enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I’m torn between 3 and 3.5 stars. I have not read I Am Lucy Barton, so she and William were new characters for me. While at times insightful, this book was all over the place with Lucy’s thoughts. Her rambling was distracting and left the book without flow. I enjoyed the sections that were telling a story, like when they are visiting Maine, but the rest of the story was choppy to me.

I received a prepub copy of this book for my honest review.

The first book of Elizebeth Strout that I read was "My Name is Lucy Barton" (2016) as it was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize. I fell in love with her skills of capturing human emotions and desire with some humour. Lucy's mother, who is visiting her during nine weeks when Lucy, a writer who moved out of her hometown, is now hospitalized in New York, is telling the stories about people in Amgash, Illinois, a fictional town which Strout's next book "Anything is Possible" (2017) explores more deeply in a format of short stories.

The narrator of "My Name is Lucy Barton" is back! Lucy is now in her late 60s and his first husband, William, is 71 years old. Lucy's second husband David (the cellist) is now dead and William's third marriage is about to collapse. Lucy and William have been in touch and William, suddenly with his life in crisis, embarks on his journey to his dead mother's past in Maine.

Lucy is still unsure of herself, using ""_____ is what I mean" as if she is afraid of not being understood. Lucy thinks she is invisible though her stories tell it otherwise. Whenever William sounds dishonest or disengaging, Lucy suddenly declares "Oh I missed David!" Because of these and her other shortcomings, Lucy is such a charming character.

And there is this:

The journey to Maine reveals "what" William's mother Catherine Cole came from. "What someone came from" is quite a strong motif that Lucy, who came from her impoverished childhood herself, wants to get out of. For Lucy, it is to understand Catherine and eventually William.

The book is funny, sometimes insightful and inevitably sad. It is a great tribute to humanity and its mysteries and what it means to know someone and have a relationship with that person.

Fans of Elizabeth Strout rejoice! This October the Queen of Character-rooted Story is back with a portrait of the relationship between Lucy Barton and her first husband. Oh my god my heart! I adored this tranquil and tender study of a divorced couple in their twilight years. Read this when you are not in the mood for plot 😜 but instead in the mood for a description of the human condition through simple elements that carry real depth. It is Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler meets Souls at Night by Kent Haruf. Best paired with room service Caesar salads, cheeseburgers and a glass of white wine. XO, Tara

A book about relationships that all were troubled. Relationships of mothers /daughters:son /mother: husbands/ wives: sisters: stepsister : brother and step sister : lovers.:fathers being abusive and uncaring. Very complex at times understanding all these relationships. The predominant relationship was between Lucy and William. At times Lucy’s thoughts were interesting but often the reader became bogged down in the mundane ramblings of Lucy and William. Life is hard but struggling with the complexity of strained relationships and trying to function with work , family , friends and general living is the premise of this book.

Oh William! is Elizabeth Strout at her best - sparse language, descriptive words, and insight into the emotions behind the facade people present to the world. Returning to her Lucy Barton character in Oh William!, Strout depicts the bond between a divorced couple, both of whom subsequently had other spouses, that ranges from respect and love to dislike and revulsion. As Lucy and William interact, the journey they takes helps Lucy gain a sense and understanding of self-worth while balancing the emotions raised by how she perceives others see her.

Stylistically, Strout uses short sentences and strong words to leave an impact with the reader. Oh William! is an easy read that leaves one wanting more - not only about Lucy, but her daughters and William, too.,

I keep trying and trying to get used to the style of the writing— like listening to a much older person think out loud, but not in an exciting or even remotely pleasant way., I have restarted it a few times and it’s a little older feeling and depressing. Sigh!