I hated, okay strongly disliked, and was mostly bored by My Name is Lucy Barton. So why did I expect Oh William! to be any different? I certainly was hoping this book would make me understand the first, and provide insight to the good reviews, because obviously I didn't understand the assignment the first go around. I'm a masochist I guess, because I still don't understand. It's not an enjoyable read.

Lucy is simply not a joyful person. She didn't enjoy being married to William, but she drops everything to help him figure out his family secrets and issues. All it does is bring up old gripes about the now ended marriage. I should stop while I'm ahead and not read sequels to terrible books.

In closing, if you loved My Name is Lucy Barton, please carry on with this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for a review.

I received a galley copy of Elizabeth Strout’s “Oh William!” and enjoyed the story from start to finish. I previously read the other two “Amgash” stories by Strout (“My Name is Lucy Barton” and “Anything is Possible”) and was not disappointed by this third novel in the series.

Strout’s skill lies in her ability to make a compelling story out of the mundane and the everyday experiences of characters who are unexceptional. There’s a beauty in the way that Strout describes human relationships and shows their quirks in compelling yet realistic ways. “Oh William” is a love story. Not a classic love story, but a complex story of love and care that stands out among the typical unrealistic depictions of love in contemporary novels.

My wife turned me on to Strout’s works and I’m eternally grateful. Her novels are not the ones that I would typically select for myself, but it only took reading her once to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of her work. “Oh William” is among Strout’s best books and I couldn’t put it down once I started.

Oh William! by Elizabeth Stout is the third book in a trilogy. However, it worked fine as a stand-alone since I haven’t read the previous books. The main character is a 64 year old woman named Lucy Barton, who is a novelist. She’s been divorced from William, a college professor, for many years but they maintain a close relationship even though both have since remarried. They have two adult children and they all live in NYC. The authors writing style is a bit different but make it a very easy read as it’s as if you’re having a conversation with Lucy.
At several points throughout the book I wasn’t sure how I felt or if I liked it. It’s just different. Not in a bad way though. The main characters seem a little odd and hard for me to connect with. Maybe because I’ve never experienced the same things? That said, they are very well developed and it was actually hard not to keep reading along. It pulled me in anyway. For that I do recommend this. It’s worth the time and it’s a quick read. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed Elizabeth Strout's writing and storytelling, her characters were endearing and they captivated my attention and feelings.

I enjoy Elizabeth Strout’s writing, and I fell in love with the book Olive Kitteridge when I read it for a local library book club ten years ago. I’m not familiar with Lucy Barton’s story (Oh William! is part of its own series), but I was immediately consumed by this book, a character-driven meandering stream of consciousness tale about life, relationships, and loneliness. Strout has a true talent in devising characters who feel so real, and the story flowed easily.

At times, there are beautiful passages with insightful takes on life that feel genuine. Despite the incredibly emotional and somewhat heavy content, however, I did not find myself particularly moved. The frequent refrain of “Oh William” from our narrator Lucy grew a bit tiresome for me as well.

One of the reasons I love books is the idea of storytelling in and of itself. Back when I worked in a nursing facility my favorite part of the job was listening to people’s stories from the ordinary to the fantastic. For me, the book Oh William! is about the stories we tell others and the stories we tell ourselves. It’s definitely worth a read, and it’s short enough to read over an afternoon to spend time with Lucy’s many thoughts about life, love, and loneliness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sending an eARC.

Elizabeth Strout is the master of the character driven, slow moving and oh, so delicious narrative.
In 'Oh, William' we revisit the writer Lucy Barton, her ex-husband William and their two daughters. The characters are well rounded and developed, and the reader just wants to continue reading and delving into their lives. Such a treat.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this ARC.

Great book! Highly recommend! I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book but I was very happy with it and loved the character.

This was such a great book! A wonderful domestic mystery between husband and wife. It will keep you guessing until the end ! Quick fast paced read !

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Strout is one of those authors who can write about anything. I would read her observations on paint drying. Just like her other books, I enjoyed reading about her family and learning more about her marriage. She writes in such plain truths that I often stopped to wonder how those depicted in the store felt about her portrayals, nuanced as they are.

This book is labeled as the third in a series. While I read them in order and I think it’s great to do if you can, I don’t know if it’s absolutely necessary. During this book she references many things discussed in the other books (a hospital stay of hers, her childhood, etc) and I liked that I was able to understand the references. She does jump around topics a lot, so it may or may not be jarring not to catch everything.

In terms of the plot of this book, it is not so much a linear story as a series of vignettes and observations. They are largely related to the subject of the book, her former husband William, but not entirely. This is much more a character study than a traditional novel.

I recommend this book wholeheartedly to any fans of Strout’s work. Those new to her may want to start somewhere else.

Oh William provides a unique glimpse into the evolution of a relationship from marriage, to divorce, to a friendship of sorts. Lucy Barton has never really understood her ex-husband William but they remain oddly connected to each other. While they have both moved on to other romantic relationships since their divorce, they continue to rely on each other in different ways.

This novel truly examines and lays bare the relationship between Lucy Barton and William in all its complexities and nuances. You can empathize with Lucy as she looks more deeply into why she has the feelings she has and how her emotions developed over time.

This book is considered a stand alone novel, but is based on characters featured in two of Elizabeth Strout's other novels (My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible). I had not read those prior novels and read this book as a standalone, but I feel that the experience would likely be enriched if I had read the previous books. I think for this reason I had some trouble connecting to the writing style initially and then later the book as a whole. I was interested in the characters, but felt as if I was starting a journey with them on the last leg.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ms. Strout invites her characters to sit around your kitchen table, where they engage in what feels like casual conversation until you realize they've covered urgent and serious topics. You may be startled to bump into some familiar acquaintances and settings (if you've read her other work) as you follow these folks out into the world. The female narrator's ditzy, run-on sentence monologue is the perfect tone for lulling readers into what feels like comfort with intense family issues until the plot's twists and turns reveal the damage and restoration from childhood trauma, spousal unfaithfulness, and unlikely relationships. At the heart of the story is the exploration of the fundamental aloneness of each human individual and the question "Can anyone really know anyone else?" You may see your own intimate relationships differently once you've spent time with these characters.

I picked this book up because it was recommended by my favorite author, Taylor Jenkins Reid and boy did it not disappoint. If you enjoy TJR's work, you will truly enjoy Oh William! This book has incredibly well developed characters and you truly understand their scattered headspace through Strouts writing. This story of Love and loss was so incredibly captivating and an amazing representation on human tendencies.

Oh William, you piece of work. I’m going to need time to digest this before I can review it.

I did like My Name is Lucy Barton better though…

I think Elizabeth Strout is an incredible writer. I have read most if not all of her books and love the way the characters reappear in different ones. This book was good - there was a particular passage about when one of Lucy’s daughters had been sick that resonated with me deeply - but I struggled to remember all the back stories from the previous Lucy books. I wonder if someone started reading them in succession one after another would have a different feeling. She often says things like “I told you about that in a previous book”, so it might be easier to appreciate the interwoven stories and connections Lucy tries to make to the reader. I still love Lucy and William.

Lucy Barton is back, and she's here to tell readers all about her ex-husband, William. Lucy and William had a decent marriage that had a lot of love but ended in unhappiness and indifference. Recounting their story, Lucy details their younger years as newlyweds, births and raising of two daughters, and painful dissolution of marriage. Over the years, the Lucy and William have stayed cordiale and even became on-again-off-again friends. Now that the two are much older, Lucy and William have a unique friendship. When William's latest wife leaves him without warning and he discovers an upsetting family secret, William turns to Lucy for support. Newly widowed, Lucy empathizes deeply with William and attempts to help him move forward with his life.


Oh William! was not the book for me whatsoever. To begin, the entire book is only two chapters and, while it's a fairly short book itself, Oh William! felt super long with its one-off paragraphs and Lucy word vomit. While I felt an emotional connection to Lucy as she navigates her interesting relationship with her ex, she would squash it all by constantly judging people and commenting on their physical appearance - I mean, seriously, do I, as a reader, need to know the body shape and attractiveness level of every person Lucy interacts with? No. Maybe if I had read the other two books in the Amgash series, I would enjoy Lucy and her voice a lot more, but, based on Oh William!, I have no interest in reading more Lucy. While I dislike Oh William! in terms of plot and characters, I enjoyed Elizabeth Strout's prose as it was enticing and romantic. Overall, I would not read or recommend Oh William!, but I would read Elizabeth Strout again (just as long as it's not an Amgash book).

I just love Elizabeth Strout’s writing. Always, always. I love her calm pace, her quiet observations, her knowledge of mankind. This was such a lovely book.

This book was provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

At turns warm and heart-breaking ,Elizabeth Strout has once again allowed us the privilege of seeing life through the eyes of Lucy Barton. Lucy, now in her sixties, shares her experiences with her first husband, William. Both through her reminiscences and her current times with him she gives finely honed observations that feel intimate to the reader. The third of the Lucy Baron books, this one has the advantage of allowing us, the readers, to see how her childhood, first marriage, her perceptions of herself as a parent and her second marriage have intertwined to make Lucy a fully realized person. This is a beautiful book not to be missed.

I am not sure how I didn’t realize that this wasn’t the first book in the series. Thankfully I realized before I was in it too far and now I can start at the beginning!

“Oh William” was my first Elizabeth Strout book and I’m in love with it. The sweetness and innocence of Lucy makes her, unequivocally, one of my favorite characters to have ever read about. What adds to her charm is the sweetness and innocence, we the reader, feel so deeply from the words so quirky, beautiful, fun, insightful and undeniably unique than any other, is that Lucy is also strong and courageous. Smart and witty. She’s simply one of those treasures you want to pluck from the pages and, I thought, oh, I don’t know! I thought that, I just want to be best friends with or family. Pluck her from the pages and bring her into my real world. How exciting the thought of that is to me.

I loved and adored this book, the story the characters and most wonderfully I adore Lucy. Truly a one of a kind, once in a lifetime, character.

There is so much to share about this story and I plan to be back to do so. Reading and reviewing between personal crisis of not having a home, health is too poor to go back to work and the pandemic is proving to be terrifying and running in circles playing what feels like whack o mole, which is another reason I believe having a real life Lucy as a friend would be a treasure.

I’ll be back asap to add more, but for now, I want to thank NetGalley, Random House, and the author for the opportunity to read this unforgettable story which will sit on the shelf in my heart meant for the most special reads a reader could hope for………especially during times like now. Lucy and “Oh William!” was a desperately needed gift to read.

I really enjoyed the overall storytelling aspect and the relationship between Lucy and her ex-husband, William. The whole story was peaceful and enjoyable. I switched between audiobook and e-book version. I enjoyed both version.

However, I was expecting more to happen in the story and suddenly, it ended. There didn’t seem to be a turning point, rather a story or Lucy & William and their evolving relationship. It was a beautiful story- I just prefer more plot development and turning points within.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced e-ARC!