I have not read previous books in the Lucy Barton trilogy which may account for why this one did not click with me. I loved Strout’s Olive Kitteridge, and so I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of engagement I felt with these characters. I also found the randomness of the narrator’s thoughts to be disconcerting, but, again, this is a character with whom I am not familiar. I would strongly recommend “knowing” Lucy Barton’s story before reading this one. I wish I had.

I enjoyed this book although it was not at all what I expected. It took me awhile to get into the writing style and rhythm of the book. It was interesting though.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for inviting me to review Oh William!

This book has a few trigger warnings: depression, childhood abuse, infertility, PTSD, and abandonment.

This genre is not one I normally read, so I was apprehensive to pick it up. I am so happy that I did decide to give it a go. While this story leans more on the depressive side, I found it beautifully written, and very relatable.

William and Lucy are forever entangled in each other's lives. Through marriage, divorce, parenting, and friendship, they stick by each other's sides. With each other, they learn about their family pasts, relationships, and just getting through the hard times of life.

What I found most interesting is all the new things they learned about each other over time. You think you know a person, and yourself for that matter. Life has a way of opening our eyes, and showing us that humans really are a mystery.

I think maybe I need to take a step back from the dead husband genre. This was well written and interesting. I appreciated the peek back over this woman's life with her husbands and their families and friends but I did find it a little maudlin.

Oh William is about Lucy Barton’s first husband, William, told through her eyes, but of course it’s really about Lucy herself.

“This is the way of life: the many things we do not know until it is too late.”

There is just something so special about the way Strout writes. It’s conversational, it’s simple, it’s every day life but also with a little bit of remarkableness. Lucy Barton is one of those characters that I just adore – I want to shake her sometimes and make her understand how lovely she is, how special she is – and this book reminded me that we are ALL that way. Lucy came from a troubled childhood and it will probably always plague her and her relationships but I think she is finally starting to accept it all. I don’t read a lot of series so what a treat to sink into something so comfortable and familiar, a beloved character. I really think any of these books could be enjoyed as standalones but it’s a bigger experience if you read them all in order. Oh I hope there’s more.

I looked back at my reviews for the first two books, which I gave 4 stars to both. I wanted more from the first, and now that I have more, I feel like My Name is Lucy Barton was my favorite of the three and I want to say it’s more than a 4 star book. Again something holds me back from saying Oh William is a new favorite – it’s more like the idea as a whole is something I love so much, but not as much the individual books.

The writing was engaging and the story was compelling, but at the end of the day, I just wasn't a fan of William.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I agreed to read this book for a review and later wasn't sure why since I read the abbreviated version of the 1st book in this series and have never read the 2nd. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised at how much that didn't effect following along the story.
This story was so intriguing and entertaining that I literally should have kicked myself for not picking it up sooner. I enjoyed following Lucy Barton along on her journey as she learned more about her ex-husband William and his family history. The story flowed along so well with secrets and background appearing as you read. Really a well written story about a woman and how her husband (ex) became the man she came to know.
What I really liked most in this story was the setting descriptions, how much I like to envision being in NYC and living large. But the characters were so well written too, that I felt as if I would know them if I had met them in real life.
Super and a must read if you enjoyed the first 2 books in the series. and if not but you like a good literary fiction story, this is up your alley too.

Elizabeth Strout published Oh William! as a continuation of My Name is Lucy Barton.

Strout excels at characterization, creating flawed but relatable people, and this book is rich with that gift. Lucy Barton, long divorced from her first husband William, is tracing their relationship's growth and demise, but even as the marriage ended, they maintained a connection because of how their girls would give them reasons to cross paths to celebrate common holidays and birthdays.

This book feels like Lucy discovering herself, admitting her weaknesses and viewing their relationship in the light of truth and how her experiences contributed to the struggles they endured. It's a thoughtful, revelatory story of the insights we can gain if we sit honestly with the memories and view them without the cloud of our assumptions.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

I didn't realize this was part of a series when I added it to my NetGalley. Read some other reviews about it being a great read, but I just didn't want to go into the book without having read the others in the series!

3.5 It was wonderful to revisit the character Lucy Barton at a different stage in her life, and while I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it as much as some of Strout's other novels and I can't pinpoint why exactly. Perhaps I need to reread both Lucy Barton and Oh William! in succession to fully appreciate them both.

[4.25 stars]

My Name is Lucy Barton was a 5 star book for me...and this “sequel that stands alone” covers Lucy’s relationship, marriage, and separation from her first husband, William. They remained very close for years after their marriage and, in Oh William, a 60 year-old Lucy reflects back on their kids, family secrets, and how life has turned out. Oh William is told in Strout's signature understated and character-driven style and ultimately asks the question "how well do you really know someone?" Other than some overuse of "Oh [insert name or phrase here] throughout the book, this one is an introspective story that drew me in.

It’s not a surprise that Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize. While I haven’t read her prize-winning book, I can tell you that she has a lyrical writing style. This was a story being told to the reader by Lucy. She is grieving her recently deceased husband, David. However, the story she is telling is about her ex-husband, William, their relationship, and his story. You truly get a sense that Lucy is your friend talking to you over wine. This is not a plot driven story, but I was totally captivated.

This is also the third in a series which I didn’t realize until I added it to my Goodreads. I didn’t read the first two books but also don’t think it was necessary to.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse publishing for inviting me to read this lovely book.

I asked NetGalley for an advanced copy of this and was so excited to receive it! I have read Olive Kitteridge, but neither of the original two in the Amgash series featuring Lucy Barton. But I was able to pick up Oh, William! with no problem. Lucy is in her 60s and has a platonic relationship with her ex-husband, William. These two embark on a road trip together to discover things from William’s mother’s past. While the book features Strout’s classic, characteristic prose, it was not enough to move the narrative for me. I wasn’t invested or drawn in and I was a little bored.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader’s eCopy.

I received this book and this is my review. This is a personal memoir and all thoughts and feelings come out. It is crazily interesting and extremely compelling. I had to keep reading - the outcome was important. I enjoyed the characters and the way Strout introduced and explained them. I recommend this story to readers who enjoy a change of pace with an unique slant on life and its events.

I enjoyed revisiting the characters from My Name Is Lucy Barton again and especially her reflections on her ex-husband, William.

I am not a fan of Elizabeth Stout’s writing style, but apparently thousands of readers are since she won the Goodreads top award for this novel. To me, it read like someone’s journal where the writer tells the reader what she is doing and why except not daily. I found Lucy to be to tentative never quite sure what or who she was and feeling the need to explain it. Afterwards she would say “ so that’s that.” I found that annoying. Apparently , she and her ex-husband had been meeting occasionally for years. Why I don’t know because he was so self centered which was one of the reasons she left him in the first place..

The revelations about his mother and the trip to meet his half sister made for an interesting part of the book. . William couldn’t accept that his mother had a life before him, Instead Lucy chose not to prove to him it was true,She seemed to need to protect a man who was a serial cheater by making excuses for him to her daughters. She thought like Catherine, she had abandoned her daughters and wasn’t a good mother. Even though they had a close , loving relationship

However, by the end of the book, my take away was that nobody really knows themselves, and they don’t really know others even though they think they do.I don’t know if William ever learned anything about himself, but Lucy did through her discussions with William.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t a book I would enjoy reading or would recommend. I couldn’t get into the storyline or the characters. I needed more oomph to finish and I wasn’t able to. She’s a great writer but just not for me.

It’s hard to explain what Elizabeth Strout does with language. She describes what seem to be ordinary events, and transforms them into something truly extraordinary and achingly poignant.
I read this all in one sitting. It was effortless and I was entranced.
All I can say is….read this.

Strout’s character,Lucy, is a widow. Her husband David has died and her thoughts now turn back to her first husband William. This is the third book in a series and in my opinion, the weakest. I enjoyed the two main characters, and their adventures, but went on too long. The road trip could have been a long short story. However, Strout’s characters are always memorable .

Lucy Barton was married to William. Even though they are exes, they still stay in close contact. Lucy, a writer, has yet to figure out William. As the story unfolds, she is asked to join William on a trip to uncover a family secret that has been revealed when he took a DNA test. The book is a reflection on their lives together, apart, secrets held close, betrayal, and of course love. No one examines life better then Strout.