“Because I am a novelist, I have to write this almost like a novel, but it is true – as true as I can make it. And I want to say – oh, it is difficult to know what to say”

This novel is the third in Elizabeth Strout’s “Amgash” series – although perhaps better thought of as her Lucy Barton collection after the first novel in that series “Ny Name is Lucy Barton”. This book is I think best seen as a fairly direct sequel to that novel and best read back to back with it (with “Anything is Possible” a companion set of short stories which illuminate both novels).

In that book we hear something of Lucy’s first husband William – of his upbringing (son of a girl who ran away with an ex German Prisoner of War on his return to America) and of the early disintegration of their marriage with its roots in Lucy’s spell in hospital which is the centrepiece of the novel.

But we do not hear too much as Lucy as a writer (for the conceit of the novel is that it is actually a book written by Lucy years later when she is a successful novelist – at least in the eyes of others) is unable to tell it, as she says there ……..

"This is not the story of my marriage, I cannot tell that story: I cannot take hold of it, or lay out for anyone, the many swamps and grasses and pockets of fresh air and dank air that have gone over us. But I can tell you this; My mother was right: I had trouble in my marriage. And when the girls were nineteen and twenty years old, I left their father, and we have both remarried. There are days when I feel I love him more than I did when I was married to him, but that is an easy thing to think – we are free of each other, and yet not, and never will be".

But in this novel, set many years later, starts by contrast

“I would like to say a few things about my first husband, William. William has lately been through some very sad events – many of us have – but I would like to mention them, it feels almost like a compulsion; he is seventy one years old. My second husband, David, died last year, and in my grief for him I have felt grief for William as well”

As circumstances/events in her own life and that of William (the break up of a marriage, some news on his mother’s early life) both change the dynamic of the relationship between Lucy and William (and their two now adult children), while giving Lucy the chance to finally tell the story of her marriage, a story written in and around the story of what happens to her and William after these events – a story which, just like the conversations with her mother on the hospital bed allow Lucy to obliquely re-evaluate her own past, her actions and character and the actions of others.

Just as in the first novel the most heart-wrenching parts of the book are when Lucy reflects on small (or sometimes large) acts of kindness from others which she still remembers to this day - the impacts of which, the reader intuits, would astonish those who did them. And I think it is in that spirit that the moving dedication “And to anyone who needs it – this is for you” is written. In some cases also Lucy reflects on the equally lasting impact of more hurtful remarks or expressions – again one feels that the person making them would never have realised the harm of their remarks.

And this I think gets to another key part of the novel – Lucy’s increasing realisation that, despite being a novelist writing realist fiction, it is almost impossible to know what others think, feel or believe – a brave allusion for Elizabeth Strout as an author famous for what Hilary Mantel calls her “perfect attunement to the human condition”.

Overall I think a must read for any fans of Lucy Barton.

"But when I think Oh William!, don’t I mean Oh Lucy! too? Don’t I mean Oh Everyone, Oh dear Everybody in this whole wide world, we do not know anybody, not even ourselves! Except a little tiny, tiny bit we do. But we are all mythologies, mysterious. We are all mysteries, is what I mean. This may be the only thing in the world I know to be true."

The narrator has a confidential voice, going back over her life as a married woman, firstly to William and to David, the love of her life, who she has recently lost. We get a strong sense of her inner life, this woman with such a complicated and fragile personality. She is amazed when people recognise her as a well known author, because her upbringing has led her to believe she is invisible and outside of society. No wonder when she is not listened to, particularly by William and his mother, who she professed to have loved.
What we come from, and how we deal with it, is examined through revelations about William’s family history and how it relates to motherly love and the lack of it. Lucy has known love and the lack of it in her life, and how kindness and it’s absence has shaped her. It’s tone is confessional and that makes it feel slightly uncomfortable reading. We see things Lucy only hints at, particularly in relation to a supposedly supportive yet controlling mother in law, who ignores Lucy’s requests and does things her way.

Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary and the ordinary in the extraordinary is one of Elizabeth Strout’s writing talents. To truly appreciate ‘Oh William!’ it is probably advisable to read ‘My Name is Lucy Barton’ first as the latter focuses on Lucy as a young mother whilst the former explores her life post-divorce from her first husband, William, and life after the death of her second husband. Lucy is now 63; her daughters are adult and William has been left by his third, much younger wife. He turns to Lucy for solace.
Lucy agrees to accompany him to search for his half-sister of whose existence he has been unaware. Their travels allow her more reflections on her own upbringing as well as an exploration of why she married William in the first place.
This is a quiet novel, yet Strout’s writing is often profound, full of observations on love, anguish, contentment and sorrow. Lucy’s narrative voice is unique: Strout allows her to express the most profound ideas simply, a style which will appeal to many and, perhaps, irritate some. The novel concludes with Lucy’s suggestion that, ‘…we are all mythologies, mysterious. We are all mysteries, is what I mean. This may be the only thing in the world I know to be true.’ If this strikes a chord, then this novel is for you.
My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

To say that I was excited to receive an ARC of Elizabeth Strout’s new book was an understatement. She is one of my all-time favourite authors and I just adore her writing style. She is perhaps best known for the eponymous "Olive Kitteridge", which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2009. Strout’s books are all connected to a greater or lesser degree with a recurring cast of characters based in quiet, rural towns in Maine and Illinois where on the surface nothing ever happens. But watch how Strout chips away at that small town veneer to expose passions, desires, secrets and dreams.

Oh William! is a follow up to "My Name is Lucy Barton", which is set in the 1980s. Lucy spends a long period of time in hospital, recovering from an operation, separated from her husband William and her 2 young children, with only her estranged mother for company. She had a very deprived childhood living in abject poverty and social exclusion in rural Amgash, Illinois. There were also suggestions of childhood abuse. "Oh William!" is a novel about her (first) husband from whom she is now divorced. The novel is narrated by Lucy and is as much about her as it is about William. Despite being separated, they have a good relationship. In many ways they operate better as friends than they ever did as a married couple. William is a semi-retired professor and leads an urbane lifestyle in New York. Lucy, who is now a successful author, is still socially awkward and panicked by the unfamiliar.

The novel examines how the couple first met, the development of their relationship over the years, along with some uncomfortable revelations, and the current state of their friendship. An innocuous birthday present to William results in the discovery of a family secret and a road trip to Maine. This leads to a series of very introspective conversations between William and Lucy on the nature of their marriage.

Strout has once again delivered a masterpiece. All her characters are so real and believable. She discerns the human condition so well, in all its glorious flaws and imperfections. She is also merciful and compassionate towards her characters, allowing the reader to experience every emotion and human fraiility.. While I felt that this book wasn’t quite as strong as "Lucy Barton", I still loved it, the literary equivalent of being wrapped up in a cosy, familiar blanket. Many thanks to Elizabeth Strout for bringing so much joy to readers. Worth also mentioning the beautiful dedication at the start of the book ..”And to anyone who needs it – this is for you.”.

Many thanks to @netgalley and @penguinbooksuk for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I loved this book, enjoyed the storyline and all the characters. Would highly recommend.

What a joy and delight to have a new novel from Elizabeth Strout. And, one that reintroduces us to Lucy Barton one of her most enigmatic creations and my personal favourite.

What is so incredible about Elizabeth's Stroud's writing is her ability to to make her writing so real and fresh. Such a skill.

Beautifully written this is the story of how, when you have been married and had children together, you are always linked to that person. Even when you have new partners and possibly even more children. How important it is to be civilised and generous.

Here we follow William and Lucy as they review their childhood and memories. Thought provoking both for us and the two key protagonists.

A wonderful novel.

Perhaps because I have not read the books that came before this one, I didn't really enjoy it, sorry. I just didn't like the writing style and thought all the characters very unsympathetic. To me, this is a something of nothing book, also very repetitive. I've seen everyone else give it 4/5 stars, so I'm guessing it's just me.

After My Name Is Lucy Barton and Anything Is Possible, this is a must read. She writes so beautifully.

Fantastic fantastic fantastic
After reading the last 2 books in the series I was excited to read Oh William!
Oh, William! captures the joy and sorrow of watching children grow up and start families of their own; of discovering family secrets, late in life, that alter everything we think we know about those closest to us; and the way people live and love, against all odds. At the heart of this story is the unforgettable, indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who once again offers a profound, lasting reflection on the mystery of existence. 'This is the way of life,' Lucy says. 'The many things we do not know until it is too late. Fantastic read and definitely a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

So if you’re a massive Elizabeth Strout fan like I am, then her eagerly awaited new novel ‘Oh William’ (Out in October) is going to knock your socks right off and have you swinging them around in pure joy. Yes. That good.
❤️
If you haven’t read ‘My name is Lucy Barton’ (Amazeballs) then I’d probably say read that first THEN this, as ‘Oh William’ is basically the follow up.
❤️
The backdrop is New York (Squeal). William and Lucy are divorced, in their mid/late 60s with two grown up daughters. They’ve both moved on from their divorce and have remarried. Gwyneth would happily agree they have ‘consciously uncoupled’.
❤️
But then William’s wife leaves him and Lucy’s new husband dies. And suddenly, you see them thrown into a situation where they are relying on each other for support. And this I guess is the crux of what the book is about. How William and Lucy navigate their relationship as a divorced couple beyond the #itscomplicated lens.
❤️
It made me think a lot about my own relationship with my exes. It made me think about the importance of family and the memories we keep and carry with us - the good and the bad. But more than anything - it made me think of LOVE. I was so full of it by the end, all I could do was smile and yes, I did. I did shed a tear.
❤️
<EXTRACT FROM BOOK>
William pulled the car over to the side of the road. He stayed quiet and he looked at me. I almost looked away because it had been years since he had looked at me for such a long time. Then he said, “Lucy, I married you because you were filled with joy, You were just filled with joy…you’re unique, Lucy. You’re a spirit…There has never been anyone in the world like you”. In a moment he added, “You steal people’s hearts’, Lucy”.
❤️
This book is a keeper. For reals.
❤️

Once again, Elizabeth Strout pulls off a work of startling depth. The way she captures not only the character of Lucy Barton, but captures the minutiae of life is amazing.

Reading the books that include Lucy Barton makes you feel you are on the page with her. Living in the rooms she inhabits. She see the wallpaper. You smell the kitchen. And you watch as the day darkens.

A great book.

Lucy Barton’s second husband has died, but in this beautiful novel she is called back into the life of her first husband, William. He needs her help to look into a family secret that involves them taking a trip back into his past.
Strout has developed Lucy’s character so beautifully - she is simple but complicated and has a depth of character that makes her completely believable and sympathetic.
Written in the first person in Lucy’s voice, this is about the struggle to make sense of one’s life and the joy as well as the pain of living.
Strout’s novels are slight but they are full of insight and pathos.
Recommended for anyone who is interested in how humans make sense of their lives.

I was so excited to be asked by the publishers to read and review this latest offering from Elizabeth Strout. Having loved I am Lucy Barton it was great to be back in her life and find out what had happened since we had last seen her and while this story is told by Lucy, the subject is her ex husband William. Told in Strout’s trademark spare prose with not a word out of place this is the heartbreaking story of what happens when you realise there is very little of your life left to look forward to, but every minute of it to look back on.
William has discovered via a DNA genealogy kit that his late mother was hiding a secret and decides to go on a road trip to explore this previously untold family story. Having just lost her second husband Lucy can’t see much of a reason to say no when William asks her to accompany him. And there you are. That is pretty much the plot in a nutshell but people don’t read Strout’s novels for racy plot lines, car chases and jaw dropping moments you never saw coming, but for the insights and wisdom given by her characters and I’m so pleased that with this novel we are back with an elderly character which to me is where Strout completely triumphs. I believe I said it in my review of Olive, Again but it can’t repeated too often; so few writers today are writing about characters in their 70’s and beyond and those that do just aren’t doing it as well.
In the car, in motels and diners Lucy ruminates over the age old topics of love and what builds a successful relationship, of family bonds and how strong or flimsy they can be and how that influences the person you become and how much you should or shouldn’t place your happiness or security on another human being’s shoulders.

My thanks to Elizabeth Strout, Penguin and Net Galley for the ARC of OH WILLIAM!
I've read Elizabeth's other books and absolutely love the spare, personal writing that is this author's signature. Oh William is written in the same way. The author tweaks out the tiniest bits of character that make all the difference to the reader. It's only when we read books like this that we realise how books should be written; the prose doesn't need to be lengthy and floral. The story is important of course, the aching angst that the characters experience sometimes in utter silence is heartbreaking, but it's about the words. It's all about the words.

Oh William is a deeply moving novel beautifully written. This is a reflective story that examines the breakup of Lucy and William’s marriage but also who they are. There is a mystery element to the story because when William receives an ancestry app as a birthday gift he delves into his family past and discovers he has a half sibling. Lucy recently widowed after her second marriage is persuaded to take a road trip of discovery with William , father of her two grown up daughters, and ex husband. This leads to a reflection on who William’s mother really was, a consideration of mother and child bonding, and is it necessarily a good thing to make discoveries about a past you had not experienced, that existed before your past. This is an uplifting and thought provoking family story. It draws you into the story’s personalities , is subtly written and makes one realise that every human being has their own special and particular history and unique existence. We all change and hopefully mellow with time’s passage. Oh William is a very wise and lingering novel. This reader loved it.

What a joy it has been to be back in the company of Lucy Barton and her gently thoughtful approach to life. Lucy’s second husband David has died and she is back supporting her first husband William through a very challenging time in his life. All her old irritations with William are still there, but being Lucy, she supports him anyway, and gives him the benefits of her wisdom, calmness and insight. The writing style is flowing and Lucy’s internal monologue is endlessly fascinating. For those who have not read the previous two Lucy Barton books, it might be a little confusing at the start of this one, but the easiest solution is to read the others first - you have a real treat in store!

I so enjoyed this, hearing more about William (who had been something of a mystery in the previous two books) and just as much more about Lucy’s life. We are back in the first person here, Lucy telling her story in vignettes in the margins of William’s. As a result it is more direct as Lucy strives to explain what happened as truthfully as she can, memories coming back to her as she goes along. A little bit of me yearned for the oblique touch of ‘Anything is Possible’ - short stories about other people in which Lucy features sometimes just in passing. I think that is Elizabeth Strout’s strength - the interwoven nature of the characters and the tiniest gesture conveying so much emotion - here we have the emotion more to the fore.

The main thing I will take away and mull over from Lucy’s telling of her relationships with her former husband William and his mother Catherine is the fact that ideas we have clung to all our lives can be proved to be wrong and how devastating, yet liberating, that can be. Perhaps William should remain as much of a mystery to us as he does to Lucy.

A wonderful trilogy, highly recommended. I’d suggest reading the first two books before this one, not absolutely necessary but I think it would enhance the experience.

Strout renews our acquaintance with Lucy Barton. We find her recently widowed and grieving for the loss of her beloved David. In the way that grief does, feelings about other losses arise and a reassessment of her life. Lucy ends up spending more time with her ex -husband William, who is in another marriage. A secret that emerges sends them both on an unexpected journey with unforeseen consequences.

Some authors write dialogue , but Strout writes "speech". The narrator is Lucy herself and there is a stream of consciousness narrative. I felt like I was sitting listening to Lucy, so strong was the evocation of her thoughts with those asides, "wandering" off subject that we all use when speaking.

Another skill Strout has is to dissect the ambiguities that are at the heart of all relationships. Lucy feels fond of William and is able to remember the love and companionship she found with him, whilst simultaneously being infuriated by him and angry at his betrayal. A telling small event is when William wears trousers that are too short and Lucy's reaction to this. Of such small details is marriage often made.

Lucy herself has her own complications as she tries to make sense of her abusive childhood, whilst also having a sudden recollection of being in a car happy with her Dad with the wind blowing in her hair. She constantly repeats she came from nothing and that growing up in the environment she did, has left her with no frame of reference culturally.
However she is outwardly a successful author and mother to two daughters who seem well adjusted. Her mental health can be precarious she has moments of "absence" and depression, a sort of stonewalling that William still doesn't know how to deal with.

This is just a glimpse into the whole complexity of this character and in her interactions with other characters like William's mother, Catherine Cole, there are infinite reflections and refractions that add to the picture of Lucy in all her flawed human glory.

The style is less elliptical than Lucy Barton and Lucy is a different "kettle of fish" from the strong- minded Olive Kitteridge. The book doesn't have much of a "plot" as such, it's essentially a character study, but oh what a character !
When I got to the end, I couldn't believe it. I felt bereft like I did when Cromwell was executed in Mantel's trilogy- who is a writer of equal skill, power and quality. She is able to dissect the contradictions we all have in out thoughts and the gap between thought and action.

A 5 Star writer.

Lucy Barton is a successful writer living in New York, navigating the second half of her life as a recent widow and parent to two adult daughters. A surprise encounter leads her to reconnect with William, her first husband - and longtime, on-again-off-again friend and confidante. Recalling their college years, the birth of their daughters, the painful dissolution of their marriage, and the lives they built with other people, Strout weaves a portrait, stunning in its subtlety, of a tender, complex, decades-long partnership.

I raced through reading this and it proved to be the perfect read to get swept away in. Strout has such a moving writing style and involves the reader perfectly. This read features the beloved Lucy Barton once again and it is always a joy to catch up with her and her family and see what amusing tales they have to share this time around. Reading a book by Strout is just so enjoyable and I know when I start one that I will fall in love with it.

Strout always captures human emotions perfectly; it is incredibly raw and realistic. This book in particular, felt a lot more emotional than others, I thought there was more happening in this read and definitely more emotional events to cover. Strout covers a wide range in this and I marvelled at the way the emotions are put on paper and conveyed so beautifully by Lucy Barton.

'Oh William' is another thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully written read and one that I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking for an advance copy.

Such a curious read! I adore Elizabeth Strout's writing style and while I wouldn't say this one was my favourite it was a beautifully written novel nonetheless. Lucy and her ex husband William delve into his past to find, see, discover his older half sister. On a road trip togethers there re some laugh out loud moments: from Lucy's continual end for food to William's too short trousers. We go back and forth between current day to when they were married and how they came to split. Interestingly there are echos of the past in William's relationship with his mother and also in his relationship with Lucy, it was beautifully, delicately described throughout the book and holds up a mirror to the needless expectations society places on class and where we have come from. I loved the pay off and the decision their daughters made too. A sweet read.