This was my first Elizabeth Strout novel and, for me, Oh William! was a journey without a destination. Lucy and William held my attention, and I enjoyed the musing style of writing. The ending, however, was a non-ending, and vaguely unsatisfying.

Although I've liked some of this author's books I didn't care for this one at all (and actually didn't finish it). The writing seemed choppy and didn't flow. I just never got the point of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Elizabeth Strout for providing a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oh William follows Lucy Barton (fans of Strout will recognize her as the titular character of My Name is Lucy Barton) and her complex relationship with her ex-husband, William as he struggles with his own identity crisis. I can only say this: Strout is a genius at zeroing in on the complexity of human personality and relationship. She captures, exactly, the particular layers of fact and fiction that occur throughout the lifespan of a marriage, even (or especially!) one that ends in divorce. Strout also excels at capturing the voice of her main characters, and I've often felt, as I read her books, that I jump straight into her characters' heads, their singular voice ringing straight through in their idiosyncratic thought processes and dialects.

If you've read and loved anything else by Strout, this book stands among her other novels. If you haven't read Strout, please do. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

Many thanks to Random House Publishing Group for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Elizabeth Strout, and was thrilled to get a sneak peak at her newest novel. It does not disappoint! This work focuses on Lucy's two very different marriages and her relationships with both men. Her second husband has passed away and she is still grieving his loss. Her first husband, and the father of her daughters, is still a friend.

She reflects on what drew her to each man, what worked (or didn't), and thinks through how her upbringing drew her to each man and impacted her relationships. In her classic style of free-flowing thoughts and memories, Ms. Strout weaves a beautiful story of the complexity of relationships. Lovely and heartwarming from start to finish!

I have enjoyed all of Strout’s previous books but this one failed to appeal. The format was confusing.. time sequences unclear. Her characters reappear as does Lucy in this novel but if you have not read the originals you should feel adrift. Strout is the master at describing relationships and family dynamics. Olive Kitteridge is a brilliant creation I instantly loved in both of her appearances in Strout’s books. Lucy is not Olive and I lost interest early on.

“This is the way of life: the many things we do not know until it’s too late.”
I loved this book.. love this author.
I breezed through this because I wanted to hear more of Lucy’s thoughts on her life.. mostly about her life with her first husband William, who she is still close to.
Lucy is 63 in this book, my age now.. so her thoughts were so relatable to me.
Thoughts on her troubled youth and how it related to her life, William and his philandering, their children, William’s ex wives, her own second marriage.
Lucy is helping William through some life situations in this book.. actually, I think they are helping each other.
This was delightful!
Recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC!

Elizabeth Strout never disappoints. We may not particularly "like" her characters but she shows them with all their foibles and misgivings. Lucy is aging, as aren't we all, but she has a clearer vision of what was and what could have been. Love the title---many times I thought "Oh, William." We could insert our own names.

Observation before a full review…How does she consistently write stories that are this close to our heart and souls? While she says we can never fully know another person (and I agree FWIW) from page 1 she anchors us in Lucy’s inner world. Just a wonderful read. Wish it hadn’t ended!

I gave this title four stars in my Goodreads review. It will not be my favorite novel by this author, by far. When we met Lucy Barton in a previous book, I liked her character much better. At this stage of her life, she seems to be unraveling, allowing herself to be pushed along by her ex-husband. But she does come to know herself better and to realize her self-worth. The reutation of Elizabeth Strout will surely propel this to best seller status.

Oh William! is a collection of quite melancholy musings of an aging woman, Lucy, and her ex-husband, William. Both are recently single again, and both seem to be still looking for meaning in their lives. This is the story of how they explore their past lives, and how all the suffering they have experienced has made them the people that they are today. And how through the sadness, they can still find some happiness.

I found this story to be a little depressing, and would have given it 3 stars, but Elizabeth Stout is an incredible story teller, and wove the past and present of both Lucy and William into a cohesive and compelling read. I read it in record time on my beach vacation. It's quite thought provoking, and intense at times. I would not recommend this one for a "beach read".

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to read and review Oh William.

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout is a thought-provoking book about a woman, Lucy Barton, who has recently lost her second husband. In her grief, she turns to her first husband, William, with whom she shares two adult daughters and an amicable relationship. William’s third wife has just left him and is also reflecting on his life and, in particular, his mother. The book is written in the first person and I felt as though I was listening to a friend reflect on the various relationships in her life. Through Lucy, Strout reflects on marriage and family life, the secrets we keep, the mistakes we make, and how all of those intersect. As a woman who has recently lost her husband, I too have felt the need for such reflection and found Lucy’s journey helpful to my own. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

A master storyteller who fortunately doesn’t let go of her characters but brings them to us from a new and engaging perspective!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. Having loved and recommended the two Olive books I opened this book with high expectations. She’s able to write about the inner feelings that are mostly hidden from but guide the outer personas. Oh William explores the string that still connects some divorced people long afterwards. Unfortunately I did find a connection to the characters.

This was a quick read for me. I liked the book but it will not go on my favorites list. There were several times I wanted to say "Oh William!" while reading the book so I really liked the title!

A warm story of how relationships grow and evolve. Honest characters with all their flaws and a little mystery thrown in to move the story. I loved all of them.

I don’t know why exactly, but this book brought me close to tears multiple times. I think because it made me think of all the people I have loved and do love, and the ways in which I do and don’t understand those people, and the beauty that exists in both types of understanding. It made me think of my grandparents and parents, and their pasts, and their meetings and farewells of each other, their joys and tribulations, and the ways in which those have informed my life. It was just a beautiful and poignant read. I had no idea I was reading the third book in a trilogy either! I guess I need to go and buy those other two books as well as a box of tissues. Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an ARC.

Elizabeth Strout creates genuine, prickly, difficult characters and then gives the reader enough insight into their lives and thoughts that they somehow become likable. This is hard to do, and even harder to do when the character is a woman, particularly a mother. And yet, here we have Lucy Barton, back in another novel and still her flawed amazing self. "Oh William!" finds Lucy and her ex-husband, William, mired in various family crises (affairs, divorces, terrible parents). Just when you think you have enough information to understand (or maybe even judge) Lucy and William, Strout turns things around with a new twist.

Elizabeth Strout creates characters that seem as real as the reader's own family or friends. The stream-of-consciousness style of Lucy's voice in "Oh, WIlliam" pulled me in to this story - I felt what Lucy was feeling. Absolutely honest, beautiful writing.

I ADORED Strout's Olive Kittredge books, and really liked My Name is Lucy Barton and the follow-up, Anything is Possible. But this one? Just not for me. I tend to like introspective novels, but this one lacked any depth or, frankly, focal point.
Or maybe I just miss Olive...
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another masterpiece by Elisabeth Strout! Lucy Barton is once again the main character of the novel. it is told in the first person and Lucy examines her complicated relationship with her ex-husband, William. The writing flows so beautifully; I could not put it down. Strout really brings her characters to life; they are flawed but we still root for them. I loved this book and highly recommend it.