Oh William! is a book to savor, perfect for fans of Elizabeth's Strout's contemplative, literary style. Since this is the third book in the Amgash series, readers will be well served to have read the other two first. Although Oh William! can stand alone, it's a richer reading experience if you have the background on the characters. For those already familiar with the series, this is a seamless continuation. Lucy is just as introspective as ever. While her loneliness grates at times, she is a lovely and genuine character. I enjoyed reading her perspectives on life and those around her, including her ex-husband, William. She comes across as wise, but not perfectly so. The plot is like what we've come to expect from Strout; it's there but does not drive the narrative. The theme revolves around how well we can know anyone, including ourselves. Ultimately, I prefer the Olive Kitteridge books, but Lucy's life story provides pleasant reading as well.

Elizabeth Strout's "Oh William!" won't disappoint her fans who have been following Lucy Barton throughout her other novels. Both William and Lucy are no longer married, William's much younger wife and their young daughter upped and left without warning, and Lucy's husband died. We see Lucy and William reunite after these losses, and heading off to Maine, where William wants to scout an area where he learned through a DNA find your roots kit that he has a relative. We watch them return to their old selves, their old ways, and then change a bit into their newer selves, as they rehash their past, and prepare to take off on a familiar island vacation. As usual, the novel is entertaining and engaging, providing readers with levity and thought.

Characters: 5/5 Plot 3.5/5 Writing: 5/5

I loved this deeply meditative book about how much we can really know one another. This is written as a novelized memoir of the fictional character introduced in a previous work — I am Lucy Barton. It felt so incredibly real to me that it’s hard to remember that she is a work of fiction. Here, Lucy reflects on her first husband — William — with whom she is still friendly and the prior and current relationship between them. The “action” takes place a year after Lucy’s second husband has died and William’s third wife has left him.

I resonated with so many of the feelings and experiences described in this book. Strout has a beautiful and apt writing style that captures the essence of what is important in any human interaction — even within oneself. I was often brought to tears — not because anything particularly sad was happening — but because she captured it so perfectly.

Some great lines:
“Grief is such a - oh, it is such a solitary thing; this is the terror of it, I think. It is like sliding down the outside of a really long glass building while nobody sees you.”

I also loved the last line but I won’t list it here — you need to read the rest of them first!

Oh! How I loved this book! I am a big Elizabeth Strout fan so I was excited to read this - and I couldn’t put it down. I love the writing style- told from Lucy Barton’s point of view- full of her thoughts, her afterthoughts, colored with the wisdom of experience from a woman who has lived a full life. Every time she said “Oh, William!”, she was replicating my thoughts, exactly. I loved the examination of normal, human frailties. Everyone can relate. A must read, especially after a year with so little human interaction.
Thank you, Netgalley, for providing me with an advanced copy.

Lucy continues her story of her life begun in I AM LUCY BARTON by talking conversationally to the reader about her first husband, William. Lucy's second husband, David, died a year ago and in her grief she also feels grief for William, who is still alive and seventy-one. Lucy and William had been married for twenty years, have two daughters, and are still friendly.

4.5. Elizabeth Strout is one of my favorite authors. I have always enjoyed reading her novels (including Olive Kitteridge, Olive Again, Amy and Isabelle) but some more than others. I also have very much enjoyed the Amgash/Lucy Barton series, My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible, so I was excited when I saw she wrote another in this series, Oh William. We see the protagonist, Lucy Barton, in her later years in her sixties, after a tortuous childhood, successful career as a writer, and as a wife (amicably divorced from William in her first marriage and then widowed in her second from David, the latter who she seems to have been closer to for many reasons described in the novel) and mother. Strout so successfully has been able to integrate this novel with her earlier ones in this series, by focusing on Lucy's earlier family life and then weaving in her later life with William, her children and to a lesser extent David. Her familiar themes continue: including family, relationships, love, loss, loneliness, hurt, poverty, insecurities, and secrets. But the circle gets larger when we are introduced to William, his life story and family. This may not be my favorite of this grouping yet it is another masterpiece in its own right. The prose is magnificent: crisp and concise. As in her other novels, she truly captures the human spirit and condition in the most realistic sense. Ms. Strout is an extremely gifted writer and I look forward to many more from her. Thank you so much NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased and candid review.

This is the third book in the Amgash series. While the author is a prize winner, I found this book sad and a bit dull. If you want to find out more about Lucy & William go for it. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

In Oh William!, author Elizabeth Strout once again immerses the reader in the world of Lucy Barton, a late-middle aged writer living in New York City who has just lost her second husband. Following My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible, this third installment of the Amgash Series finds Lucy reconnecting with her first husband William, from whom she is long-since divorced but still on friendly terms, partly for the sake of their two adult daughters. The story, which is related entirely from Lucy’s point of view, involves her helping William investigate and process a major, unsettling revelation regarding his family upbringing. Along the way, Lucy’s introspective nature also uncovers a great many truths from her own past that she has yet to face.

I really enjoyed reading this novel, although perhaps not quite as much as some of the author’s past work. The writing was certainly splendid; it was very impressive how deeply we were able to get inside Lucy’s head and experience all of the joy, fear, angst, hope, and regret of this complex and thoughtful character. Also, the plot, which was not always the primary focus of the work, contained enough twists and surprises to keep things interesting until the end. On the other hand, there were parts of the tale that were repetitious—for instance, basic facts about some of the characters were repeated unnecessarily—and far too frequently Lucy said something to the effect of “I’ve already written about this before, so I’m not going to say it again here,” which only served as a reminder that this book should probably not be read as a stand-alone project. Nevertheless, this was a satisfying story and one that I can easily recommend.

Finally, it is hard for me to resist the urge to compare the character of Lucy Barton with that of Olive Kitteridge, who is another fully formed creation from Strout’s remarkable imagination. Of course, the two characters differ greatly in most meaningful ways: Olive is a curmudgeonly busy body who cannot seem to get out of her own way, while Lucy is often inwardly focused to the point where she feels invisible at the same time she is loved by everyone around her. For me, Olive represents the more fascinating and compelling portrayal, but I find Lucy’s voice to be deeply affecting as well. The fact that both characters came from the heart and mind of the same writer is simply amazing.

Elizabeth Strout is a master of character development and exploring relationships between characters. In this novel Lucy Barton has just lost her husband David and her ex, William, invites her to go on a trip with him to find out about a sister that he never knew. While Strout explores the complexities of their relationship and their relationships with other family members, I felt at times I was in the midst of the Forest Gump movie. There were just too many colloquialisms. I know these can be used to make the characters endearing and relatable, but it was just too much for me.
For fans of Strout, this will be a good read, and while I've enjoyed her other books, this just did not resonate with me.

The lives surrounding Lucy Barton continue, told in her own voice, which means that of the wise and perceptive Elizabeth Strout who provides such cleareyed assessments. Lucy is in mourning for her second husband who has been gone for a year now, when her first husband, with whom she maintains a cordial relationship, reaches out to her to investigate a family secret that has come to light thanks to one of those "online heredity sites." I could read her forever. Peripheral characters from The Burgess Boys make fleeting appearances, but I hope that Lucy continues and this isn't merely a trilogy.

Not my favorite of this trilogy…..but I enjoyed it.
The beginning was FANTASTIC - hooked instantly!
It slowly started to go downhill at William‘s 70th birthday party.
Too much too soon with Lucy‘s judgment of what people were wearing, of speeches given, and the guests who attended.
I like to see Lucy use her critical voice for things much more directly relevant to her, than to who was wearing what, or gave the best birthday speech.
There was something lost in Lucy‘s voice that I deeply cherished from her in last two books.

I don’t think it matters what I say…. or what I rate this.
Elizabeth Strout fans will read it!
I hope readers DO LOVE IT!

Elizabeth Strout is enmesh with relationships. I like that quality myself - and value the type of introspective writing she contributes to the world. Ordinary people - whose lives matter!!
Her humanity as a writer, and a person, comes through beautifully.
That said- the ‘content’ - storytelling - of ‘this’ tale didn’t interest me as much as her other books.

I still have a warm heart for this lovely author.

I’m not fully sure what the ultimate purpose was for this ‘entire’ book …. I felt it was a little bit disjointed to be honest.
But here are a couple treasures that had me giggling.

“Your khakis are too short and it depresses the hell out of me. Jesus, William, you look like a ‘dork’”.


Oh William, I thought. Oh William”
“He looked exhausted; there were darkish circles around his eyes. He said ‘Hi Button’ and sat down next to me. He had with him a small suitcase with wheels, it was dark brown, too toned. I understood that it was expensive. He looked at my wheelie suitcase which was a blazing violent color, and he said, ‘Really?’”

Many thanks to Random House, Netgalley, and Elizabeth
Strout for the privilege of this advance copy.

3.5 rating
> rating UP ….. for the love that Elizabeth is and her body of work in general.

Elizabeth Strout has written another brilliant novel.Lucy Barton & William long divorced embark on a road trip that will reveal long hidden secrets and truth about their relationship. Absolutely loved this character driven novel s I’ve loved all the authors novels.#netgalley#randomhouse

A beautifully written novel. A long divorced couple journey together to unearth a family secret and along the way we discover the many ways people remain entwined in so many ways in spite of years of separation. Well done!

Lucy remains in touch with her ex-husband, William, long after they have separated due to his inability to stay faithful. When William gets a DNA kit as a gift to map his genealogy, he discovers that his mother may have had another family before he was born. He asks Lucy to come and investigate this with him.

I'm really upset to find that this wasn't for me. The story. The writing. The characters. None of it. I just couldn't get into it. I kept glancing down to see how much percent I have left. I HATE to DNF books, but I nearly had to with this one. Every now and again, there would be one sentence where the author did perfectly explain an emotion and I thought "yea, I've totally felt that way before". For the most part though, these characters were unrelatable and the dialouge was so curt and bland that it was hard for me to "know" any of the characters. I get that this was the writing style that the author chose, but it was just so...meh.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had high expectations for this book and I was not disappointed. I’ve read Elizabeth Strout’s other books about Lucy – she is older than me this time but still so relatable. I’m honestly not sure I could describe exactly why this story is so immersive and so satisfying. I know I love being in the character’s head because I spend a lot of time in my own. I enjoy the sense of place, but it adds to the feeling without upstaging the characters. The pacing isn’t fast but feels like life. And the ending feels right without trying to tie everything up. Honestly, I really loved this one -- even more than the first Lucy books and surprisingly even more than Olive. I appreciate the early copy from Net Galley and Random House and look forward to writing reviews.

I have read everything ES has ever written and have enjoyed them all. This was no exception. Not only was this book good but it reminded me of her other ones and how well she writes.

I have adored all of Elizabeth Strout’s novels! Her latest novel Oh William! Is the third installment in the Amgash series and to say I was thrilled to read this gem would be an understatement! Lucy Barton is one of favorite characters, so I was happy to once again dive into her world.

Oh, William! centers around Lucy and her ex-husband, William. The pair divorced years ago, but have remained friends. As Lucy helps William through major life revelations, she recollects her upbringing and how that ultimately effected her life.

I love Elizabeth Strout’s writing style and this novel had me at hello! I really enjoyed how Oh, William! deepens my understanding of these endearing characters. Although this is the third book in this series, it can completely be read as a standalone. I highly recommend this 5 star novel and truly cannot wait to read what Elizabeth comes out with next!

I was very excited about this book because I loved "My Name is Lucy Barton," and "Anything is Possible." And "Oh William!" feels like a pretty seamless continuation to Lucy's story.

If you've read this series, you already know that what makes these books so good is not necessarily the plot, but the uniqueness of Lucy Barton's voice, her sharp intuition, and her astute observations of universal experiences which we all face.

I will say that "Oh William!" did not have quite the same impact on me as "My Name is Lucy Barton," but that is likely because I'm already quite accustomed to the unique steam-of-consciousness-type narrative that Lucy so effectively employs in this series. These books are so easy to read because the writing seems almost effortless. I devoured this book over a weekend and greatly enjoyed it.

At first glance, this book is about Lucy accompanying her first husband William on a journey to sort out some deeply personal and troubling family issues. And although the book definitely spends time exploring this plot line, the book is more about how even damaged relationships can sustain us if we hold onto what was right about them rather than focusing on what was wrong. "Oh William!" also deeply explores the threads of family, even when "family" must be redefined. It also focuses on aging and loss (with sometimes heartbreaking, brutal honestly.)

I'm enjoyed savoring this book. Because as always, I am left mesmerized by Lucy's deeply introspective observations. Few series peel back the layers of the human condition the way that this one does. If you love Lucy Barton, I think you will greatly enjoy "Oh William!" I am grateful to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The brilliant Elizabeth Strout is my favorite contemporary author. I keep waiting for her to write a dud, but it certainly isn't Oh, William. I loved every moment of this book. I felt like a was sitting in a coffee shop with Lucy Barton as she told me this story. It has a stream-of-consciousness feel to it, with Lucy occasionally dropping in little asides about something else that has popped into her mind. It's a lovely book that I didn't want to end!

Oh Elizabeth! You've done it again - written a memorable story and sent me back to make surely I haven't missed another one.