Yet another brilliant novel by Elizabeth Strout. This must be one of the leading novelists of the current generation

I read Oh William at the end of last month and absolutely loved it. My first Elizabeth Stout but certainly not my last . This is cosy literary fiction! Who knew such a thing existed .
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me !

I have been a fan of Elizabeth Stroud’s writing ever since I was taking a creative writing course at a local bookshop and the tutor eagerly pressed a copy of Olive Kitteridge into my hands. I fell in love with that book and its follow-up, Olive Again, and have bought them as gifts for fellow readers. That said, I didn’t have the same response to My Name Is Lucy Barton, the first in the “Amgash” series. Oh William! Is the third book in that series and I was unsure if this one would be a hit for me, especially since I hadn’t read the intervening Anything Is Possible.

I eventually picked up Oh William! after hearing great things from book club friends and getting a final nudge from the Booker Prize judges, who decided to longlist it for 2022. I can’t believe I waited. This novel was right up my street: understated, moving and insightful. It considers complicated family relationships, particularly those between former spouses, in a way that I’ve only seen before in Katherine Heiny’s Standard Deviation. I loved hearing from Lucy Barton this time around and appreciated her as an unreliable narrator, revealing things about herself that she might not realise.

I will definitely be picking up the next instalment, Lucy By The Sea, when it’s released later this year.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Oh William! In exchange for an honest review.

Having read the tales of Olive i was super excited to be selected to read this book. I was however a little disappointed as I found it rather mundane in comparison. I struggled to keep going with this book but did so and managed to finish it.
Many thanks to both the author and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book all opinions are my own.

This is the third in a line of brilliant books by Elizabeth Strout. I loved it so much. The story from My Name is Lucy Barton through to Oh William is slow and gentle but visits lots of different topics through the journey of real people’s lives. I would highly recommend this book and all of Elizabeth Strout’s books in this series.

Lucy Barton is now 63. In this book she reflects on her relationship with William Gerhardt, her first husband. Lucy and William share two daughters, Chrissy and Becka. Lucy called time on their relationship after almost twenty years together. However, they have a relationship that survives despite their later marriages.

William had gone on to marry Joanne, then Estelle, with whom he has a ten year old daughter, Bridget. Lucy recently lost her husband, David who had been a Hasidic Jew. Theirs had been a marriage of soul mates, and Lucy is still grieving his loss. Lucy and William’s bond is still so strong that it is William who supports Lucy following her husband’s death.

When William discovers unwelcome information about his birth mother, Caroline Cole, it is to Lucy he turns when he seeks to find out more information. William asks Lucy to accompany him on a trip to Maine, to find out more about his family as a whole. On the road trip, they both find out more about themselves and each other.

We are digging around in our own understanding of what makes us human as William and Lucy contemplate family, marriage, parenting, religion, loss and grief. Elizabeth Strout excels in her ability to characterise individuals as human beings with flaws. It is easy to see yourself and others in her descriptions of characters. The author has a way of being kind towards and accepting of others’ failings. If that is not a great generalisation of humanity, I don’t know what is.

This is a wonderful book to read and enjoy. A book with long standing human relationships, family and marriage at the heart of its pages.

Elizabeth Strout never disappoints. A thoughtful novel Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and share.

Oh, Lucy Barton!
How I’ve loved spending time with you and William, your daughters and the residents of Amgash, Illinois (even the more distasteful ones) for three books.
It felt like having a big mug of coffee and slice of cake whilst having one of those really great conversations with a good friend.
I was invested - God, I was so invested - in all of your observations, remembrances and feelings about your marriage to William and also how you navigated a good relationship with him after you left.
I loved the intricacies of the relationships and connections between yourself and all of the many people from your past back in Amgash and your present life in New York.
I felt quite bereft after finishing this, your third book in the Amgash series. But now I see that you’ll be back with a fourth.
So, till then Lucy, I can’t wait to see you again very soon.

I loved this book. I can see the person who would play the tricky dashing dark and dramatic William. All his loves and lives interacting fab thanks

My first Elizabeth Strout was My Name is Lucy Barton - which I absolutely loved - the sequel, if we can call it that, Anything is Possible, is equally great and this one, in which we come to know Lucy at a later stage in her life, and are for the first time close to William, her ex-husband, is beautiful as well. I absolutely recommend it.

A truly beautiful novel, in classic Elizabeth Strout style, these characters came to life within the pages.

A beautiful novel, pitch perfect and moving. Layered, nuanced and absolutely heartbreaking. Another masterpiece from Elizabeth Strout.

There is something really understated about Strout’s work that I really love. Her observations about life and the underlying factors which make up each human condition she writes about are pertinent and really capture something of the essence of life.

Such honesty and insight. I meant to put meaningful quotes into my review but could not stop reading.
Lucy and William, lost souls in some respects in others successful,, good people. Lucy comes from such a bad, sad background, only a few alarming insights into her childhood but enough for her to emerge damaged but with a strength to live and nurture her husbands and children. Lucy marries William and becomes an established author, though still naive about her true worth. William with a seemingly happy upbringing indulges in affairs, but is still in love with Lucy years after their divorce.
After his third wife and William break up, he finds some disturbing news and asks Lucy to help him solve his problem, this leads to discovering personality traits in each other .
Characters inhabit this novel that one would love to meet and embrace their quirks.
Thank you Elizabeth and NetGalley.

I have finally gotten around to reading this book, and oh my, what a beautiful story it is! I wish I had read it before now. Elizabeth Strout's classic gentle writing style makes this an absolute page-turner and if you are a fan of Lucy Barton, you will binge this - well I did anyway!

Exploring relationships with sensitivity and depth, this author often had me thinking I was talking to a wise aunt. I totally adored the history of Lucy and William's childhoods and the way they shaped them into adulthood. (There are some scenes that may upset some readers so please be cautious if this would apply to you.)

I highly recommend this emotional and moving read to all fans of this genre and author. This is an absolute gem!

I wanted to love this book. I've picked it up three times now and read about a quarter each time, then stalled every time. It just hasn't grabbed my attention enough. Sad to say, I'm not going to manage to finish it. Love the writing style but just wasn't interested enough in the characters.

Elizabeth Strout is a master of storytelling and Oh William! is a perfect example of her skill. Beautifully simple, filled with nuance and interesting characters. Not very long but will linger with you long after you finish.

Narrated by Lucy Barton, Oh William is a gorgeously vulnerable and honest reflection on life and all of its joys and sorrows.

My highlight was the style of writing as the novel is written as if Lucy is telling us a story. The story of her and William; where it all began, where it all went wrong and where they are now.

I was completely beguiled by the amazing writing of Elizabeth Strout, who never disappoints. Another seemingly simple story about so much more. One of my top books of 2021.

Thank you to Netgalley and Viking for the advanced copy.

Oh Elizabeth. Oh Lucy, what a wonderful novel.

I have not read My Name Is Lucy Barton, and when I started this I was alittle worried that I wouldn't understand what was going on. But this is such an easy book with such delightful and amazing characters it didn't matter that I started with this one.

I will say that Elizabeth Stouts style of writing isn't for everyone. In 'Oh William,' you are fully emerged in the characters conversations, pauses, thoughts, feelings and passions.
I honestly felt like her style is like an autobiography written by her charcter. I found it abit of a slow burner but the exact pace to get the full Elizabeth Strout experience.

The book really shows the relationship with Lucy and William and the layers of their relationship.

I highly recommend this book. It can be read as a stand alone (like I did) or you can read it after My Name Is Lucy Barton. This easy read is full of emotion and depth, you will fall in love with the characters and join them on their roller coaster life journey.