I really enjoyed this, the characters, the plot and the way it was written.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

I still remember vividly my first time reading My Name is Lucy Barton several years ago, reading Lucy in her own words describing the life she has been living growing up in a dysfunctional household and her difficult childhood. At that time, I wished I had a friend like Lucy Barton as I can relate so much to her escape in reading and her dream to become a writer. She grew up in a small house with an abusive father and a mother who could not protect her and her siblings from her father’s rages. In Oh William!, Lucy Barton is now 64, an old woman who has just lost his second husband, David Abramson. She is a successful novelist, widely read, and gave talks about her books in some parts of the country. But there’s some kind of loneliness that she feels and she came to understand the experiences that shaped her until that moment in hindsight.

Lucy finds a distraction from her daily life with her ex-husband, William Gerhardt, a pensioner parasitologist who she had left several years previously after 20 years of marriage. They remain friendly after their separation, still going for a coffee together from time to time, talking about the events that happen to their children, Chrissy and Becka, while also catching up with each other’s life. She realises that William, in his own life, also faces difficulties as well. Both of them are still not finished grieving over the death of Catherine Cole, William’s mother who had been so kind to them. One time, William has just been left by Estelle, his wife at that time, and discovers a fact that her mother had a child that she had left behind in Maine from her previous marriage before meeting William’s father.

Like in the first book, Lucy Barton is also a really likeable character here, with her honesty telling the readers about all aspects of her life in a way that mimic a memoir (forget not, Lucy Barton is a novelist here). While telling about her difficulties in reconnecting with the husband she has left behind for years, Lucy also reflects a lot in the story as she recounts many instances that happened in her relationship with William. Her reflections often return to the fact of her growing up in a dysfunctional household in her childhood in Amgash, Illinois. And Elizabeth Strout could write in such a way that makes readers who had not read the previous two books of Lucy Barton stories do not feel left out with facts. Lucy’s experience growing up seems to affect her throughout her life. In one instance when she went for a holiday to the Cayman Islands with William and Catherine, she is just amazed at how William, Catherine and other people around them seem to be able to know how to behave and react to the situation inside the swimming pool and hotel, yet she feels like she has no clue on how the world works.

All her life, Lucy has always thought of herself as somewhat invisible from other people in her life, and even some people described her as someone with almost no sense of self-worth. She only began to find her joy as she won a full scholarship to attend college at the age of 17 when she could finally escape from her parents’ house. But I sensed as though life has only just begun for Lucy as she began as a college student, to finally recognise her worth and receives more normal treatment. I sensed initial self-pity from Lucy, yet as she reflects more on her life and the people around her, she began to understand that everyone is a mystery, even to themselves, except for the tiny little bit that we know (or thought we know). We inhabit a universe, but there are also large universes inside each of us, and perhaps it could take a lifetime to really understand someone. Lucy’s confession is like a calling to see beyond what appears on the surface, to probably reassess the relationships we had with the people around us.

At one point, I sat on the bed and said out loud, “Oh Catherine.”
And then I thought, Oh William!
But then 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.

Oh Elizabeth! Thank you for writing such a wonderful novel!

I am aware Elizabeth Strout's style of writing isn't for everyone however for those of us that love a prose where you are fully emerged in the characters meanderings, conversations, pauses, thoughts and passions I urge you to pick up this novel. A slow burner but the exact pace for us to experience Lucy and William and the layers of their relationship.

Thank you to Netgalley and Viking for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a gifted writer Elizabeth Strout is. ‘Oh William!’ sees the return of Lucy Barton as she meets again her first husband, William, and reflects on love, loss, friendship and the fact that life can seem bewildering. Lucy’s voice is so real it seemed as if we were having a real conversation, face-to-face.
This is the stream-of-consciousness story – complete with ums, ahs, meanderings and distractions – of a few months in Lucy’s life, after the death of her second husband David and when William’s latest wife, Estelle has just left him. Lucy and William were married for twenty years and have two daughters; that’s a lot of baggage. The connections that bind a married couple do not disappear after they are divorced, memories and experiences are inextricably linked. William, now 71, came home one day to find the flat looking odd, with gaps where things should be, and a note from his wife Estelle saying she had moved out. As he explains to Lucy, now a successful writer in her sixties, what has happened, she relives the moment she also left William, how she felt at the time and how she feels now. She calls him Pillie, he calls her Button. They spend more time together and their daughters ask if they are getting back together. In fact, they are investigating a family secret recently revealed when William is given the gift of an ancestry records service. As they travel back into the past of William and of his mother, Catherine Cole, Lucy recalls her own childhood, the neglect, the poverty, and considers how this shaped who she is today.
Strout has written a short, elegant story with hidden depths that draw you in. She explores the affections, regrets, irritations and resentments of a couple, once married, now sort-of friends. They are an everyman couple who loved each other, who were at times thoughtless, cruel, unforgiving and impatient but now show moments of heart-stopping fondness. Lucy recounts the road trip undertaken into William’s past except it is also a journey into her own past as the revelations of someone else’s secrets shed new insight into her own desperately sad childhood.
A novel about human flaws that shows how it’s almost impossible to know ourselves as others see us, as we can never thoroughly know someone else.
This is a companion novel to ‘My Name is Lucy Barton’, the first ever book by Strout I read, but each novel can be read independently.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

An engrossing novel, deceptive in so many ways and once started, unputdownable (somehow, I managed to mislead it and only picked it up two days ago). In this Elizabeth Strout's third outing of Lucy Barton, Lucy (now a well-known writer, 63) is primarily telling some important events in the last two years that have greatly impacted the life of William, her (scientist, 69) first husband.
The title is one of genius; that elastic interjection of sadness, surprise, questioning, dejection... is used again and again by Lucy in her mind whilst she unfolds the facts of the story, a story that reads like a draft or a long conversation, with its asides, meanderings, the regroupings telling us that "the point of the story is". The prose is never dull, always carrying us to the next paragraph with its clear prose and incantatory rhytm, its repetitions and clarifications leit motifs that remind us of where she (Lucy) wants us to be. Clearly the narrator is not just telling William's story but doing what we do when we read a good novel: she is telling/reading William story and putting it in relation to hers (which of course is tangled with his). Those two events have not only shattered William's life but also questioned hers... Lucy herself recognises this (as we have already done) in the last paragraphs of this book which deals with family relationships, rejections, freedom and responsibilities, parenthood, class, money, rural life, city life... ageing and politics included. It is a book about life, particular lives in particular places, but with universal truths and dilemmas.
I look forward to discussing this intelligent, perceptive and thoroughly engaging novel with my friends.

I'm not a fan of Strout's writing style and unfortunately, after trying 4 different titles now, I will leave it there. Some interesting descriptions of life but overall I found this to be rather dull and without connecting to the style a book of nothing doesn't work for me.

Elizabeth Strout returns us to the mind of Lucy Barton in this rather brilliant sequel. Here, the narrator explores how divorce isn't always the end of a relationship and we get to see how her relationship with her ex-husband, William, has transformed over the years, how she might have grown away from him as a person. Strout explores the complexities of human relationships through simplistic language that feels incredibly real, as though Lucy Barton were a real person telling the tale directly to the reader. The manner in which Strout crafts characters is something to be awed by - they are not simply black or white, but human and I believe that takes great skill. This is a truly superb novel and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to re-visit this world.

I loved the Olive books, but this was a big disappointment. I really didn't like the writing style or the subject so gave up on it. Sorry.

Thank you penguin Uk and NetGalley for this ARC.
I just loved the characters in this book and of course the story line based around William, the first husband of Lucy. This is the perfect book to curl up with over a weekend and become engrossed in the characters and their stories.

Highly recommended,

You know you're in safe hands with an Elizabeth Strout novel with descriptive characters living their ordinary lives, facing up to grief, secrets, lies.

Elizabeth Strout delves into the extraordinary details, opening up characters to the readers.

Oh William is a sequel to My Name is Lucy Barton but this time Lucy is in her sixties, recently widowed, trying to find her place again. She has agreed to go on a trip with her previous husband where secrets and lies will unravel.

I love the way Elizabeth captures the everyday lives of people and beautifully captures the details. Life isn't black and white and Elizabeth delves into these complications.

I only have a couple of Elizabeth's backlist left to read but I'm saving them, making them last as long as possible.

Thank you to netgalley and penguinukbooks for an ebook copy to read and review.

Oh William! is an intricate portrayal of human relationships written in first person narrative with the voice of Lucy. Recently widowed, she's contemplative about her life and her previous marriage to William. He was her first husband and father to her two daughters. Still on friendly terms, they embark on a journey together when William finds out he has a half sister. On this journey Lucy feels affection, exasperation and anxiety. She contemplates her childhood and learns more about William and his own family.

Thoughtful and wryly observant, Oh William! is a book that makes you think and feel and rejoice in the brilliance of words.

BOOK REVIEW
Oh William! By Elizabeth Strout

Will Strout ever write a book that I don't instantly love? I doubt it. Oh William is what Strout does best, writing about seemingly unimportant snippets of everyday people.

Lucy Barton recounts her complex relationship with her ex-husband William. She looks back to their marriage, and after, their friendship that takes them on a journey to uncover family secrets and how they can undo us.

Lucy Barton is a much loved character, and it was easy to fall back into her musings on life and her honesty. Although this book centers around William, it explores him through Lucy's eyes and how she sees him and her frustrations towards him, and the tenderness still left from once loving him.

I have nothing new to say about Elizabeth Strout and her writing. She can do no wrong.

Oh William by Elizabeth Strout is an epic contemporary read that consumes from the start. It is the third book in the Amgash series but can be read as a stand-alone.
The book is written in the first person as we learn about a life and a relationship with an ex-husband. Although their relationship ended years ago, their friendship remained and they support each other through all the seasons of life. William, in his later years, is very dependent on his ex-wife to keep his loneliness away.
We hear about the highs and lows of life. There is also a search for roots. We all want to know where we come from and how we fit in within the family.
There is a tension is previous years as William’s father was German and in the Hitler youth before becoming a POW and going to America.
Oh William is a gentle book in tone that looks backwards to relationships whilst maintaining a friendship.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

An unique style that I'm not sure I totally take to. Despite this I did persevere and quite enjoyed the novel

I love Elizabeth Strout, I find romanticism in the harsh realities of her characters and their lives if that makes any sense, she manages to glorify the normal, the mundane, basically our lives and make it beautiful. She is an exceptional writer to write so many imperfect and fully human characters with all their fears and doubts with such an obvious love and tenderness for them is so beautiful. I look forward to each book she writes and this was another truly wonderful addition to her literature, thoroughly and enthusiastically recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I did enjoy this book and the style of writing but feel with hindsight I’d have enjoyed the book even more if I’d read the authors previous work so I knew the backstory of the central characters.

A masterful writer at work - the story is almost a bonus, as this writer weaves such a clever, subtle narrative. The main character, Lucy, is a successful writer in New York with two grown-up daughters. Her second husband has passed and she reconnects, almost unwillingly, with her first husband who needs her support as his life begins to unravel. This is merely a backdrop for the stunning insight into Lucy's character and the forces that have shaped her.

Its an unusual writing style, with no chapters, only paragraphs, all written in the first person. The effect is that you are privy to the characters thoughts - which seamlessly flutter between memories and present day observations. The observations are so casual and authentic that its hard to believe this isn't an autobiography.

The story is beautifully interwoven. We learn that there was a previous novel on the earlier part of her tragic life, but even these references were organically inserted and felt so natural. We are left feeling such admiration for this woman of grit and positivity, who is far from perfect but has lifted herself from poverty. In telling the story of her husband, William, we actually learn more of her story.

Much admiration for this writer, who can buck so many conventions, and create still create an unforgettable, enchanting, subtle novel about the complexity of being human.

Having enjoyed all of this authors other books I was looking forward to reading this one. I was very disappointed. This book is so trite and not a patch on her other books. The storyline is dreary and overwritten. The characters are wooden, and not very believable. I do hope this is just a glitch and her next book will be back to her usual sparkling form.

Thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and could not get enough of.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension -  impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

Elizabeth Strout is an exceptional writer. I don't know of any other that would describe a human with all their imperfections, fears, doubts and frustrations in such a naturally unforced way. With sometimes overwhelming sincerity and tenderness, she opens her characters to readers (I love first-person narratives!) and gives them freedom of expression, sometimes with a sense of inadequacy, which is why all of us, readers, can see through these thoughts, even if our experiences differ. This is probably what, in my opinion, makes Strout such a special novelist - this woman does not pretend to be anyone, perfectly understands the human condition, and makes her characters real by writing about them in an ordinary/extraordinary way. These are real people and there is no doubt about that. People who question their choices, who try to define their fears, confusion, search, doubt, feel bad, have the courage to talk about the wrongness of their thoughts and seek answers.

As simple as possible: "Oh William!" is the story of Lucy Barton about her first ex-husband, William. Now let's go deeper: "Oh William!" is a story about relationships with other people - those who remain in our lives despite being rejected; those who pass unnoticed; those who should shape our lives, and for some reason they don't; those we know very well (or we think we know very well) and those we know very little about. This is a beautiful story about human and their relationship with the environment - how this relationship affects ourselves, our emotions, our sense of connection and, at the same time, the feeling of loneliness. Our whole life is a network of invisible connections between people - more or less conscious, more or less cared for - a network that begins with ourselves, because it is first and foremost that we must get to know ourselves.

Strout creates subtle yet powerful prose - empathetic and deeply moving. This is probably my favorite Strout and I am planning to return to "My name is Lucy" after many years. I highly recommend!