I've loved Elizabeth Strout's previous books about Lucy Barton and was so looking forward to this one. It did fill in her life with her ex-husband William who is mentioned in the previous books. Initially, we see how the couple catch up with each other again but for some reason, it goes wrong from there for me. William is not a very sympathetic character and basically, I didn't like him. I usually love Elizabeth Strout's prose but it didn't work for me this time I'm afraid. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this book.

Returning to a much-loved character is so comforting especially in the hands of a master novelist such as Strout. Having followed Olive through two novels, it was so welcome to see Lucy return. Like Anne Tyler, Strout's novels appear on the surface to be family sagas with little action, yet there is a depth of feeling explored in the dialogue and relationships that stay with you long after the book is finished. Less is more - a lesson to other novelists that a story does not have to be densely told to be enduring.

Hopefully, this is not the last we hear of Lucy, William and their daughters...

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Lucy and William might be no longer together and both have re-married, they are still very close. The book explores their relationship, as they navigate life.
Lucy's husband died whilst William's third wife leave him and, at the same time, he finds out he has an half sister and he asks Lucy to go and visit the place where she lives.

Despite not having read the previous books, I was still able to enjoy the story, especially the characters development.

Elizabeth Strout can surely write fascinating story and she's able to fascinate me by telling small story, everyday fact details and creating unforgettable and unique characters.
Lucy, William are perfectly defined and you can't help feeling involved in their life, their stories and what is happening.
A master storyteller that kept me reading and loving what I was reading till the last line.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is an Elizabeth Strout novel so take it for granted it will be a first rate novel. William is of course the ex-husband of Lucy Barton and the father of her two daughters. So while this could be regarded as a stand-alone novel some readers will already be aware of more through the almost casual burgeoning of information about Lucy and the people of the communities around her already revealed in previous books. Lucy after being married to William for twenty years had finally objected to his affairs and built a new life alone. William unabashed had moved on too, to his lover Joanne, soon unsatisfactory, that marriage had lasted seven years. His latest marriage to Estelle (mother of new daughter Gabrielle) over thirty years younger, has recently been terminated. William with marriage gone and work retirement biting is increasingly bewildered and looking to Lucy to provide immediate support on demand.
This will place Lucy in an anomalous position. She has established a new life for herself, but is grieving the recent death of her own love and husband. She faces aging alone. As a woman and writer who already lives much of her life in her mind, Lucy is already reviewing this life and her choices. Self obsessed William, oblivious, by his emotional demands on her presence, and time places new pressures, directions and timetables on this process. She is to be there when he needs her – a drop in place of immediate response between his unexplained absences.
He will persuade her to travel back with him to try and find a missing half sister from his hidden family past. His rural background, the son of a runaway wife, will emerge and Lucy will start to see parallels with her own family life of extreme poverty that she grew out of to build her, so different, urban and intellectual life. Finally she will understand that as they both built their “American dream of better” she had selected this obviously unlikely partner because he made he feel safe. She can see her life too through this more historical perspective. Through these months of reflection though she will also build deeper roots with her daughters and new possibilities for her future.
Strout’s novels are not “easy” reads although they are compelling and so deeply detailed that it is almost as if you are standing watching the events. They are about life lived over the years and the impact of family, work, community for better or worse. This one, carrying a view of a longer life, questions through Lucy whether we do really make choices or just follow an inevitable route determined by our past.
William in truth only sees his relationship with Lucy now (always?) as a way to solve his daily needs, issues, or “problems”; her life or wants are therefore an irrelevance, a non issue. Everybody’s needs are different, so in spite of this Lucy will choose to protect him from his loss and through him her daughters too. A woman cannot live a full life through her husband (current or ex). But ultimately and critically she comes to realise that we do not really know anybody – and maybe more worryingly - even ourselves. Life just has to be lived to the best of one’s ability. But of course Lucy thinks deeply and grows as a person novel by novel so we can maybe expect more as she approaches another stage of her life.

Anyone familiar with Elizabeth Strout’s writing isn’t in for any surprises here. Her usual topics – grief, loss, love, relationships, trauma – all are here, and it’s a quiet, nuanced and tender novel in which we catch up with Lucy Barton as she deals with the loss of her second husband. Lucy is now a successful author but as ever battling with the past and her terrible childhood, the pain of which never goes away and which has so profoundly shaped her. She is now 64 and still on relatively good terms with her first husband William, with whom she goes on a quest to uncover a mystery from his own past, allowing her space and time to revisit that relationship. Lucy narrates the novel, and her voice is mesmerising, not least because of her verbal tics, which could become irritating but which I found carried the narrative along as they absorb the reader into her thoughts and feelings. Written in Strout’s own inimitable style this is a novel that will please her fans – although maybe not all of them – and I very much enjoyed it, although I don’t think it’s the tour de force that some have found it. Well worth reading, though, but perhaps reading the earlier Lucy novels is advisable to fully appreciate it.

What upsets me the most about this book is the thought that some people will read it as their first and possibly only Elizabeth Strout book. I have read and adored My name is Lucy Barton and Anything is possible but Oh William was just a very poor relation to both of them. So my one piece of advice would be to try her other work first as the depth and quality of her other offerings is far superior to Oh William.

I wanted to read this book because I'd seen authors I like rave about it, and it did not disappoint! Strout is a marvel, with her carefully chosen prose and her insightful depth. The way it explores humanity and empathy and compassion is absolutely unforgettable. Thank you for this ARC!

This book was such a compelling read and I really found myself easily falling back in step with Lucy Barton. Now in her sixties, Lucy is reflecting on love and relationships, with a focus on her husbands and her daughters. I found it to be a fascinating examination of real people, with Strout again creating and developing characters that are truly believable. If you have never read any Elizabeth Strout, then I must insist that you start. A fantastic read, and a true pleasure so revisit a character that still stands out, years after I first read about her. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'd never met Lucy Barton before reading this but that took nothing away from my enjoyment of the story.
This is a lovely book about life and death, family, friendship and loss. I will definitely be going back to read the previous books.

Oh, Elizabeth! You know that I’m one of your greatest cheerleaders, right? I’ve loved so many of your books — for the prose, for the characters, for the atmosphere. So imagine my excitement at getting a sneak peek at one of my old friends, Lucy Barton.

The first few pages were like sinking into my favorite squishy corner of the sofa. I gorged on the words, relaxed into the easy conversational style. Lucy was the only one speaking, but I acquiesced, flattered to be taken into her confidence.

My expectations rose further still when I realized that Lucy, in her sixties, was now the same age as me. I felt an instant connection — here was someone I could relate to. And, oh, Elizabeth! How I nodded, knowingly, at your astute observations of life as seen through Lucy’s aging eyes. Yes! Yes! So true! So true!

I thrilled to the idea that there was still a fondness between Lucy and her former husband William, despite their unhappy history, and that they were to embark on a road trip together. A trip that would lead to startling revelations about William’s family and some honest conversations between Lucy and William about their distant marriage.

And I appreciated at the end that this was ultimately a story of reflection, of introspection; of regrets, apologies and forgiveness. Again, all of them notions that at my age I could find entirely relatable.

So where did it all go wrong? Why was I left feeling so disappointed? Why was this book so instantly forgettable? Honestly, Elizabeth, I could have wept with frustration.

The bare truth is that I simply didn’t like either Lucy or William. I found them melancholy and difficult to warm to. I wanted to feel an emotional tug. I wanted to see some spunk, some charm, some cheer. But there was no joy or color in either of them. And, oh, Elizabeth! I’m sorry, but this is just not how I see, or want to see, life as a 60-something. And this book is not the kind of book I want to read from you.

Lucy Barton returns in Elizabeth Strout's latest novel. She is now sixty-three and she's looking back on her life, particularly the years she spent with her first husband, William. They have remained on relatively good terms and when William discovers some unsettling secrets about his mother, she is there to support him.

This is vintage Strout. She writes beautifully about humanity, human flaws and human relationships. Her characters are entirely believable and by no means perfect. Her narrative is full of wisdom and an understanding of how individuals' negotiate their lives. This is a novel to savour.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had not read the earlier Elizabeth Strout book featuring Lucy Barton, but I don't feel this detracted from the story at all.

The book features Lucy Barton and reflects on her life (she is now 63).. She is divorced from her first husband William, with whom she has 2 daughters. Her second husband David has passed away and she misses him terribly. But her relationship with William is still strong, they are supportive of each other as well as being there for their daughters.

William discovers that his mother had a daughter before him, and so he sets off on a journey of discovery, taking Lucy with him for support and company.

The narrative throughout the book is delightful, you get to understand and admire all of the characters. A lovely book, on par with the Olive Kitteridge books. I will now have to go back and read My Name is Lucy Barton.

At one point in the book William tells Lucy, ‘You steal people’s hearts, Lucy’ and it’s clear Elizabeth Strout has found it difficult to part with the character who first appeared in My Name Is Lucy Barton and more recently in Anything Is Possible. Oh Willam! definitely feels like the final instalment in Lucy’s story.

The book is narrated in the first person by Lucy in a conversational style, without chapter breaks, shifting back and forth in time to include memories of her traumatic childhood and the early years of her marriage to William and its subsequent breakdown. As Lucy reflects on her own actions, things she could have done differently, and missed opportunities, it feels like something of a confessional. At one point, William accuses Lucy of being self-absorbed; it’s a fair accusation but then aren’t we all self-absorbed to some degree?

Although William and Lucy’s marriage involved much disappointment, including infidelity, what comes across is the continuing affection they have for each other. The phrase ‘Oh William!’ occurs frequently, sometimes reflecting Lucy’s exasperation with William, at other times her feelings of pity, of tenderness or of understanding of what he’s going through. After a period apart, during which much has happened in both their lives, they quickly return to being close confidantes. And, of course, their daughters, Chrissy and Becka, provide a lasting link between them, evoking memories of happier times. At one point, Lucy wonders, ‘What is it that William knew about me and that I knew about him that caused us to get married?’ The journey they take together to investigate a secret involving William’s family history left me disappointed that they couldn’t have made their marriage work. However, as Lucy reflects, ‘This is the way of life; the many things we do not know until it is too late.’

The most striking part of the book for me was the final section in which William and Lucy visit the area where William’s mother, Catherine, grew up and he learns more about his mother’s early life. It was here that I got the most sense of Lucy being a successful novelist as she imagines Catherine’s journey to a new life with William’s father. ‘Oh, I could see young Catherine half-running, half-walking down that windswept November dark road, and getting to the train station without her boots, just her shoes and snow on the ground…’

Oh William! demonstrates Elizabeth Strout’s trademark careful dissection of the way people act and interact, their hopes and regrets, and their struggles to come to terms with loss and disappointment.

Continuing with the later life of Lucy Barton from a previous novel Oh William tells the story of her marriage to William, their family life and subsequent divorce years later as a result of his constant infidelity. Ironically their relationship improves with the divorce and it is Lucy who helps out when William's mother becomes ill. Told in the inimitable style we have come to expect from Elizabeth Strout, we are welcomed inside Lucy's head  to witness the complexity of her character, affected by the early days of abuse which she suffered and carried with her throughout her life. She has to convince herself everyday that she is not worthless, not invisible, that she is a good mother to her grown up daughters,and with her career as a successful novelist, is self sufficient and independent.
A gently told tale that belies the gritty subject matter at times, you will enter the world of Lucy Barton. You will empathise, sympathise and be intrigued by her ability to survive through the adversity which has marked her life thus far.
Compelling and a worthwhile read

Yet another faultless novel from Elizabeth Strout, for me she cannot ever write a bad story. It was great to hear from Lucy again and felt as if I were catching up with an old, but not encountered for a long while, friend. Also in this fictional friendship circle of mine is Olive, whose story is equally engaging. Elizabeth Strout has constructed a fictional support network for me in these solitary covid times that I have found almost as supportive as my friendships in the real world. These friends of mine who live in the head of Elizabeth are wise, practical, pragmatic and totally real, they live long in my memory a writing skill to be treasured and valued. Thank you again Netgalley, publisher and especially Elizabeth for the honour and privilege of reading such amazing fiction.

Oh William!, is a frustrating book, with Strout revisiting the characters from her first book, which if you haven't read leaves you somewhat out of the loop. At it's heart Oh William is an exploration of love and relationships with the notion of a rose tinted view of the past exposed in all it's folly. Lucy and William although divorced still lean on each other for the companionship that only long-serving relationships can provide. As they both age, the remembrance of shared history is a tie that binds them as their lives begin to unravel and alarming discoveries are made.

This is my first book by Elizabeth Strout and it was a lovely read. Not my usual kind of read but it was enjoyable. This is about love and loss and was well written. Would recommend.

‘But when I think Oh William!, don’t I mean Oh Lucy! Too?’
I have already been introduced to Lucy Barton and was curious about her return, mainly because I enjoy Strout’s writing. In truth Lucy Barton hasn't been my favourite of Strout's characters - Olive Kitteridge is.
Oh William is the story of Lucy’s ex husband, William, or rather it might be regarded as her story told through her observation of him. Lucy is living on her own; her children are now adults and she is a widow after remarrying following her divorce from William. William’s wife has left him..Both William and Lucy are interrogating their own history in an effort to understand themselves, their actions and motivations.
Strout is an extraordinarily perceptive writer, she evokes the nuances, the tiny physicaliities and unique personalities of her subjects. William’s eyes are ‘brown and they have stayed large ..” She describes the minutia of their interactions and her characters are some of the best observed you will ever encounter. I am honestly not sure if I like Lucy Barton and therein lies my conundrum. Does my dislike of her make this a good book as she gets under my skin? She is a deeply uncomfortable woman who has endured a desperate childhood with both mental and physical hardship; this has undoubtedly shaped her. Her anxiety and social awkwardness are tangible. At one point William says, ‘You steal people’s hearts, Lucy.’ but she doesn’t steal mine. I am left awkward in her company. Lucy is a writer and she writes in a kind of parallel with Strout - sometimes I wonder who is actually writing the character! Lucy states ‘Because I am a novelist, I have to write this almost like a novel, but it is true.’ Barton (or Strout) frequently writes ‘and then there was this..’ and at these points I want to shout at her as though she were a friend who is telling me a story and really I don’t want to hear it anymore!
This really is extraordinary writing which breathes life into Lucy and William. It is also very much the style of Lucy Barton but amplified so if you enjoyed Lucy’s first outing, you will enjoy the second.
With grateful thanks to Netgalley and Penguin General UK for a digital copy of this book.

I hadn’t read Elizabeth Strout’s previous books about Lucy Barton but enjoyed this nonetheless. Lucy is now 60, long divorced from William and mourning the death of her second husband. William had never quite been out of her life and she reminisces about their time together with some fondness and some irritation. This book is about love, loss, family and other muses in life.