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Oh William!

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Oh William!
First edition
AuthorElizabeth Strout
LanguageEnglish
SeriesLucy Barton
Set inNew York City
Published2021
PublisherRandom House
Publication date
October 19, 2021
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, e-book, audiobook
ISBN9780812989434
Preceded byMy Name Is Lucy Barton, Anything is Possible 
Followed byLucy by the Sea 

Oh William! is a novel by American writer Elizabeth Strout, published on October 19, 2021, by Random House. The novel focusses on a now successful, middle-age writer, Lucy Barton, whose earlier life was at the center of Strout's novels My Name Is Lucy Barton (2016) and Anything Is Possible (2017). It deals in particular with her relationship to her ex-husband, William, with whom she has two adult daughters. While he is now in his third marriage, Lucy has been recently widowed after a happy second marriage. The novel also explores Williams's family history and reveals unexpected details about his now deceased mother and father.[1] The story of how these findings impact their later lives will be continued in the fourth novel in the series, Lucy by the Sea (2022).

The book was a New York Times and IndieBound best seller.[2] It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize[3][4] which was announced on September 6, 2022.[5]

Reception

[edit]

Oh William! was a New York Times and IndieBound best seller[2] and received positive reviews from various outlets. According to Book Marks, the book received "rave" reviews based on thirty-three critic reviews: twenty-five "rave" reviews and eight "positive" reviews.[6][7][8]

Booklist provided Oh William! a starred review and called it "a masterful, wise, moving, and ultimately uplifting meditation on human existence."[9] Publishers Weekly also provided a starred review.[10]

Pankaj Mishra of The New York Review of Books complimented Strout's prose, stating her "unshowy, sparing of metaphor ... vivid with both necessary and contingent detail, matches her democracy of subject and theme, and seems agile enough to describe any human situation."[11] The Los Angeles Times mirrored the sentiment, stating, "Strout doesn’t dress language up in a tuxedo when a wool sweater will suffice. Other novelists must berate themselves when they see what Strout pulls off without any tacky pyrotechnics. Straightforward goes down so easy and feels so refreshing."[12]

Speaking of Strout's strengths in creating natural dialogue, The New York Times Book Review's Jennifer Egan stated: "One proof of Elizabeth Strout’s greatness is the sleight of hand with which she injects sneaky subterranean power into seemingly transparent prose. Strout works in the realm of everyday speech, conjuring repetitions, gaps and awkwardness with plain language and forthright diction, yet at the same time unleashing a tidal urgency that seems to come out of nowhere even as it operates in plain sight."[13]

The Financial Times noted that "What sets Strout’s work apart is her characterisation."[14] Library Journal expanded on the sentiment, stating that Strout's characters are "so developed, so human and flawed, that readers might feel frustrated with them, as one would with a friend or family member."[15] The Spectator continues, stating that Strout's use of "you" throughout the story asks the reader "to reassess every single relationship they’ve ever had: with their partner, their parents, their children and themselves, while they can still do something about it."[16]

The Wall Street Journal claimed that "Elizabeth’s Strout’s Lucy Barton novels, of which Oh William! is the latest, have become essential to the contemporary canon."[17]

Oh WIlliam! also received positive reviews from The Boston Globe,[18] NPR,[19] The Washington Post,[20] The Sunday Times,[1] The Guardian,[21] The Irish Times,[22] The Scotsman,[23] I News,[24] Associated Press,[25] and The Times Literary Supplement.[26]

Contrary to the above, Connie Ogle of The Star Tribune noted that "While it's always a pleasure to read Strout's restrained but lovely prose and skillful character sketches, Oh William! lacks the urgency and affecting, understated power of the original novel."[27] The San Francisco Chronicle's Alexis Burling echoed the sentiment, stating that the book is a "welcome return to form (if you liked 2016’s somewhat claustrophobic My Name Is Lucy Barton and are able to gloss over Strout’s habit of rehashing some of the old plotlines in this one, that is)."[28]

Maureen Corrigan,[29] The New York Times Book Review,[30] The Washington Post,[31] TIME,[32] BBC,[33] and Vulture[34] named it one of the best books of the year.

Oh William! was also a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction (2021).[35] The novel was named on the longlist and shortlist for the 2022 Booker Prize (Strout having been previously nominated for the Booker Prize in 2016 with My Name Is Lucy Barton).[36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Thomas-Corr, Johanna. "Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout review — the brilliant new novel by the author of Olive Kitteridge". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  2. ^ a b "Oh William!". Kirkus Reviews. 2021-10-19. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  3. ^ Shaffi, Sarah (2022-07-26). "Booker prize longlist of 13 writers aged 20 to 87 announced". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  4. ^ "Garner, Bulawayo and Strout on Booker shortlist". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
  5. ^ "Oh William! | The Booker Prizes". thebookerprizes.com. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
  6. ^ "Oh William!". Book Marks. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  7. ^ "Oh William!". Bookmarks. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Oh William!". Bibliosurf (in French). 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  9. ^ Prindiville, Mary Ellen (August 2021). "Oh William!". Booklist. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  10. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout. Random House, $27 (256p) ISBN 978-0-8129-8943-4". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  11. ^ Mishra, Pankaj (November 4, 2021). "Writing the Other America". The New York Times Book Review. ISSN 0028-7504. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  12. ^ Kelly, Hillary (2021-10-19). "Review: How Elizabeth Strout's simplicity runs rings around more pyrotechnic novelists". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  13. ^ Egan, Jennifer (2021-10-18). "Elizabeth Strout Gets Meta in Her New Novel About Marriage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  14. ^ Levitin, Mia (2021-10-08). "Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout — mysteries of marriage". Financial Times. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  15. ^ Hoffert, Barbara (2021-09-24). "Oh William!". Library Journal. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  16. ^ Mesure, Susie (2021-10-16). "Reassess every relationship you've ever had before it's too late". The Spectator Australia. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  17. ^ Sacks, Sam (2021-10-22). "Fiction: Elizabeth Strout's 'Oh William!'". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  18. ^ Medwed, Mameve (2021-10-14). "Tracing a post-divorce road trip in 'Oh William!'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  19. ^ McAlpin, Heller (2021-10-19). "Lucy Barton returns — and reconnects with an old love — in 'Oh William!'". NPR. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  20. ^ Frank, Joan (2021-10-19). "Review | Elizabeth Strout's 'Oh William!' is yet another dazzler". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  21. ^ Miller, Laura (2021-10-20). "Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout review – the return of Lucy Barton". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  22. ^ MacMahon, Kathleen. "Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout: a profoundly moving experience". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  23. ^ Massie, Allan (2021-10-27). "Book review: Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout". The Scotsman. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  24. ^ "Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout is the best Lucy Barton book yet". I News. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  25. ^ Levin, Ann (2021-10-18). "Review: Elizabeth Strout writes a 'Lucy Barton' sequel". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  26. ^ Silcox, Beejay (2021-10-29). "Elizabeth Strout's under-celebrated boldness". The Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  27. ^ Ogle, Connie (2021-10-15). "REVIEW: "Oh William!" by Elizabeth Strout". Star Tribune. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  28. ^ Burling, Alexis (2021-10-18). "Review: Elizabeth Strout's 'Oh William!' is a poignant master class on aging and vulnerability". San Francisco Arts & Entertainment Guide. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  29. ^ Corrigan, Maureen (2021-12-13). "Literary fiction dominates Maureen Corrigan's 2021 Best Books list". NPR. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  30. ^ "The 10 Best Books of 2021". The New York Times. 2021-11-30. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  31. ^ "Review | 50 notable works of fiction". Washington Post. 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  32. ^ "'Oh William!' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2021". Time. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  33. ^ Laurence, Rebecca; Baker, Lindsay (2021-12-22). "The best books of the year 2021". BBC. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  34. ^ Kelly, Hillary (2021-12-15). "The Best Books of 2021". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  35. ^ "Oh William!". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-12-26.
  36. ^ Bayley, Sian (2022-07-26). "Booker Prize longlist dominated by indies as judges pick youngest and oldest ever nominees". The Bookseller. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
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