Oh William!

A Novel

De: Elizabeth Strout

Narrado por: Kimberly Farr

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout explores the mysteries of marriage and the secrets we keep, as a former couple reckons with where they’ve come from—and what they’ve left behind.

BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air

“Elizabeth Strout is one of my very favorite writers, so the fact that Oh William! may well be my favorite of her books is a mathematical equation for joy. The depth, complexity, and love contained in these pages is a miraculous achievement.”—Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House

I would like to say a few things about my first husband, William.

Lucy Barton is a writer, but her ex-husband, William, remains a hard man to read. William, she confesses, has always been a mystery to me. Another mystery is why the two have remained connected after all these years. They just are.

So Lucy is both surprised and not surprised when William asks her to join him on a trip to investigate a recently uncovered family secret—one of those secrets that rearrange everything we think we know about the people closest to us. What happens next is nothing less than another example of what Hilary Mantel has called Elizabeth Strout’s “perfect attunement to the human condition.” There are fears and insecurities, simple joys and acts of tenderness, and revelations about affairs and other spouses, parents and their children. On every page of this exquisite novel we learn more about the quiet forces that hold us together—even after we’ve grown apart.

At the heart of this story is the indomitable voice of Lucy Barton, who offers a profound, lasting reflection on the very nature of existence. “This is the way of life,” Lucy says: “the many things we do not know until it is too late.”

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Time, Vulture, She Reads

©2021 Elizabeth Strout (P)2021 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“One proof of 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.”—The New York Times Book Review

“So much intimate, fragile, desperate humanness infuses these pages, it’s breathtaking. Almost every declaration carries the force of revelation.”—The Washington Post

“For all the depths of anger and despair they uncover, and the bitterness they attest to, Strout’s works insist on the superabundance of life, the unrealized bliss always immanent in it.”—The New York Review of Books

Oh, dear Lucy Barton!

I had read the book My Name is Lucy Barton a few years ago and I was surprised to find her telling this story, Oh William! I truly loved the voice and expressive delivery of Kimberly Farr and once again I was captivated by the down to earth look at the very real inner voice of Lucy Barton. She is so patient with her ex-husband William as he navigates his life. She does not see how attracting and engaging she is. She discounts herself. One of my favorite moments is when William declares that he loved her because she was pure joy! She did not know that other people would see her as joy!
I think that anyone who is reflective about what the keep private and what they show to the world will love this. ❤️

Oh my!

Why I love audio books? When the reader read oh William all the emotions were in those two words! the reader made the book a very enjoyable experience

Unexpectedly amazing

I didn’t anticipate loving this book as much as I did. The details made it shine, all of the little things we take for granted that make up our lives. The narrator made this book come alive. But if I had to describe it to a friend… what is this book really about? It’s about life… simply put.

Lucy Again

Always a delight spending time with Lucy Barton. Can’t wait to meet her again in the future.

Oh William

I found this book to be delightful. Of course there are very sad things that happen but Lucy has such a calm and warm demeanor it makes you comfortable to just sit and listen to her story. Loved it!

You have to give it 20 minutes….

In the first few minutes of an Elizabeth Stroud book, I always forget why I love her so much. “This sounds like the mundane ramblings of any older woman I know” is a thought that occurs to me. Keep going…. Elizabeth Stroud is a master of giving voice to humanity.
In the daily ordinary goings-on of Lucy Barton, you have the sometimes tedious details of the life of any of us (shopping, bumping into a friend, a flashback of a road trip or a family memory), but a few minutes in, one will realize that she’s weaving a beautiful tapestry of the human experience. There is no stone unturned in the micro-adventure of Lucy’s piecing together of relationships and experiences and how they affect us. If you read one Elizabeth Stroud book,you will read them all.

Lovely

A lovely extension of the Lucy Barton story. I love her writing. I could listen to it forever. The narrator is wonderful too.

Relational dynamics

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout was an enjoyable and meaningful short read. I appreciated how the character development felt not only realistic, but deeply familiar—rooted in emotions, imperfections, and the quiet, complicated truths of being human. Strout has such a gift for crafting characters who feel like people you know, or perhaps even like parts of yourself.

What stood out to me most was the way the novel explores family of origin and long-standing relational dynamics. These layers unfold gently but powerfully throughout the story, offering new insight and even deeper resonance if you’ve read her other works. It felt like certain puzzle pieces clicking into place, adding richness to the broader emotional world Strout creates across her books.

Reading this novel invited me to pause and reflect on my own relationships—past and present—and the role that compassion, trust, and even disappointment can play in shaping who we are. It's a quiet, introspective story that lingers with you in the best way.

A quick read, yes, but one that stays with you long after the final page.

Meh. Not for me

I recognize it’s well written. It just isn’t my kind of book. Probably for lots of others it is

Beautiful

This was such a wonderful piece of poetry. What a chance the author took in writing a book that speaks to the heart