Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Ay, William by Elizabeth Strout

14 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This series has been consistently good for me. William is a brat. Ugh. So glad Lucy divorced him in the first book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, and Classism

kcarney86's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and War

Minor: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts

rosalind's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism

Moderate: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Child abuse, Infertility, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy

jordan_noel's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I thought this book was sweet.

It's part of a series, but I read it as a standalone and think I understood it just fine.

It follows a divorced, now aged, couple and they reunite after one of them restarts the connection.

Not much happens in the book, but the characters reflect on past experiences, reasons they didn't work out as a couple, and their personality flaws. They support each other and begin to understand each other's boundaries, interests, and limits more as they take a trip together.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief

Minor: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

One main character's husband is mentioned to have died. She talks about her experience handling his death and her grief throughout the book, but it is a reflection on the past. It's fairly mild. Both main characters have practiced infidelity. One of the main characters experiences panic attacks and the other doesn't really understand it.

samarakroeger's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

an enjoyable enough insomnia read with a strong narrative voice in the character of Lucy Barton.  I ended up feeling similarly to how I felt about My Name is Lucy Barton (I haven't read Anything is Possible).  kind of underwhelmed?  it's a pleasant read that flows well; Strout is great at using simple but effective prose.  I just think I haven't really connected or cared too much about any of the characters in these books.

I'll undoubtedly read more from Elizabeth Strout when I can't sleep, though -- her books seem to engage me on just the right level where I won't get too stressed, I might fall asleep, and the writing is straightforward enough to follow in a sleep-deprived state.  I swear this is a compliment.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief

Minor: Child abuse and Abandonment

isobelk_18's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

nomey's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Child abuse and Miscarriage

Minor: Ableism

deedireads's review against another edition

emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.

TL;DR REVIEW:

The third in Elizabeth Strout’s Amgash series, Oh William! is another quiet but beautiful little novel. I loved how reflective this one was, both similar to and different from the first two.

For you if: You like books about relationships, and those that get really interior with their first-person narrators.

FULL REVIEW:

Shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, Oh William! is the third book in Elizabeth Strout’s Amgash series. If you’ve read Elizabeth Strout before, you know what to expect with this one: a quiet novel that beautifully explores humanity by examining the motivations and relationships between lifelike characters.

Oh William! returns us into the mind and perception of the first Amgash book’s narrator, Lucy Barton. In this book, she’s a bit older; her daughters are adults, and she just lost her second (and much loved) husband. Then her first husband, William, is left by his new wife and finds out his recently deceased mother had a secret daughter before he was born. He asks her to accompany him on a trip to learn more about his half-sister, and she agrees.

I loved the opportunity to come back to a character we know and love and watch her reflect on her own life. Lucy has so much more self-awareness now, but she gains even more of it throughout the book. I also loved how Strout used the relationship between Lucy and William to explore how those we love, we love. in some way forever, even when they aren’t necessarily good for us anymore. And honestly, I think Strout’s ability to pinpoint what motivates people and how they interact is unmatched by any other writer.

I’ve heard that Lucy by the Sea is many people’s favorite Amgash book. I’m excited to read it next!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent

shelfofunread's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Grief, and Abandonment

Minor: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy

pphector's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity and Grief

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Classism