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katielovesbooks134's review
3.0
I asked NetGalley for an advanced copy of this and was so excited to receive it! I have read Olive Kitteridge, but neither of the original two in the Amgash series featuring Lucy Barton. But I was able to pick up Oh, William! with no problem. Lucy is in her 60s and has a platonic relationship with her ex-husband, William. These two embark on a road trip together to discover things from William’s mother’s past. While the book features Strout’s classic, characteristic prose, it was not enough to move the narrative for me. I wasn’t invested or drawn in and I was a little bored.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader’s eCopy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this advanced reader’s eCopy.
michelleyendo's review against another edition
5.0
"We are all mythologies"
Another beautifully written novel by Elizabeth Strout.
Another beautifully written novel by Elizabeth Strout.
jfjordan's review against another edition
Dumb book!!! Why was this book even written? Maybe because the author, a Pulitzer Prize winner, thinks that whatever she writes, even garbage, will get published. Why was this book even published? Maybe because the publisher thought that anything written, even garbage, by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, should be published.
And this novel was printed using the extra space between sentences, thus it's a 240-page tome, rather than a novella. (Gotta meet those page counts any way you can, right?)
I absolutely, definitely do NOT recommend this book! Don't waste your precious book-reading time!
And this novel was printed using the extra space between sentences, thus it's a 240-page tome, rather than a novella. (Gotta meet those page counts any way you can, right?)
I absolutely, definitely do NOT recommend this book! Don't waste your precious book-reading time!
nzagalo's review against another edition
2.0
Strout demonstra algumas competências muito interessantes, nomeadamente no contar de pequenas histórias, mas apresenta imensas fragilidades quando sai do micro-conto. Mesmo que seja capaz de a largas passadas interligar os pontos, e criar boas recompensas, mais ainda inter-livros, não chega para atenuar o que falta no todo. "O meu nome é Lucy Barton" é de 2016 e "Oh, William!" de 2021, os pequenos momentos oferecidos pelo interior psicológico da personagem, acabam por não contribuir para qualquer ideia maior, nem em cada livro, nem em ambos lidos em sucessão. Talvez não ajude o facto dos livros sere imensamente pequenos, e claro não contarem uma história, mas apenas pequenas historias. Quando lemos o primeiro livro, e partimos para o seguinte, nada muda, continuamos no exato mesmo universo, a mesma escrita, a mesma personagem, o mesmo de tudo em mais páginas. Isto faz lembrar a academia atual, que pega na sua investigação e retalha em bocados para dar mais artigos, números mais elevados na contabilidade métrica. Apesar disso, não faltam louvores ao trabalho da autora, e agora mais recente à sua proficuidade. Mas todos estes livros na verdade não o são, são antes secções de mesmos livros que a autora, por alguma razão, preferiu ir publicando à medida que os foi terminando. Diga-se que para a sua editora é muito melhor assim.
Impávido, tenho lido muitas coisas boas sobre estes livros de Strout. Impávido porque a forma do que escreve está pejada de problemas, alguns são resolvidos pela tradução, outros são piorados. Mas a leitura não sai incólume, a sua capacidade para nos entrelaçar não chega para aliviar os problemas.
A tradução, tanto do primeiro volume, embora menos no terceiro, apresenta problemas inaceitáveis nos diálogos, em que por várias vezes não se percebe quem está a falar. E o problema não é da tradução, é mesmo da forma da escrita, com todos "eu disse", "ele disse", "tu disseste", etc. etc. etc. Nota-se uma incapacidade de construir um diálogo sem constantes interjeições que não deviam sequer estar ali. E isto produz momentos como na página 145, em que a Bridget é trocada pela Becka, e ficamos ali a ler e reler o texto a tentar perceber quem fala, onde, quando, porquê. Até que vamos ao original e percebemos que não é a Bridget quem respondeu, mas a Becka.
Mas o pior vem depois, quando resolvemos ler no original e deixar a tradução, e percebemos que o livro está pejado de repetições abomináveis, como a palavra "said" (disse) no original. Se eu estava cansado do "disse" em português, então no original entramos noutro patamar. Num livro que não chega a 200 páginas temos 911 "said"!!! Veja-se o curtíssimo parágrafo abaixo:
“Well, it was very nice of you two to do that,” I finally said to them, and they only shrugged slightly.
Becka said, “I’m sorry I asked if you and Dad were getting back together.”
“Oh, don’t be,” I said. “I can understand the question.”
And Chrissy said, “You can?”
“Of course I can,” I said. And then I added, “We’re just not going to, that’s all.”
“Smart,” Chrissy said. And then she said, “It’s so strange to think of Grandma being this Catherine person you’re describing. I thought she was the most normal person in the world. I loved her.” And Becka said, “I did too.”
8 "saids" !!! Isto é tão ridículo, tão insuportável, que a Tania Ganho teve de reescrever o texto, diminuindo os 8 "disse" para 2, e acrescentando uma imensidão de outros verbos: concluí, disse, retorqui, perguntou, disse, opinou, confessou, concordou. Sem palavras. Se eu senti que o texto em português era bastante simples, quase básico, então em inglês percebi que era mesmo básico.
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com/2022/11/historias-que-nao-fazem-um-livro.html
Impávido, tenho lido muitas coisas boas sobre estes livros de Strout. Impávido porque a forma do que escreve está pejada de problemas, alguns são resolvidos pela tradução, outros são piorados. Mas a leitura não sai incólume, a sua capacidade para nos entrelaçar não chega para aliviar os problemas.
A tradução, tanto do primeiro volume, embora menos no terceiro, apresenta problemas inaceitáveis nos diálogos, em que por várias vezes não se percebe quem está a falar. E o problema não é da tradução, é mesmo da forma da escrita, com todos "eu disse", "ele disse", "tu disseste", etc. etc. etc. Nota-se uma incapacidade de construir um diálogo sem constantes interjeições que não deviam sequer estar ali. E isto produz momentos como na página 145, em que a Bridget é trocada pela Becka, e ficamos ali a ler e reler o texto a tentar perceber quem fala, onde, quando, porquê. Até que vamos ao original e percebemos que não é a Bridget quem respondeu, mas a Becka.
Mas o pior vem depois, quando resolvemos ler no original e deixar a tradução, e percebemos que o livro está pejado de repetições abomináveis, como a palavra "said" (disse) no original. Se eu estava cansado do "disse" em português, então no original entramos noutro patamar. Num livro que não chega a 200 páginas temos 911 "said"!!! Veja-se o curtíssimo parágrafo abaixo:
“Well, it was very nice of you two to do that,” I finally said to them, and they only shrugged slightly.
Becka said, “I’m sorry I asked if you and Dad were getting back together.”
“Oh, don’t be,” I said. “I can understand the question.”
And Chrissy said, “You can?”
“Of course I can,” I said. And then I added, “We’re just not going to, that’s all.”
“Smart,” Chrissy said. And then she said, “It’s so strange to think of Grandma being this Catherine person you’re describing. I thought she was the most normal person in the world. I loved her.” And Becka said, “I did too.”
8 "saids" !!! Isto é tão ridículo, tão insuportável, que a Tania Ganho teve de reescrever o texto, diminuindo os 8 "disse" para 2, e acrescentando uma imensidão de outros verbos: concluí, disse, retorqui, perguntou, disse, opinou, confessou, concordou. Sem palavras. Se eu senti que o texto em português era bastante simples, quase básico, então em inglês percebi que era mesmo básico.
https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com/2022/11/historias-que-nao-fazem-um-livro.html
aunt_jess's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Book 3 in this series, was more enjoyable than the 2nd. Finally heard from the perspective of Lucy again and it feels like you are talking with an old friend. Lots of reflecting back in the past and maybe some aspects I found hard to be true about how a marriage/relationship would actually go in real life. However, I did love how the ending wrapped up and I’m excited for next in series.
ohmosh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
beachdrea's review against another edition
5.0
Like a warm hug for anyone who grew up in a broken or impoverished home, “Oh, William” deftly contrasts William, privileged happy upbringing with Lucy, optimistic though someone who had to work her way out of poverty. How their lives mingle and how a family secret brings forth their contrasting perspectives is mastery. Like any master, Strout makes it look easy when we know it cannot be.
alexasachs17's review against another edition
4.0
I understand why this book is good but I didn’t particularly enjoy or look forward to reading it each night.
bagusayp's review against another edition
5.0
I still remember vividly my first time reading [b:My Name is Lucy Barton|27875970|My Name is Lucy Barton|Elizabeth Strout|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1493396214l/27875970._SY75_.jpg|45584499] 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 her 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 whom 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.
Lucy finds a distraction from her daily life with her ex-husband, William Gerhardt, a pensioner parasitologist whom 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.