Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

February 8, 2022

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout

Lucy Barton's ex-husband William has always been a mystery to her. A college professor, they had been married 20 years and had two daughters when William told her that he had met a younger woman and wanted a divorce. Lucy knew that William had had other affairs during their marriage but agreed to a divorce. Nevertheless, the two remained close because of their children. When William's second marriage falls apart (he comes home to find their apartment stripped and his second wife and daughter gone - serves him right), the first person he calls is Lucy, and she helps him get his life back together. When William discovers a family secret, he asks Lucy to take a trip with him to investigate.

Strout wrote two previous books about these same characters, and I enjoy her exploration of their marriage and also their post-marriage lives. I think the two other books are stronger, or at least, this is my least favorite, probably because William doesn't treat Lucy very well, yet she is always there for him. The next book about these same two people, Lucy by the Sea, is coming out mid-2022.

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

July 31, 2022

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

March 2020 - Lucy Barton is living her normal life in New York, meeting friends for dinner, visiting her daughters in Brooklyn, working on her next book tour. Out of the blue, her ex-husband William telephones her and tells her to pack a bag, they are going to stay in Maine for while to escape the COVID pandemic. Lucy hasn't been keeping up with the news and isn't aware of the seriousness of the pandemic, but she agrees to go with him anyway, thinking that it will just be for a week or two.

They end up being stuck together for almost a year as the world goes to hell, until they are able to get the COVID vaccine. At first Lucy hates Maine, she and William manage to reconnect as a couple, even as their daughters' lives and marriage crash and burn, and then as their daughters rebuild their lives and become less dependent on Lucy. Gradually Lucy meets people in Maine and after a year, she is able to return to a new version of her life.

Lucy really irritated me at first - she complains about everything, hates everything. Partially I'm just envious. William arranges everything for them and takes care of Lucy - every trip I've ever taken either alone or with family, I am always responsible for everything. Lucy packs the wrong clothes to take for late winter in Maine, and William orders a coat, jeans, sweaters and sneakers from L. L. Bean. Later, because she's freezing in the winter, he gets two down comforters for her.

Coast of Maine

But as the book went on, I really enjoyed it. This is the fourth book with these characters, and I love the fact that they are senior citizens who have interesting lives, a lot better than their daughters and sons-in-law. I have read most of Elizabeth Strout's books and she is a fabulous writer. Highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

                                       

            New York City in the middle of the pandemic

This is a picture of my sweet little Asia who died in her sleep one night during April 2020. I also lost a close friend who died from COVID before anyone really knew what it was.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

September 24, 2019

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Olive, Again is a follow-up to Strout’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Olive Kitteridge.  Per the author, although she thought she was done with her, Olive apparently had more to say.  Like the first book, this one is a series of inter-connected narratives about the people who live in Crosby, Maine, and the surrounding towns. Since Olive is at heart a storyteller and collects and distributes information about the people she knows, the story format is particularly appropriate.  Picking up where the previous book left off, the story follows Olive through the next ten years of her life.  Even though she is well into her senior years, Olive discovers that surprising and unexpected things can still happen to her, and that it’s not too late for her to learn things about herself.

This is character-driven literary fiction that is much more accessible than a lot of literary works.  Olive is a wonderful creation, outspoken and crusty and selfish.  Her exterior shell shows signs of cracking as she ages and she becomes more accepting of others’ flaws.  Even though this is a sequel, you don’t necessarily have to have read the first book to enjoy this one. 

Side note:  My reading has been on the slow side this week.  I had a lot planned for the weekend including marathon reading, but my 11 year old golden retriever Asia developed a seriously drippy eye.  The vet referred us to a veterinary ophthalmologist (yes, there are all kinds of specialty vets), who diagnosed an indolent ulcer in her eye and did a procedure that removed the ulcer from her cornea (don’t get squeamish, the cornea has no nerves – when your eye itches or stings, it’s the eyelid that’s feeling it).  He sent her home with the “cone of shame” for two weeks, antibiotic drops, and some pretty good drugs.  She’s tolerating it but would really prefer to scratch the heck out of her eye.  Then a family interested in meeting my foster dog Scout wanted to come over on Sunday, which meant making the house presentable for strangers to see.  They liked him a lot and decided to take Scouty home with them, so I hope it works out for all of them.  Paws crossed.

Asia in the cone:

Scout the (former) foster guy: