Elizabeth Strout Amgash 3 Books Set

by Elizabeth Strout

This Elizabeth Strout Amgash 3 Books Set 1. My Name is Lucy Barton 9780812979527 2. Anything Is Possible 9780812989410 3. Oh William! 9780812989441

Genres: Contemporary, Fiction

750 pages, Paperback

Published November 15, 2022

About the author

Elizabeth Strout is the author of several novels, including: Abide with Me, a national bestseller and BookSense pick, and Amy and Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in England. In 2009 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book Olive Kitteridge. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines, including The New Yorker. She teaches at the Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte.

Reviews

[Cass · Rating 4 out of 5]

These three books are gently wonderful but
- only the second time through
- only if all three are read together

Why? Because the first time through any one of them alone is a confusing. It’s hard to figure out who’s who, and why we should care. Any one alone, the first time, is like a quiet little watercolor at the library art show. A little too self-referential (should fiction writers ever be allowed to write about writers? Especially about writers who write memoirs about the things that happen in the fiction? Argh! It hurts the brain.), a little too shy, a little too pretend-simple, maybe a little too perfect, perhaps due to the silken copy editing by the great Benjamin Dreyer?
The second time through, and when you’ve read all three, is a completely different experience. You care deeply about this open honest woman and her life, you’re stunned by her kindness and wisdom, and you see the rich complicated characters poof up into existence. It’s more than fun. It’s sweet.

[Paul Besley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first read of Elizabeth Strout and very enjoyable. Easy reading with reflection. Will read more.

[Kathleen Kettman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know to what genre this book belongs, but it was not a favorite of mine. I felt it jumped around and, to me, the author was unclear. I have read other books by this author and like them, so it’s just this book I didn’t like.

[Arti Shukla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Strout's novel Oh William! is an insightful and emotionally resonant character study, though not without its flaws. ✨

The story centers on William, a former professor and author pushing 80 and dealing with encroaching memory loss. Through a non-linear narrative structure mirroring his fragmented memories, Strout explores different eras of his life - marriages, relationships with daughters, friendships, and regrets accumulated over decades.

There's no denying Strout's talent for rendering authentic, multi-layered characters. William is brilliantly contradictory - arrogant yet kind, selfish yet giving. The women in his life are equally well-developed. Strout avoids easy judgments, instead portraying the messy complexities of human bonds with nuance and empathy.

The novel offers a deeply moving exploration of aging, cognitive decline, and how our memories become revised personal narratives. Strout doesn't flinch from the harsh realities of dementia. Her examination of regret's profound toll as William reassesses his choices also rings utterly true.

Strout's spare yet insightful prose shines, her dialogue is pitch-perfect, and her observations of human behavior cut to the bone. When she's firing on all cylinders, her literary craftsmanship is masterful.

However, the non-linear structure occasionally felt a tad disjointed, the transitions between vignettes somewhat abrupt at times. And while the ending landed emotionally, the resolution for certain character arcs felt slightly too tidy.

Overall, Oh William! is a powerful, wise novel - a nuanced look at life's brilliant contradictions and the universal craving for love, legacy and meaning. Not a flawless work, but one brimming with hard-earned insights.

[Rebecca O'Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Elizabeth Strout explores Lucy's complex relationship with her ex-husband, William. While Lucy has been divorced for many years and then re-married and widowed, she still has complex and unresolved feelings for William. I found myself wondering... "Will they get back together?" "Does William have feelings for Lucy?"..... "Was it a mistake for them to divorce?" ......or are they both simply lonely. There is a certain comfort in their relationship that makes for an attraction that seems not quite strong enough to support a marriage. Much of Elizabeth Strout's books are mundane in their events but what makes for inspired reading is her ability to capture that mundane and write it in a voice that is totally relatable.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this on a long car drive, having read it before, and it was even better being read out loud to. My favorite author.

[Daniella LINDQUIST · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating relationship with a first husband and father of her children. Our narrator is Lucy Barton, a writer who lives in NYC. Tender and honest glimpses of her inner thoughts.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great character development and insights into relationships.