Oh William!

“Oh William!” by Elizabeth Strout

Published by Random House

Finished 10/24 – 3/5 stars

Well, at least I’m consistent with my ratings of the books in this series.  I looked back and I gave both “My Name is Lucy Barton” and “Anything is Possible” 3 stars as well.  Granted, you don’t have to have read those books to enjoy this one.  It probably gives you more insight into the characters and their relationships but it’s been 4 years since I read the other 2 books so I don’t think I pulled much from my memory.  However, it didn’t go by me when Ms. Strout gave a shout out to the Burgess brothers from another book of hers and I read that one about 8 years ago (that was a 4 star read).

This story is about Lucy and her ex-husband William whom she has remained friends with over the years.  After taking one of those genetic tests, William finds out that he has a sister that he never knew existed.  He is recently separated and Lucy is widowed so she decides to be his needed support and join him on his journey to find out more about his past.  There is no romance on this journey, just a true friendship.  Although not written in a diary format, it has that feel because Lucy is telling the story and while doing so, she is also reflecting on her past.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel so that I might share my honest opinion – I enjoyed it and recommend it to others.

All the Children are Home

 

“All the Children are Home” by Patry Francis

Published by Harper Perennial

Finished 10/11/21 – 4/5 stars

 

Lots of dysfunctional characters, but what else would you expect when the main setting is a foster home.  Obviously, each child comes with a troubling past but even the foster mom has her own personal demons to contend with.  I wouldn’t change a thing about any of them though.  As a family put together by chance, they share a loving bond and come to greatly rely on each other.

The story is told from different perspectives to allow you to get to know and understand each character better.  Each chapter’s heading tells you which point of view you are about to have so there is no confusion.  The ending does leave you wanting more but I don’t think a sequel is needed.  You can leave the ending to your imagination as to how each character’s life ends up.