Lucy Barton returns and it’s great to have her back!
In ‘Oh William!’ Lucy has just lost her beloved husband David and finds herself spending time with her former husband William, the philandering father of her daughters with whom she has remained friendly. William is also struggling and in the midst of it all receives a genealogy gift which leads him (and Lucy) to Maine in search of his mother’s little known past and a well kept secret.
Brief recaps of Lucy's history from the previous books are deftly woven into Oh William! adding to the patchwork that is her life from impoverished, traumatic childhood to succesful author.
‘Oh William!’ is a novel / fictional memoir, a form that is a perfect fit for Lucy’s personality. From the very start you become the willing companion to Lucy’s attempts at figuring things out as she goes along.
This is an intimate, at turns surprising, at turns quite moving novel, where our main character is constantly asking herself questions in a quest to better understand herself and others.
‘Please try to understand this:
I have always thought that if there was a big cork board and on that board was a pin for every person who ever lived, there would be no pin for me.
I feel invisible is what I mean. But I mean it in the deepest way. It is very hard to explain. And I cannot explain it except to say - oh, I don’t know what to say. Truly it is as if I do not exist, I guess is the closest thing I can say. I mean I do not exist in the world.’
In Oh William!, Elizabeth Strout proves once again that she is a master of a non linear form that relies less on plot and more on defining moments in time and in relationships - moments that seem random at first but turn out to be pivotal. And once again we are gifted with characters so interesting, multilayered and complex, so real, that we don’t quite know how to feel about them. Just as in real life.
As Strout herself has said about the novel: “I am never really interested in Good or Bad, but instead in all the murky imperfections of people that make up their lives.”
Happy reading - and message us to reserve a copy!
Wonderfully reviewed for us by Christine 🙏
‘The Tenth Muse is a beautiful novel about identity, ambition, discovery, and belonging.
The story is told by Katherine, a gifted mathematician, as she recounts events from her life and career. Growing up in post-WWII America, she has had to fight for everything she has accomplished and has struggled with feelings of never truly belonging; as a child, her Chinese mother set her apart in the local Caucasian society, in school she was punished for her intelligence, and as a female mathematician trying to succeed in the male-dominated world of academia, she has had to work twice as hard to prove her worth. As she sets out to forge her professional path, family secrets come to light which send her on a journey to discover her own origins and understand her family history and legacy in post-war Europe.
Katherine is a fascinating leading character who refuses to compromise on her ambitions even though they come at a high price, and whose determination to carve out a space for herself in a male-dominated environment is unrelenting.
The Tenth Muse is a beautiful, warm, and moving story and the book is an easy, comfortable read which I highly recommend.’
Happy Monday and Happy reading!
RESERVE YOUR COPY OF The Tenth Muse
Reviewed by Books & Co regular reviewer Lotte 🙏
‘Sunday Brennan, now 29, left her New York City life and family for a writing career in LA leaving behind her Dad, brothers and high school sweetheart and fiancé, Kale.
After a car crash, her brother Denny, always her protector, takes her back to New York, but going home is never easy. People want answers to why she left, her brother has made disastrous business decisions for the family business and Kale is now married with a son.
This is a true family drama at it’s very best - complex, dysfunctional and very loving - with a super flow in the writing (this is a debut, btw !) The story is broken up into chapters that are each narrated by a different family member. A great idea that works really well. The Brennans is a great read and could make it into my top 10!’
Happy Monday and happy reading!
RESERVE YOUR COPY OF We Are the Brennans
Reviewed by Celina Mina, thank you! 🥰
‘ I joined a monthly bookckub last year through Books & Company. My intentions for joining were to read books I wouldn’t normally choose to read and to become a part of a new community of people from whom I can learn, thus broadening many aspects of my intellect and life in general.
This was the book we read in September and discussed at the beginning of October. I found it truly fascinating.
As one book club member jokingly said: ‘ It’s like a parenting book for pet owners’. I currently don’t own a pet but I have two children. and I know it’s one thing to make sure they are fed each day and another thing to create a home environment in which they flourish mentally and emotionally.
This is what this book explains regarding animals and their mental health.’
Happy reading and may we add that if you don’t know the author Temple Grandin, we suggest you look her up. She is a truly remarkable person.