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rosalind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Classism, Infidelity, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Infertility
itschelseaw's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Mid-way through Oh William! I hated William. He is very unaware of himself and the impact of his actions on others. I found myself annoyed with Lucy constantly saying she left him, as if her leaving wasn't proceeded by him cheating on her multiple times. I did find myself saying "Oh William!" out loud a couple of times, which ended up delighting me!
Lucy was by far the more interesting character to me, and as the narrator we got a lot more insight into her life and her motivations, especially those surrounding her children and ex-husband. Again, I take umbrage with her constantly saying she left him, as if they had had an agreement that William could cheat (I don't believe they did), and therefore Lucy was in the wrong to no longer accept that. However, she's my mom's generation, so I cannot say whether my mom would've reacted the same way had my dad cheated while he was still alive.
Lucy's insights into herself and revelations about her own life were what kept me going with this story, and ultimately what made me like it. Not quite 4 stars, because her seeing William for the reality that he's... just a man... didn't come until the last 10 minutes of the book. But! It was a satisfying 10 minutes to hear her go through the process of taking down the pedestal she had William on. She showed him grace time and again, and he seemed to not know how to extend that same grace back to her.
The second to last line of the book was particularly beautiful, to the point that I wrote it down. "We are all mythologies - mysterious. We are all mysteries, is what I mean." I think that ended up summing up the book quite well, in a beautiful way. They, Lucy and William, told stories about both themselves and each other, and the other people in their lives. To see their story about William's mom unravel was so interesting, and the impact that had on both of them was also fascinating. William turned back into a child it seemed; even more petulant than when they had started the trip. Lucy, however, seemed to use it as a catalyst to look at the other mythologies she had crafted in her own life, ultimately ending with seeing her mythology she created around William for what it was: a mythology.
Lucy was by far the more interesting character to me, and as the narrator we got a lot more insight into her life and her motivations, especially those surrounding her children and ex-husband. Again, I take umbrage with her constantly saying she left him, as if they had had an agreement that William could cheat (I don't believe they did), and therefore Lucy was in the wrong to no longer accept that. However, she's my mom's generation, so I cannot say whether my mom would've reacted the same way had my dad cheated while he was still alive.
Lucy's insights into herself and revelations about her own life were what kept me going with this story, and ultimately what made me like it. Not quite 4 stars, because her seeing William for the reality that he's... just a man... didn't come until the last 10 minutes of the book. But! It was a satisfying 10 minutes to hear her go through the process of taking down the pedestal she had William on. She showed him grace time and again, and he seemed to not know how to extend that same grace back to her.
The second to last line of the book was particularly beautiful, to the point that I wrote it down. "We are all mythologies - mysterious. We are all mysteries, is what I mean." I think that ended up summing up the book quite well, in a beautiful way. They, Lucy and William, told stories about both themselves and each other, and the other people in their lives. To see their story about William's mom unravel was so interesting, and the impact that had on both of them was also fascinating. William turned back into a child it seemed; even more petulant than when they had started the trip. Lucy, however, seemed to use it as a catalyst to look at the other mythologies she had crafted in her own life, ultimately ending with seeing her mythology she created around William for what it was: a mythology.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual assault
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