“Olive lives in Crosby, Maine, where she taught grade school math and lived with her husband and son. The novel is actually thirteen stories in which Olive's life is revealed by those whose lives intersect with hers. Strout's characters are both dissatisfied with and disappointed by growing old. Age is particularly hard on her women. In spite of this grimness, there is joy in the simplicity of a life reduced to morning walks, comforting friends, and unsought romance. Powerful and painful.”

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