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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This collection of short stories features one mainly dissatisfied older woman, Olive, her husband and son, and various other townspeople. A concert, a Sunday walk along the water and coffee visit, a young anorexic, a funeral. Portrayed through ordinary daily scene, Olive's life is perhaps heroic...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “I've always appreciated stories about normal, non-sensational people. The "every man" and "every woman" tales about struggles, loves and prejudices of normal humanity. "Winesburg, OH" and "Cold Sassy Tree" come to mind. After reading "Olive Kitteridge", I know realize that if the plot lacks...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This book left me feeling very sad. It is a collection of stories that are full of regret. The characters are all going through difficult times and it seems like no one is able to really speak to one another. The way in which everyone keeps their feelings to themselves, while longing to tell someone- will make you crazy. This is especially prominent in the main character, who continuously thinks of the right thing to do or say, and then chooses not to. In the end she has a lonely existence and feels enormous regret for what she's done, but it's too late.
maepress wrote this review Saturday, August 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This book will make you appreciate the loved ones in your life, and make you not want to take them for granted. It really illustrates the consequences of selfish pride. ”“I've always appreciated stories about normal, non-sensational people. The "every man" and "every woman" tales about struggles, loves and prejudices of normal humanity. "Winesburg, OH" and "Cold Sassy Tree" come to mind. After reading "Olive Kitteridge", I know realize that if the plot lacks sensationalism then the writing needs to superb. Or at least it has to offer some luminous insights. With a few exceptions, "Olive Kitteridge" did not deliver either. The writing was unimpressive. The insights few. I thought Elizabeth Strout might be working up to something pathological with the psychology of Olive but that didn't happen either. Overall, I was disappointed with the book.”
b.schock wrote this review Friday, August 21 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“My favorite story was "The Piano Player," and my least favorite was the last story called "River." Overall, definitely worth reading.”
Armenator wrote this review Sunday, July 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a book of fiction that is really a set of linked shorter stories with a common thread of the life of a woman, Olive Kitteridge. the theme is aging. It also is a story of family life and community. The protagonist is not very loveable but yet she has the ability to see things others don't see, or to say aloud what others don't say. The book is memorable for providing a snapshot of the stages of life and depending on your age, you will be able to relate to some or all parts of the stories. The story draws the reader in over time. At first you want to reject this old lady and then you connect. Sometimes the stories are from Olive's perspective and other times we see how others are seeing Olive. Ms. Strout has captured the aging process very accurately. This book resonated my own life journey and made me understand that what I am experiencing as a female over fifty is as it is. ”
Kristel wrote this review Friday, June 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“(This is a review I found on PBS and thought it said it so well…)”Olive Kitteridge is subtitled a "novel in stories". Reading this book is like looking through a family photo album. Each short story is a snapshot portraying life in small town Maine. Strout expertly constructs each snapshot for us with her beautiful prose, adding layer upon layer, and often adding a slight twist at the end of the story which completely changes the picture we thought we were seeing into something we weren't quite expecting at all.
Quilter K wrote this review Thursday, June 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Olive is of course our title character but she isn't always the main character in each short story. In those stories where she is our main character, we get to spend a little time in the head of a woman who is struggling mightily to make sense of her life as she grows older and feels the world moving on without her. In some of the other stories Olive plays a secondary character, in others she's merely an extra in the scene, and in still others she's nothing more than a memory, but she does manage to show up, in some way, in each one. These other stories serve not only to introduce us to some of the other people in the town but also to show us the other sides of Olive's character, thereby letting the reader see that the way we see ourselves is not always the same way that others see us.”
I enjoyed the writing of this novel even more than the plot lines of each short story. I’m not a fan of short stories and the only other author I’ve read who has written short stories I’ll read is Elizabeth Berg. But this one grabbed me by the hand and led me through Crosby, Maine on a most unusual journey. The ending isn’t with a bang like some books, but it ends gently and satisfyingly. I won’t be forgetting Olive any time soon. I highly encourage you to try this book, especially if you are over the age of fifty. It is powerful! ”
“Well written. I liked all the different stories and the way other people saw Olive from their own perspective. Like all short stories, though, I had a hard time not knowing what happened to the other characters after their short drama. I have to admit, I liked Olive even though she could be really evil! I loved it when she was in her daughter-in-laws bedroom and she stole her daughter in law's shoe and wrote on one of her sweaters with permanent magic marker! I could really feel her emotions during that chapter. I would recommend this book.”
Lorna H wrote this review Thursday, June 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No1 of 1 members found this review helpful“This collection of short stories features one mainly dissatisfied older woman, Olive, her husband and son, and various other townspeople. A concert, a Sunday walk along the water and coffee visit, a young anorexic, a funeral. Portrayed through ordinary daily scene, Olive's life is perhaps heroic in its way. I was charmed by mid-book despite life's often sad turns.”
Gretchen S wrote this review Friday, May 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“The beauty of this novel lies in its characterizations, esp. the title character, Olive. Since it is a collection of short stories with Olive appearing in each one, either as a lead character or anecdotally, calling this a novel seems loosely-phrased, but after finishing it, it is still sustained from beginning to end as a coherent whole. This is a cool effect; I don't know how better to explain it but to recommend it anyway. Sherwood Anderson did the trick first in his novel, Winesburg, Ohio, about a hundred years ago. In his novel, it was place that held it together and here it is a character. Maybe it's like looking through a family album and letting each photo from each page tell its story; by the time the album gets closed and the evening is late, the depth of appreciation for those inside the pages deepens.
Mark V wrote this review Sunday, April 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
From the beginning Olive is crass, abrasive, contentious, flippant, obtuse, acerbic, overbearing, and a crank. She has been married to a tender, kind, patient, gentle, stable, friendly, long-suffering pharmicist named Henry. As each story apppears, the mosaic forms the overall picture and it becomes apparent why Olive is so hard-hearted. As the stories fade behind and I got to the final story, I can see why this novel won the Prize. The final story, "River," caps Olive's growth to show that life, finally, even though late in years, is still worth living. It is in the final sentence (but DO NOT read the final sentence until all the other sentences in all the other stories have been read first!).
No, don't read this for action and plot. Although there are some very strange and surprising twists and turns that occur--like the hold-up and hostage crisis at the ER in the hospital after Olive had asked Henry to pull over so she can use the restroom and the thugs at gun point...well, you get the idea. Through it all, Strout, creates characters that live on. It will be a long time before I forget Olive and Henry Kitteridge and their son, Christopher.”
“Tremendously moving, well-written series of related stories. Loved it! Ii can't make the stars show!”
RP Mosby wrote this review Friday, April 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
