Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strouds character Olive is a terrifying human being. Author must have met a person in her life like the character she created. Highly recommend. Author pulled this book from her soul.

An amazing story of Olive. Loved this book. Was at times difficult to follow the stories as they were all semi connected, but beautifully written and would absolutely read again.

Such a good read!

I love this book. It is a deeply emotional book, covering some tough subjects. I swear she knows my mother. She described her to a "T". I think I connected to this book because the relationship between Olive and her son resonated with me. It also gave me some insight. Maybe Olive (and my mother) did the best they could. This is a great read for anyone interested in real people, real situations, real feelings. If you are a human, you will find something in here to be moved by. The author brought me to tears several times. I borrowed this book from the library, but I will be purchasing it to read again, and even again. What a beautiful book, Elizabeth Strout.

What an exceptional novel! Elizabeth Strout binds together thirteen short stories with one character, Olive Kitteridge, who straddles each of them. And in the end, she learns (I paraphrase), "Lumpy, aged and wrinkled bodies were as needy as young, firm ones; love is not to be tossed away carelessly on a platter with others that got passed around again." Olive is a large (and sometimes, larger-than-life) woman who lives in Crosby, Maine, with her amiable husband Henry and her conflicted son, Chris. Through these stories, we will see these three characters, and others who are peripheral to their lives, change and evolve with many unexpected surprises. We meet many characters who live inside the homes we pass every day: a former student who contemplates suicide, an anorexic young woman who is literally starving while many in the town are figuratively starving, an aging married woman who learns that small moments are not always gifts, a spurned fiancee who chooses love on any terms. As these Crosby residents grapple with problems large and small, and choose or reject love, Olive slowly gains insights into the human condition. I loved this book. I loved its beautiful writing, solid core, hidden truths, and ruthless honesty. I will miss Olive Kitteridge, and her small human dramas. I cannot imagine anyone reading this book and not agreeing with the book's conclusion: "It baffled her, the world. She did not want to leave it yet."

These stories of small town life in Maine linked through one woman, Olive Kitteridge are so emotionally honest and resonated so deeply, I felt literally fragile after I finished. I bought the book knowing nothing about it besides the fact the stories were linked, based merely on how much I had loved her previous novel, 'Abide With Me'. I liked this even more. I adored the character of Olive so much, and could almost see her in front of me when she opened her mouth to speak. Strout is an exceptionally writer who mines human emotion for literary gold. Highly, highly recommended.