false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1239113569m/1736739.jpg 1736739 20 In a voice more powerful and compassionate than ever before, <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author Elizabeth Strout binds together thirteen rich, luminous narratives into a book with the heft of a novel, through the presence of one larger-than-life, unforgettable character: Olive Kitteridge.<br><br>At the edge of the continent, Crosby, Maine, may seem like nowhere, but seen through this brilliant writer&#8217;s eyes, it&#8217;s in essence the whole world, and the lives that are lived there are filled with all of the grand human drama&#8211;desire, despair, jealousy, hope, and love. <br><br>At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town and in the world at large, but she doesn&#8217;t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance: a former student who has lost the will to live: Olive&#8217;s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse. <br><br>As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life&#8211;sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. <i>Olive Kitteridge</i> offers profound insights into the human condition&#8211;its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires. 3263906 book 25 3 2008 Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories total:6959|5:2158|4:2823|3:1455|2:420|1:103| 6959 27390 12538 2481 4 6 false false Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 08:24:11 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 08:31:35 -0800 2008
There are 13 stories interwoven together in this small town in Maine, with the one charact...more...]]> 5 18 false false Tue Mar 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Feb 14 15:58:29 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 24 19:26:26 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 8 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 11:29:48 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 30 11:46:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 7 false false Wed Apr 23 20:57:32 -0700 2008 Wed Apr 23 21:03:10 -0700 2008 Strout is such a good writer that when I heard she had a new one out I went to buy it without even knowing the title, let alone the plot. And while she is still a wonderful writer, she seems to have reduced herself (prematurely, I would hope) to the pre retirment plan of Maeve Binchy; the ...more...]]> 4 8 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Dec 15 15:12:07 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 20 08:21:52 -0800 2007 more...]]> 5 11 false false Sat Jan 17 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 17:28:57 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 18 17:34:54 -0800 2009 Olivve is all of these: retired middle school teacher, sourpuss of a human, opinionated nasty, wounded human, wounding human, know-it-all, a...more...]]> 5 6 false false Wed Jan 07 23:29:44 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 22:13:48 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 23:29:44 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 5 false false Sun Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 11 02:27:41 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 22:10:50 -0700 2009 Olive Kitteredge is a collection of stories that constitute a novel. They are not as closely woven together as the multigenerational tales in works by Louise Erdrich, another writer who likes to collect small parts into a larger whole, but Strout has, in telling stories of many characters, put toget...more...]]> 5 7 false false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat May 30 08:11:03 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 06:19:20 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 5 5 false false Fri Jun 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 14:10:46 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 10:40:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 4 false false Thu Jan 22 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Dec 22 12:49:32 -0800 2008 Thu Jan 22 12:35:27 -0800 2009
This was an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking collection of stories. I was completely enthralled and also completely satisfied by the ending. The title character, Olive Kitteridge, is a harsh not quite lovable woman who ages through each short story. ...more...]]> 5 2 false false Wed Jan 21 09:53:29 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 14:15:52 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 21 09:53:29 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 14:33:54 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 20 14:46:08 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 2 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 10:16:31 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 11 10:18:19 -0700 2009
I've had this book sitting on my shelves for a few months just waiting for that push to make it my next read. That push came when an online book group of mine voted it its #1 pick for 2008. I felt that was enough of an endorsem...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sat Feb 21 11:14:05 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 11:14:05 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 7 false false Sat May 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 09:30:23 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 16:17:41 -0700 2009
I do understand its intended meaning, however. I've seen it ...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Feb 25 14:35:59 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 14:36:09 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue May 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 15 13:26:15 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 08:24:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 02 18:27:47 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 14 12:32:08 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Tue Feb 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Feb 21 12:12:39 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 24 06:56:31 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1736739