Olive Kitteridge

by Elizabeth Strout

Olive Kitteridge

by
Elizabeth Strout

book data

11,895 ratings, 3.85 average rating, 3,780 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		27%
4		40%
3		22%
2		7%
1		1%

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published

2008 by Random House

details

Hardcover, 270 pages

characters

Olive Kitteridge

setting

Crosby, Maine (United States)

literary awards

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2009)

description

In a voice more powerful and compassionate than ever before, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout binds together thirteen rich, luminous…more

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Dec 31, 2008

Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: best-of-2008, pulitzer-prize-winners

Read in December, 2008

When I saw this as the #3 book of 2008 in "Entertainment Weekly," the review intrigued me. So much so, I went to the library yesterday afternoon, took it out, and finished it this morning!

There are 13 stories interwoven together in this small town in Maine, with the one character, Olive Kitteridge, playing a part (sometimes small) in each one of the stories. Olive is a somewhat larger than life character, physically and emotionally, sometimes is crass and rude to people, bu...more

Like this review? yes (9 people liked it)

1 comment

Feb 14, 2009

jo rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: blew-my-mind, short-stories, us-regional

Read in March, 2009

recommended to jo by: jean
recommends it for: linda, wilhelmina

don't know if it was me being meditative or moody or under the sobering influence of the recession, but i found this absolutely gorgeous book SO DAMN SAD. there are, let's see, at least two suicides but it might be three, three deaths but it might be more (one the death of a very young person), intolerably sad aging folks, a myriad broken relationships, and a ton of god-awful loneliness. how can a town as sweet and stably populated as crosby, maine, foster so much loneliness? aren't small towns ...more don't know if it was me being meditative or moody or under the sobering influence of the recession, but i found this absolutely gorgeous book SO DAMN SAD. there are, let's see, at least two suicides but it might be three, three deaths but it might be more (one the death of a very young person), intolerably sad aging folks, a myriad broken relationships, and a ton of god-awful loneliness. how can a town as sweet and stably populated as crosby, maine, foster so much loneliness? aren't small towns supposed to be all about people knowing each other and supporting each other and all that? why don't the lonely people go hang out at the diner and have themselves a cup of coffee, chat the day away? i mean, really. i understand being alone in miami or new york or los angeles, but how can you be so lonely in crosby, maine?

i guess american writers and filmmakers have worked very hard at showing us that you can be plenty lonely in small town america, but somehow this is sinking in now for the first time, thanks to Olive Kitteridge. i think i'll stay in the big city, where at least you can be lonely with some privacy, out of the probing gaze of your gossiping neighbors.

but see, gossip is this two-sided thing. one the one hand, it can cut you down and shrink you (if you let it). on the other, it keeps people talking. when someone dies, everyone shows up at the funeral. when someone goes to the hospital, everyone asks after them. maybe the person who is asked would rather be left alone, but there's something to be said in favor of being asked (this is actually the point of one of these thirteen stories). a gossiping community is a community in which everyone is mourned. there is no indifference and almost never glee at people's death, however disliked they may have been in life. groups come together for the death of their own. this is something to be said for small towns.

and after all, no one is immune to loneliness. it's the human condition. which is precisely why this book is so sad: one would rather not be reminded.

in one lovely scene (there are countless lovely scenes in this book) olive kitterdidge finds out that an elderly man, an out-of-towner she stopped to talk to, just lost his wife of a lifetime. "then you are in hell," she says, matter-of-factly. "then i am in hell," he replies.

olive kitteridge, the nominal protagonist of this "novel in stories," is a masterpiece of writerly wisdom. she is wrong and intolerable in all sorts of ways: she is rude, judgmental, selfish, a bad mother, and a bad wife. she is ungainly and has bad taste in clothing. she is one of those people who, by rights, should not be much liked, and in fact she isn't. but to us she is us. if we were her, we'd find a way to come to terms with ourselves and be proud of at least something. so we come to terms with olive kitteridge. we forgive her. we forgive ourselves. we return over and over to the things she/we did well, that one time when she/we saved a person's life without much awareness of what we were doing; that other time when this kid who didn't talk to anyone talked to her/us.

it's amazing how a novel that does not focus entirely on one character (in some of the stories she is just named once or twice) should manage to make this character, nonetheless, so real and compelling. the compulsion is to identify with her.

but maybe it was me, bummed and worried about the recession and not too pleased with myself. i identified. identification is the path to compassion. this book helped me be see others, maybe myself too, with a little more compassion.(less)

Like this review? yes (29 people liked it)

16 comments

Apr 30, 2008

Rilla rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in April, 2008

Elizabeth Strout has come back strongly after the disappointing Abide with Me to fashion a novel of small town life from interlinked short stories. Put yourself in coastal Maine--smell the pine needles and the salty air. The sense of place and strong characters reminded me of the best of Lee Smith's portraits of life in Appalachia. Olive Kitteridge figures in major and minor ways in most if not all of the stories, but she is far from the only "main" character. A former 7th grade mat...more

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Apr 23, 2008

marg rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Eh.
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 incredibly unpleasant world of the multiple narrative novel.
Her characters are sketched very well and her use of language pulls you in, but I really hate these snippets that aren't short stories...more

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4 comments

Dec 15, 2007

Elaine rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: 2007, books_for_review, december_07

Read in December, 2007

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.
Olive is of course our title ch...more

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Jan 18, 2009

Tom rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in January, 2009

I loved this book, set in coastal Maine. It is really a creative novel, composed of 13 short stories that share the common protagonist, Olive Kitteridge.
Olivve is all of these: retired middle school teacher, sourpuss of a human, opinionated nasty, wounded human, wounding human, know-it-all, and in the end a genuine person.
The dialogue is genuine, terse, and minimized. There are some stunning portrayals here. The first and the last chapters are the best. I have not been moved...more

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Jan 05, 2009

Michelle rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in January, 2009

recommends it for: May

The characters are so friggin' human ("deeply human" is more blurb-like). Saw this on Nancy Pearl's Best of 2008 list, and figured it must have good characterization (it does). I like the concept of getting to know a character--and a place too--through other characters that touch her life (husband, son, former student, local lounge singer, among others).

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

1 comment

Jun 11, 2009

Will rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in June, 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 together a compelling portrait of a small town. I was reminded of Spoon River, as we learn some of the secrets each of the main characters protect. Lake Wobegon came to mind, as well, but this is much less...more 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 together a compelling portrait of a small town. I was reminded of Spoon River, as we learn some of the secrets each of the main characters protect. Lake Wobegon came to mind, as well, but this is much less folksy. The book most resembles Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson’s joined tales of alienation in small-town America. Olive Kitteredge is the organizational core connecting the novel's thirteen stories. She appears in each one, sometimes as a primary character, sometimes as a secondary and in others by one of the characters referring to her.

Loneliness is the predominant theme in the town of Crosby, Maine, loneliness or the fear of it. Most of the stories touch on relationships sagging, empty or gone, getting through emotional hard times and wondering if it is all worth the effort. There is a chilly New England sensibility here, characters unable to move past their Yankee reticence. Communication is guarded, often absent, but always made manifest in actions, if not words. Some succumb to their worst impulses. Others find their way through to some sort of reconciliation with life’s travails. Yet hope pops up frequently enough, like crocuses in March.

Olive journeys through her trials, her marriage, her relationship with her son, potential marital digressions. She seems clueless as to her affect on others, and can be glaringly harsh, while also displaying a capacity for kindness and understanding.

The writing is brilliant, taut, dense, a torte, and thus, a joy to be savored. A short-story writer’s talent for telling large amounts in small spaces, repeated a very lucky thirteen times.

I felt the tales had maybe a bit too much personal resonance. I recognized emotions, if not always specific situations, (and yes, some specific situations too) that I have experienced, and saw, through the eyes of this third-party, experiences that were likely to have been a part of the history of people in my life. Is it a good thing that a writer can make you squirm through such recognition?

Olive grows as a character, gaining some self-awareness, softening some hard edges, finding some light in a dark place, as others succeed or fail around her. This novel, though, is a full-fledged beacon. Wear shades, and enjoy.
(less)

Like this review? yes (6 people liked it)

7 comments

May 30, 2009

Nancy rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: fiction, made-me-cry

Read in August, 2009

recommended to Nancy by: Kate

This is a collection of stories about a group of ordinary people living in a small town in Maine, their joys, sorrows, tragedies and grief, all centered around the main character, Olive Kitteridge. Normally, this is the kind of fiction I stay away from. I was afraid it would be an overwrought melodrama about provincial people living in a boring town. Yet, I was so absorbed by the lives of these people and had a difficult time putting the book down.

The characters were very well develo...more

Like this review? yes (8 people liked it)

8 comments

Jun 22, 2009

Roxanne rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: books-with-many-levels

Read in June, 2009

recommends it for: women

I finished this book 10 days ago and had to think about it. In short, I would say that this book gives us a new female heroine. Not meant to be liked, not meant to be revered, not meant to fit in, but totally and absolutely real. This is not a fantasy. Thus, many may not like the book. It does not tie up into a neat bundle. And for the first time I see and appreciate the value in this style of literature and film. It is more representative of reality to me. This book changed me as a reader a...more

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4 comments

Dec 22, 2008

Tiffany rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: ew-picks

Read in January, 2009

recommended to Tiffany by: EW
recommends it for: EVERYONE

EW #3 FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

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. A few are told from her perspective, but many just feature her as a passing figure in others' lives.

The final story, 'River,' is what catapulted the book from a 4-star to a 5-star ratin...more

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Jan 20, 2009

Quiltgranny rated it:

(review of isbn 0812971833)

Read in January, 2009

Even though, I usually don't care for short stories, this book of "not quite short stories" is so well written and tightly connected on to the other, I'm not sure that it WAS a collection of stories. The main character, Olive, is not one that you want to get to know. As the stories continue, and Olive is woven through them all, either in character or thought, you begin to see many traits of yourself or others in your family or your friends. Elizabeth Strout's writing skills make thi...more

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Dec 20, 2008

Christie rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

bookshelves: 2008, fiction

Read in December, 2008

From just the first chapter it is obvious that Elizabeth Strout comes from a strong short story background. This book is rich in characters and story without being plot driven. AND, this book manages to make spending a bunch of time with an unpleasant protagonist perfectly enjoyable. At the start of the book, we sympathize with Olive Kitteridge's poor husband, Henry and when we continue to see Olive through her own eyes and that of other characters our opinion of her doesn't much improve, but we...more

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Apr 11, 2009

Nancy (Hrdcovers) rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in March, 2009

THE NAME "OLIVE" SETS THE STAGE FOR THIS BOOK!!!!

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 endorsement to put it at the top of my pile and its time came a few weeks ago when I began the first page. As many other reviewers have concurred, I too am not usually a fan of short stories but I understood...more THE NAME "OLIVE" SETS THE STAGE FOR THIS BOOK!!!!

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 endorsement to put it at the top of my pile and its time came a few weeks ago when I began the first page. As many other reviewers have concurred, I too am not usually a fan of short stories but I understood that these short stories were all tied together with one individual, the ubiquitous Olive Kitteridge. Just short of being omnipresent, Olive appears in every short story in one way or the other. Sometimes it's only by name and sometimes it's merely by association but Stout deftly has Olive's presence known as she chronicles vignettes in the lives of some of the residents of Crosby, Maine.

Now first of all, what does the first name "Olive" say to me. I've never known an Olive but anytime I've come across an Olive in a book, she's always been a bit nasty. My personal connotation of the name brings to mind someone who is also big boned and someone who is older. I couldn't have been more on target in the description of this Olive Kitteridge....a bit nasty, definitely larger and definitely older. I think it's an interesting tidbit to point out that actual olives can't be eaten right off the tree; they require special processing to remove their intrinsic bitterness. Need I say more about the name Olive and the character of Olive Kitteridge.

I often wonder how authors go about picking out the names of their main characters. I'm wondering if Elizabeth Stout felt the same way about the name Olive as I do. I just couldn't imagine this main character being named Amelia or even Serena or even Olivia. This character was "Olive" through and through.

As we travel through the lives of the seashore town's inhabitants, the reader seems to be given a glimpse at not only their lives but the reader's own life as well. Without trying to preach, the author almost subliminally forces the reader to examine his/her own life. At one point, Olive's son is seeing a therapist and repeats something to Olive that he's obviously heard from the therapist. I had to reread the words several times because I thought they were so appropos to so many people I know, including myself. As I'm typing this, I wish I had written down the words so I could include them in this review and I've tried finding them again in the book but to no avail. So suffice it to say that the book forces the reader to assess their own life.

In one of the vignettes, there is a visiting reporter writing about the natives and referring to them as being "cold and aloof". This description is right on target and the author almost purposely leaves us with this feeling by never allowing the reader to become attached to the characters always keeping their individual stories short and unattached.

I tend to disagree with my book group and know that this book will not be one of my top picks for 2009. Once again, this is one of those times when my expectations for a particular book were so high that it would be hard for the book to live up to its hype. Reading a book where I don't particularly like any of the characters usually leads to a lower rating from me. Thus was the case with Olive and her friends, relatives and acquaintances of Crosby, Maine....a town where I'd definitely like to visit but would never like to live. If we could give half stars, this book would have been rated 3.5 stars but since we can't do that, I've only given it a 3 star rating.

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Feb 21, 2009

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Olive Kitteridge is not a pleasant or sunny woman. She is, however, honest, forthright and strong, and despite the number of people who seem to dislike her, she manages to touch many lives. In some of the stories, Olive's life is front and center; in others, she plays only a marginal role. Interestingly, it seemed to me that the stories that were mainly about Olive were the ones in which she was most unsympathetic. The stories that were about other people in the small town in Maine show Olive in...more

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May 08, 2009

Lucy rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in May, 2009

I have never liked the idiom, "You can't have your cake and eat it too," because it doesn't make sense. What are you talking about? I have cake and eat it all the time. Too frequently, in fact. But that isn't my point.

I do understand its intended meaning, however. I've seen it written instead, "You can't eat your cake and have it too," which really clears things up (the two desires are mutually exclusive. Choice and sacrifice are obligatory), but, I doubt the sayi...more I have never liked the idiom, "You can't have your cake and eat it too," because it doesn't make sense. What are you talking about? I have cake and eat it all the time. Too frequently, in fact. But that isn't my point.

I do understand its intended meaning, however. I've seen it written instead, "You can't eat your cake and have it too," which really clears things up (the two desires are mutually exclusive. Choice and sacrifice are obligatory), but, I doubt the saying will ever change. And if I say it the way I like it, I'll just be accused of messing it up, blasted creatures of habit that we humans are.

When Elizabeth Strout wrote Olive Kitteridge, it appears she couldn't choose between eating the cake or having it.

To explain, you need to know something about the book, which, I should do regardless because this is, after all, a book review. Olive Kitteridge is a compilation of short stories that are sometimes strongly, but more often loosely, tied together through one character, Olive Kitteridge. The book is roughly chronological and whether in the periphery or forefront, Olive's abrasive and direct personality stand out. She and other inhabitants of Crosby, Maine, lead outwardly ordinary lives but with Strout's masterful story telling, their motivations, vices, guilt and hope are all achingly uncovered. It's really something, the way she captures the natural man (or woman) on her pages.

Imagine, for the sake of the above allegory, that Olive Kitteridge is a cake. She is the title character. She is the foundation. Olive all alone, however, is boring. She needs decorating. She needs a plot and supporting characters and conflict and all the eye-dazzling fondant that makes you take notice and want the actual food - the cake underneath. In other words....she needs a novel. I wonder if Strout started dressing Olive up, and saw that she had so much going on that her cake looked like a hot mess so she licked off all the icing, hoping, I suppose, the naked cake left behind would be enough. Unfortunately, and perhaps because I am overly fond of icing, I noticed its absence. As enjoyable as each short story was, Olive Kitteridge needed the icing and the icing needed Olive.

While I applaud Strout's idea, which is brilliant, entire chapters felt disappointing and unproductive because Olive's presence was so minimal. At times, the thought crossed my mind that Strout had some of these stories written beforehand and once she came up with Olive Kitteridge, and her idea to assemble stories containing Olive together in a book, she threw in a few of her other favorite short stories, briefly mentioning Olive as a 7th grade math teacher or down-the-street neighbor so that they earned an "Olive" label. Like drinks that claim to be 10% fruit juice. Not near enough juice but that's another analogy for another day.

For a book to connect so...haphazardly, was unsatisfying. Even though each chapter had the structure to stand alone, I felt preoccupied with Olive. When was she going to enter the story? How did this person know Olive? Olive, Olive, Olive. It was distracting.

I understand and even agree with the book's critical acclaim because the premise is unique and clever. Strout's writing is superb and certain chapters are undoubtedly engrossing. But what am I supposed to do with an unfrosted cake? Eat it or have it? Without the frosting, I'm not sure I want to do either. (less)

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Feb 25, 2009

Shelah rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

At first, this book felt like a series of loosely-connected short stories, either directly or indirectly related to Olive Kitteridge, a teacher living in a small town in coastal Maine. After four or five stories, which progress in roughly chronological fashion, the reader starts to get a picture of Olive, who is pretty darn unlikeable. She cuts a sleeve off her new daughter-in-law's sweater, just to mess with her mind. She doesn't cherish her husband like she should. She's prickly. Yet, over the...more

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May 15, 2009

Melody rated it:

(review of isbn 1423350030)

bookshelves: fiction, first-monday-bookgroup

Read in May, 2009

recommended to Melody by: Pat Clotfelter

This is a novel presented in a string of somewhat unconnected stories. Each story takes place in the small town of Crosby, Maine and each one includes the stable existence of Olive Kitteridge. Elizabeth Strout takes us in and out of Olive's head; sometimes allowing us to hear her thoughts and feel her tiredness, and other times we simply sense her strong, big presence and listen to her frank, direct comments. She can be comforting in her brusque, outspoken way. And it feels like learning to be...more

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Jan 02, 2009

Linda rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in January, 2009

This is a great book, well constructed, thoughtful, and literate. I really like the way the book so aptly depicts how we are very different people to all the individuals we interact with. Also, she drives home the old concept the we each touch lives whether we're aware or not. Maybe I like it particlularly because I'm middle aged as Olive and so many of the characters are. I particularly liked the story about the very tired woman who played the piano in a club. She just didn't want to put u...more

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Feb 21, 2009

Shannon rated it:

(review of isbn 140006208X)

Read in February, 2009

I'm conflicted about this book. There were elements I really enjoyed but overall I found it sad with little hope. The book is a compilation of 13 short stories all set in the town of Crosby Maine with the unlikeable character of Olive Kitteridge as the thread that ties them together. Although she doesn't appear in all the stories she is the one we get to know the best. Every one has tough times and often as we look at other people's lives it seems that they have the easier life. This book re...more

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