From the Bookshelf of 2017 Reading Challenge…

Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1)

Elizabeth Strout

Why we're reading this: Pulitzer Prize winner
[close] Pulitzer Prize winner

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What Members Thought

Jan 13, 2021 Natalie [genreneutralreader] rated it really liked it

Profoundly human, but 90% of it was only focused on the glass half empty aspects of life. Wonderful writing and its hard to imagine the characters are fictional when the book is done. I enjoyed the book, but I understand why there are polarizing reviews.

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Aug 26, 2020 Michelle rated it really liked it

Many of my friends did not finish this book because it was “too depressing.” Spoiler alert, it is depressing but in a way that only someone who has lived at least 50-ish years would understand. Perhaps it’s that the emotions evoked in this story are all too familiar; we identify with the characters as they adapt to their aging roles in society. Although we may not want to be reminded of these changes, I believe it’s important to be introspective, study our flaws and work on improving our own sel ...more

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May 29, 2020 Robin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

i read this book because it is connected to another book that several book club members in one of the book clubs i am in have mentioned wanting to read the second book, so in case it is eventually picked i felt i needed to. this is my first read by this author. it won all kinds of awards and so many people said it was wonderful (hence several people suggested wanting to read the second book). i guess i didn't read the same book because i thought it was very slow moving and extremely sad at times ...more

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Jan 25, 2020 Cyndy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-s-t

I read Olive Kitteridge with my book club. If I had read the book as a series of short stories, I think I would have liked it more. After reading the first chapter, about Olive and Harry, I was almost dumbfounded with the second chapter - all new people and almost zero about Olive and Harry. I liked the book, the characters were interesting - although it was odd that some of the "secrets" in town were secrets. It was also odd to me that some chapters had only a sentence or two about Olive, when ...more

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