Good Minds Suggest: Elizabeth Strout's Favorite Character Studies

I've not read 4 of the books noted here but I have read Freedom recently. I'd agree that Patty is very 'real' throughout the book. So are some of the other characters: Walter, Richard, and Joey (the son of P and W). If the reader is patient and diligent enough to read through Franzen's 550+ pages (it gets a bit slow in spots), he/she gets to experience the lives of all 4 of these characters to a wonderfully deep and fulfilling degree.

I've not heard of/read any of Stout's books yet. I plan to do so now.

I believe she is the best author of our time. She has the ability to create very flawed and real characters and make you deeply care about them.

Thanks. I have her on my list of books to read. I will look for one the next time i go to the public library where i get most of my books.

Please correct: Olive Kitteridge, not Oliver. Oh, how I love that book.

Olive Kitteridge is a wonderful book. Don't base your opinion of her on the HBO series! It was good but not anywhere near as good as the book, except for the husband who is after all a bit of a stereotype. That doesn't matter because this book is about Olive. You start out thinking she's a crabby old teacher but as she moves through the stories you discover how complex she is. Amazing character development.

I also think that Elizabeth Strout is the best author of our time. I had the privilege of having her as a teacher one weekend at the University of Iowa. She had published Amy and Isabel and was about to publish Abide with Me. She spoke of her writing process, which is daunting and endless. I was given a glimpse into the writing life that exists to bring memorable characters and a craft of writing that stuns the reader. She's amazing.

Although I love all of her books, Amy and Isabelle is my favorite. Those are the characters that I sometimes forget were just characters in a novel and not real people.

I've loved Elizabeth Strout since Amy and Isabel but Olive Kittredge is my favorite. I thought Frances McDormand did Olive justice in the HBO film. Look forward to her new book!
Ellen

Ellen wrote: "I've loved Elizabeth Strout since Amy and Isabel but Olive Kittredge is my favorite. I thought Frances McDormand did Olive justice in the HBO film. Look forward to her new book!
Ellen"

I agree, I was 3/4 of the way through the book when I saw Olive on HBO and went back to the book and could hear Francis McDormands voice perfectly as Olive. Brilliant performance!

I had read the whole book before hand. Francis McDormands performance was good but I invisioned her differently. Ha! I think Francis was perhaps too good looking too!

That last scene, when she is lying by the side of the male character who at the moment, I cannot remember his name. Wow, so tender and amazing--the acting, the setting. But of course out of the genius of Strout's mind.

Olive Kitteridge is one of my favorite books of all times. I loved that book- Olive was such a well developed character. I read it on my kindle then bought the paperback just to have it on my shelf to peruse it at my leisure. I got HBO Go just so I could watch that mini series and the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency mini series. After I finished those two mini series, I dropped HBO. I hope they do more wonderful mini series from such good books.

I was lucky enough to hear Elizabeth Strout at a ticket-only presentation for a small group in Bruswick, Maine a few years ago. She was incredibly funny. Someone even asked is she'd done stand-up and she said yes! Olive Kitteridge is way up there on my best-book-I've-read list.

I really enjoyed "Olive Kitteridge. Strout is still an exceptional writer.

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My brilliant friend I thought referred to Lena. Lila called her that on her wedding day. Am I wrong?

Mine are: Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird); Jane Eyre, Dinah (The Red Tent), Paul Muad'dib Atreides (Dune); Pip (Great Expectations).

Carol wrote: "My brilliant friend I thought referred to Lena. Lila called her that on her wedding day. Am I wrong?"

The narrator, Elena Greco, also called Lenuccia or Lenu, calls her "brilliant friend," Lila, while others call her Lina.

It was confusing for me at first; it helped to have Elena narrating the story. Third person narrative would probably have resulted in me getting them mixed up.

Leslie wrote: "I believe she is the best author of our time. She has the ability to create very flawed and real characters and make you deeply care about them."

I have since read The Burgess Boys. I found it good but not great. Good enough to want to read some of her other books, however. I hope to do so over the summer when I will have more time for 'recreational' reading. Thanks for encouraging me to read this author!