Halloween Reads
Cathy Kleinbart asked this question about Olive Kitteridge (Olive Kitteridge, #1):
I read this a few years ago and it has haunted me ever since. I'm wondering if anyone else felt that way. I recently found out that a movie or mini series is in the works. As much as I believe the novel was beautifully written, I won't be watching because I just found it so very sad and maybe "too" relaistic. Anyone else feel that way?
Lawrence Hi. You probably watched the mini-series by now! I read The book several years ago. I loved it. I watched the mini-series a couple of months ago. I lo…moreHi. You probably watched the mini-series by now! I read The book several years ago. I loved it. I watched the mini-series a couple of months ago. I loved it. I went back and read the book again. I loved it.

So, what is going on here? Well, I think I am a different reader now than I was several years ago. First time round, I thought OK was a person I could really care about. I saw her sympathetic side; the power of her uniqueness. When I saw the movie, I saw a nastier side of her portrayed: The person who could alienate and could be abrupt and mean. So, I had to read the book again because I wondered "Did I miss all this?" What I found was an almost perfect book about what OK is like -- mean, loving, clueless, scared, sad, hopeful, victim, victimizer, etc., and all on the "small" scale of daily life. Something really like Chekhov stories are for me.

So, the movie made me want to read the book again. It was a great foil for my reading mind. I think movies can do this sometimes. For example, I read Mitchell's Cloud Atlas; then I saw the feature-length movie some years later; and now I gotta read the book again!(less)
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Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout (Goodreads Author)
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