Constant Reader discussion
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Olive Kitteridge
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I read this a year or so ago, and liked it quite a bit. Olive seemed very real to me, with all her graces and all her warts.I'm quite fond of a series of shorts that hang together. Alice Munro does it, as does Jim Tomlinson. It gives nice gaps and overlapping events for us to piece together. A little Rashomon-like.
I also read this a while ago and really enjoyed it. I totally agree with Ruth that Olive was a very real character and I liked the short story format - parts of her were revealed to us like peeling the layers of an onion. I definitely think she became more likable over time and her moodiness and outlook also struck me as true to her Maine roots.I can't imagine someone could read the whole book and still not like her at all.
Ruth,The only complaint I have is that I wanted to know more about many of the characters, particularly the young man who saved the waitress from drowning. That is one reason that I prefer novels to short stories.
This was recommended at my in person book club. Do you think there is enough to discuss?
I haven't read the book yet, but I've been meaning to for some time now. I love linked stories and Olive seems like someone I'd like to get to know better. I was pleased to see this win the Pulitzer. I'm looking forward to reading it.
MAP - we discussed this at my in-person discussion group and had lots to talk about.
Yes, I liked Olive. Here is a role model for taking care of oneself rather than being super-woman. In order to do that you definitely do not make all of the people happy all of the time. I am learning this as I get older myself. She was not happy with all of her life's decisions, but on the whole, she represented a woman who was was not codependent or living per any particular set of prescribed rules. She had her own rules (mostly) and they were from a place of her own personality and feelings. Of course, she was not the "best" mother or wife, and had periods of denial in her life. But so be it. Don't we all? And denying denial is the crux anyway. Denial is a coping mechanism necessary at times - we all use it. This author showed courage in risking Olive with us, as she is not liked by many readers because she does not fit into the ideal mother, wife, friend. It is hard to look at weakness without feeling your own. I feel this book was somewhat groundbreaking. Loved it - not for the plot or for the resolution - but for the representation of Olive.
I agree, Roxanne, that Olive is not always likable, and that is why I like her. It is not easy for her to share her thoughts and feelings with others. In that sense, she reminded me of my mother. My mother hid her feelings about everything, and I think it was because she had several traumatic events that happened during her childhood. Olive did, too.
There is a chapter in this book that expresses my philosophy of life: "A Little Burst". Olive talks of "big bursts" and "little bursts". "Big bursts are things like marriage or children, intimacies that keep you afloat, but these big bursts hold dangerous, unseen currents. Which is why you need the little bursts as well: a friendly clerk at Bradlee's, let's say, or the waitress at Dunkin' Donuts who knows how you like your coffee. Tricky business, really."I love the "little bursts" of life. I went to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch today, and as soon as I walked in, without asking me what I wanted to drink, the waiter brought me a glass of iced tea. I am sure that you have all experience "little bursts".
I walked into my neighborhood coffee shop and a group of women I am getting to know all gave me a big wave hi and seemed glad to see me. That was a wonderful little burst!
Roxanne,That is indeed "a little burst".
This is the story of Olive Kitteridge as seen through 13 stories. In some of the stories, Olive is only mentioned in one line, but in most she plays a major role or is the central character. She is a very complex woman, and at first I did not like her at all. She seems to have a mean streak, but in the very next chapter we see Olive crying when she meets a young anorexic girl. Olive says, "I don't know who you are, but young lady,you're breaking my heart," and she gently persuades the girl to get help. Olive has trouble communicating with the most important people in her life: her husband and her son. Strout gives us a bit of Olive's past so that we understand her somewhat better. Do the rest of you like Olive in spite of her moodiness or do you like her because she seems so real or do you not like her at all?