Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout
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Book Reviews of Olive Kitteridge
Book Review: On Passing Literary Muster
Summary: 3 Stars
Elizabeth Strout has concocted in this book a series of thirteen short stories, eponymously connected to the title character. Let me begin by giving you something akin to the one page synopsis that agents and publishers ask from aspiring writers: Elizabeth enters from Crosby, Maine-first and foremost, as it turns out, as the wife of Henry Kitteridge, a pharmacist. But she's also a schoolteacher, or ex-schoolteacher, depending on your place in the story. Next in the Olive pantheon is her son, Christopher, a classic underachiever, who has fumbled his way through life successfully enough to become a podiatrist. Olive is the stern, stoic sort one would invent as a Maine schoolteacher, but her irascibility hardly fits the mold of New England stereotypes. Mostly, however, she bites her tongue regarding the things that bother her: Henry's all-too-forgiving nature with others, Chris' laissez-faire attitude toward life. She grinds her molars at most everyone else, too, but we wouldn't know it if it weren't for Strout's superbly constructed narrative, which lets us know what's a-boil within Olive, the venomous frustration she randomly unleashes on those around her.
At the root of it, Olive is, of course, a deeply insecure person, which Strout masterfully charts, perhaps best depicted by her dismay as Chris klutzes his way through a first marriage and into another one that seems to work. It betrays nothing here to reveal that Henry dies, while Olive attempts to keep a brave face. If the reader doesn't get Olive by then, he/she will when Olive submits near book's end to a seventy-something , oh-so-cautious semi-romance with Jack Kennison, whose wife has also recently died. But as Olive steps cautiously with Jack from a dinner date to a few light meetings of the lips, she's appalled to discover he's a Republican, and dismayed that his daughter is a lesbian. Okay, I think I detect a few perplexed looks out there in my readership, even a frown or two. I know, I know, this seems like family life in Everytown, USA. Perhaps Everytown, Earth. Common people doing common things: Projecting their failed aspirations onto their children, even their friends. Coping with a family death or two. And having affairs, the storyline chestnut popular since Grace Medalious' Peyton Place, which took place, by the way, just down the road in New Hampshire.
Such banality is and has always been the stuff of modern day writers such as John Cheever, John Updike, Philip Roth, and Wallace Stegner. And Strout has the writerly chops necessary to make her anemic people and their lives glow entertainingly. She's tweaking noses here, the noses of characters with little self-awareness, as they're born, live, die. Her depictions of these folk are as capably handled as I've seen in print. Her prose is impeccable, her voice in this string of thirteen stories consistently forged. She'll no doubt expand her audience with this book - she would have, I think, even without the prestigious Pulitzer - and her writing skills are as deserving as those of the above-mentioned literary lineup. But something troubles me here: Taking on such unimposing people and taking them through their ordinary paces seems all too easy somehow.
Not to mention a trifle elitist. Yes, Strout manages her characters' lives with a balance of sympathies: humor and pathos. But is her superbly capable treatment of such lives worth the effort of a novel? Her audience will grow, because her audience surely reads largely for escape; insecurities and the petty life conditions that spawn such insecurities demand it. The US of A is full of people such as Olive and her fellow travelers. These people will read Strout's book, will chuckle smugly in the certain knowledge that the author isn't writing about them. Strout knows this, of course, knows these people will look into her mirror and fail to see themselves, which makes the latent snobbery here even more delicious. But why not do more: force them to see? Why not construct extra-ordinary situations that will demand that these characters wake up, see their foibles, and begin the slow, agonizing process of correcting their flaws? Isn't this what literature is supposed to be about, particularly humor, however subtle?
Don't get me wrong - I don't begrudge Strout her growing fame, her ability as a writer, nor the Pulitzer. As a writer, I've learned tons from her technique. But I can't help but wonder what she might have made of bolder circumstances for her characters, of trying to tweak her readers' noses a bit instead of those of her characters. As I said, creating Olive Kitteridge seems all too easy somehow. It's a gifted author playing it safe. And for a person of her obvious skills, this book seems to have a weak handle on the emotional integrity readers have a right to demand from writers if said writers are to pass literary muster.
Book Review: Olive Kitteridge - A Complex Character
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed reading Olive Kitteridge, but I wasn't sure why the author, Elizabeth Strout (Amy and Isabella and Abide With Me, both very good reads) won the Pulitzer Prize for this particular book. It wasn't until near the very end that the answer became clear to me. As a friend of mine said, the main character, Olive Kitteridge is a very complex character, though on the surface, it may appear otherwise. Olive comes across as a curmudgeon, often cranky and having little patience for other people's idiosyncrasies. In fact, she doesn't seem to like most people and she is not shy in letting them know. In the story, Tulips, two lines say it all...."She didn't like to be alone. Even more, she didn't like being with people." Olive describes herself physically as large and bulky and seeming to always take up a lot of space.
The book is written as a conglomeration of several separate short stories that are drawn together by the main character,Olive Kitteridge. I found this to be disconcerting and at times, disjointed. Not always knowing who the author was talking about left me feeling less than connected to the stories. Characters other than Olive and events in the stories, at times served to unite individual stories into a novel, but mostly the author "used" Olive, as a device to bring the parts together, but, in my opinion they did not read as a "whole" novel.
Not every character in each story interfaced with Olive, but those who did, tended to experience her differently. I think because of the multi-layering of Olive's persona. She had a depth of emotion that was not often seen, but when it was, as in the story, Starving, about a young girl who turns out to be anorexic, Olive weeps in response to merely seeing the girl. She is clearly and immediately in touch with the girl's despair. And you do believe the sincerity of Olive's reaction, in spite of the fact that she is rarely emotive. The author takes you with her as the layers are revealed. My book club read Olive Kitteridge and one of our members said, "The book is composed of stories of people's loneliness and desperation...longing and disappointments and simply the tragedies that happen in living a lifetime. In some ways, nothing, is as it seems on the surface and in these stories, that fact is revealed."
Near the end of the last section, entitled, River, the depth and breadth of the novel was revealed to me and it was then that I realized I loved this book. Olive's husband of many, many years has a stroke, which leaves him unable to talk, walk or interact with his environment and the people he knew and loved. He dies as a consequence of the stroke. Olive's reaction is an expected outward acceptance of the situation; it is, she feels, what happens to people when they get old. Olive meets a man on one of her early morning walks by the river and almost in spite of herself and in her cranky way, befriends him. He too has lost his spouse. She looks for reasons not to like him, while at the same time finding herself thinking about him most of the time. A week of rain goes by when she does not hear from him and so, writes him off. When the sun returns, he calls and asks her to come right over to his house. She goes because of the sound of emergency in his voice. She finds the door is open, he doesn't come to answer when she rings and when she lets herself in, she finds him on the bed in a downstairs guest room, Seeing him look tired and gray, with his big belly slouching over his belt, she recognizes his vulnerability, and an invitation, which she takes. Olive sits down quietly and "places her open hand on his chest, feeling the thump, thump, of his heart, which would someday stop, as all hearts do. But there was no someday now, there was only the silence of this sunny room. They were here, and her body - old, big, sagging - felt straight-out desire for his. ...What young people don't know, she thought lying down beside this man...They did not know that lumpy, aged and wrinkled bodies were as needy as their own young firm ones, that love was not to be tossed away carelessly, as if it were a tart on a platter with others that got passed around again.....And so, if this man next to her now was not a man she would have chosen before this time, what did it matter? He most likely wouldn't have chosen her either. But here they were and Olive pictured two slices of Swiss cheese pressed together, such holes they brought to this union - what pieces life took out of you. Her eyes were closed and throughout her tired self swept waves of gratitude - and regret" A Pulitzer Prize winner indeed.
Book Review: Loved This Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I selected OLIVE KITTERIDGE by Elizabeth Strout as our book club pick for September, I was hoping that it would be a book that we'd all enjoy. I wanted our group to read some "literature" this month, and OLIVE KITTERIDGE did win the Pulitzer Prize for 2009. Ideal pick, right? I thought so; although in the back of my mind, I was a little worried that the book might not appeal to everyone. Often times when a book is so critically acclaimed, it doesn't resonate with the average reader. I definitely don't think that is the case with this book -- I can't imagine not loving (or at least appreciating) it.
I absolutely adored this book! It lived up to all of the hype (and there was sure a lot of hype.) OLIVE KITTERIDGE could quite possibly be the best book I've read so far this year. I can not rave enough about this book, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. So if you haven't read it yet -- go get it now! I can actually say that I am still in awe of this book a few days after I've finished it. What Elizabeth Strout managed to accomplish in OLIVE KITTERIDGE is pure genius. I'm honestly more than a little intimidated to even be writing about it.
As many of you know, I am not really a big fan of short stories. It's not that I don't like some of the compilations that I've read, it's just that I'm a little scared of them. So in the back of my mind, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like (or even get) OLIVE KITTERIDGE. That was so not the case -- I loved each and every word in this book! OLIVE KITTERIDGE is made up of 13 short stories that are all beautifully linked together. The one major recurring character is, of course, Olive Kitteridge. What I found so unlikely about this book is that I loved each and every short story. I can't even pick out my favorites -- they were all so good for different reasons.
Olive is one of the most well developed and real characters that I've ever come across in a book. In fact, I can't get her out of my mind. She was so complex and very unlikable at times -- she actually reminded me of a female Archie Bunker. However, I loved Olive! She could be negative and nasty; and yet, she had so many conflicting feelings about her life and the people in it. On one hand, she was at pretty obnoxious and caustic; and on the other hand, she was tender with her students and most definitely loved her family. I could talk about Olive and her actions for hours! Her personality is so much fun to analyze!
There were many other wonderful characters in this book too besides Olive. In fact, almost all of the characters were interesting and extremely well-developed. So many of the people in these stories were tragic and yet so honest. Many of the stories in this novel showed how difficult people's lives were and how they struggled with just trying to survive. In some ways, this book just broke my heart; and in other ways, it really affirmed the wonder of life!
I have read some other books by Elizabeth Strout so I definitely appreciated her writing. But I have to say that I'm just blown away by how Ms. Strout wove the characters and themes throughout all of the stories. This novel is just so incredibly thought-provoking and multi-dimensional. Some of the major themes in this book include love, marriage, death/loss, suicide, and depression. I could go on and on... In addition to the major themes, I also loved how there were relatively minor ideas that were woven into the stories such as the beauty of flowers and the comfort of donuts. If you'd like to learn a little more about the novel, there is a very interesting interview with Elizabeth Strout and Olive Kitteridge in the back of the book.
Not to pat myself on the back, but I think OLIVE KITTERIDGE is the perfect discussion book! There is a reader's guide which has 20 questions and is guaranteed to make you think. In fact, I can't get this book out of my mind; and after I read the discussion questions, I starting thinking about an entirely new set of topics. I truly believe that each short story is worthy of an evening's discussion because the characters and their actions are so interesting. I rarely say this, but OLIVE KITTERIDGE is a book that I want to read again and again. I think it's one of those novels that will mean different things to you at different times in your life.
Book Review: Not Impressed, dull, what characters??
Summary: 1 Stars
I really don't know where to begin because this might be the worst book I have ever read! I am baffled by how many people seemed to enjoy it. My issues were: the characters were undeveloped, there were too many characters to keep track of and you honestly didn't care for most of them.
The story takes place in somewhat present day as they do describe the world trade center bombing. It centers around a small town in Maine. I find it amazing that there were so many issues with everyone in Olive's life. Yes, some of which she contributed too but still...I found myself saying "no way" not again. There is everything under sun in this book --- divorce, widows, suicide, drug addicts, crazy people, adultery, cheating, etc. It amazes me that Olive seems to know so many people with so many problems that it becomes unrealistic.
You should know that this is a grouping of short stories, but we never have answers to many of the relationships that are developed. That bothers me!! How the author goes from one story to the next is also confusing --- sometimes she is talking present day and other times she is talking in the past. She will bring up characters out of the blue and then pages into it you find out the connection between them. There is always a connection to the main character Olive, but when I really don't know who the characters are and I am trying to figure out the connection and it takes 10-15 pages...not my idea of a good read.
Olive is one of the few characters that get developed but I didn't like her. She is an old, miserable, sarcastic woman with little feeling and you really have no sympathy for her or her life. So it really doesn't matter what she struggled with in her life...I could care less if she changed or not.
At the end there are no answers, the characters are not wrapped up or discussed further. You know that some people die and it appears Olive has come to realize what she has done wrong. Maybe some people think that was a nice ending. BUT it is way too late --- no sympathy or even a good feeling hits you at the end, because Olive was not likeable. And her changing was not going to impact anyone because she really removed herself from people's lives already. I won't say more as I would spoil all of the surprises in this book (ha, ha!).
Lastly, I do have to comment on language. I really dislike reading curse words and vulgarities... this book had its moments with certain characters. While I am ok with the occasional word here or there --- the book beats you over the head with them in very concentrated doses. That, I did not like or appreciate.
Speaking of beating over the head....I think that is it! The author beats you over the head with every miserable situation she can dream up --- she begins to develop the story and oppps it is gone! I find the situations she describes too predictable. I find them to be too many .... Who is sleeping with who, who is addicted, who wants to commit suicide or did commit suicide, divorce, separation, living together but not, death, funerals, psycho problems ---- Olive knew and was friends with them all!!! UNBELIEVEABLE!
If I didn't have to read it for a book club --- I would have put it down after a few chapters. What I do find interesting --- it seems that some people in my book club actually like this book. I can't wait to hear why, because I have no idea what makes this book appealing. The characters aren't the least bit interesting and their responses to the terrible things going on around them (adultery, drug addiction, psychological issues) are predictable.
Book Review: The Name "Olive" Sets The Stage For This Book
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this book sitting on my shelves for a few months now 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 makes 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 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 main character in this book. I couldn't have been more on target in the description of this Olive Kitteridge....a bit nasty, definitely larger and definitely older.
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 them down 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 town's 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.