Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout
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Book Reviews of Olive Kitteridge
Book Review: Fair To Partly Cloudy
Summary: 3 Stars
Let me start off by saying that in general I don't care for short stories. I like a lot of details, I like details about setting of both time and place and I like well developed characters that I care about. I usually don't care for short stories because they typically lack what I like (details).
This was a book club choice and I have to say that I was open to trying something different from the typical novel format. I liked the fact that these thirteen stories revolved around people in the same town and that the unifying thread was the math teacher Olive Kitteridge. I did like being able to see into the lives of so many different people all in one book.
I thought the stories were all interesting, I thought they were well written and the book was easy to read. I don't mind a bummer or a downer of a book at all. What disappoints me is when I'm not moved by a book, when I turn the last page and the characters are now gone from my mind and I don't really feel anything for them. I'm disappointed when I feel like I didn't get to know the characters or when I don't care about what happens to them.
And that's how I felt after finishing this book. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but I felt like the second half sort of fizzled out with the exception of the last story which I liked.
There are a lot of heavy issues in this book and I think it will make for a good discussion. Even though I don't mind a depressing story I found that the stories I liked most were the ones that offered hope and where the characters felt loved. Elizabeth Strout focuses on the difficult and sad events in these character's lives and doesn't show us much joy or happiness. I think a happy wedding or the arrival of a much wanted baby thrown in would have offered a better balance of real life and illustrated a greater range of emotions.
I'm somewhat surprised that it won the Pulitzer.
But really, what do I know? I thought it was just okay...
Book Review: Never give up!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have generally been happy with pulitzer prize winning books. I loved both Lonesome Dove & The Road so I thought I'd give this a try.
I'm not one for short stories, but I enjoyed this book. Olive Kitteridge is in each story, sometimes as a centerpiece character & in others a tertiary character. Olive was at times difficult to like & other times funny. Whatever was going on, I found her always compelling. Most of the stories and their characters, I thought, were captivating in their own way. The stories were written with great rhythm & not remotely boring. Ultimately, I felt I got a snapshot in time of the various people in Olive's life and they were often sad, troubled, unhappy but there were also times of joy and love. Even though the positive moments were fleeting, the life many of the characters lived were written in an honest and real manor. I felt these people and their circumstances could really have happened...lost loves, old age, angry children, infidelity, suicidal ideation, new love, grief & just plain neuroses.
I cannot say that this book was my favorite, but it was different, interesting, intriguing. Yes, sad at times, but also uplifting and inspirational in how people picked up & carried on. Some may view this book to be about aging, family or even love. I believe this book's about perseverence-never give up.
I feel a review of the narration is important too since we rely so heavily on the narrator's interpretation of the book. I thought Sandra Burr's narration was quite slow. However, I thought her timing perfect. Listening to her read, I was not distracted but captivated by her. She did not read the book in any particular accent. However, when she did the voices, she used the Maine accent. She also sounded youthful or old when needed. She managed the men's voices quite well too. there were many times that her interpretation of the characters' voices punctuated my positive experience, & made it seem more real.
Book Review: I am's who I am's
Summary: 5 Stars
Most books explore how difficult it is to know others. OK centers more on how difficult it is to know yourself which is what OK grapples with in these related stories. She's central in some of the stories, in others she's merely backdrop. There were some Anita Brookner overtones to OK starting with recurring themes that are looked at from many different angles but they never seem to get old. In one story OK startles her husband of many decades when she apologizes to him. He gazes at her in amazement and says he thinks that's the first time she's EVER apologized to him. What's really funny/sad is OK is more shocked by his statement and what it says about her than he is at her apology.
In another story OK spends time with her middle aged adjacent son who's just starting a family. Her son describes his upstairs tenant to her. When she meets this tenant at the local dog park however she can't reconcile her son's description of the man with her own perceptions of him. Sadly this is a metaphor for the divergent views that mother and son hold of their relationship. Olive saw herself as a loving mother but her son had been scared of her passionate, demonstrative parenting approach. This is echoed in other characters some of who were her former math students. Those students were in two camps, the ones who were afraid of her and those who were afraid of her but also loved and respected her. OK is one of those officious, bossy people who never seem to doubt themselves. She also has the ability to shock others with the intensity of her caring. When she and some other neighbors try and help a troubled anorexic girl it's OK whose heart is most touched by the girl's tragedy. She's also the leader on how to help the girl in a practical sense. All the stories but one are set in a small town in Maine where everyone knows or at least assume they know everyone else. The action is set against the discrepancy of this knowing vs. the assumptions.
Book Review: "Praise the Lord," said the Parrot
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those books that might not grab you in the first fifty pages. You may be tempted to cast it aside and dive into another book on your long reading list, as was the case with more than one reader in my book group. Please don't do that. It's VERY much worth reading.
This is a collection of short stories, all set in a small town in Maine. And it truly has a small town feel. There are a variety of characters, each in different places in their lives, and they all have one person in common: Olive Kitteridge. Olive is a retired schoolteacher, a large woman--at times larger than life. She's domineering, outspoken and unapologetic. Some of the stories focus on her and her husband, Henry and their son, Christopher. And in many she plays just a small role, or her name is merely mentioned. She, however, never fails to have a profound affect on the lives of the characters and the gist of the story. She's one of those characters that you'll either love or hate--but I thought she was a brilliantly flawed creation and a unique string pulling me through the pages.
These stories all explore the human condition, which makes the material highly relatable. As the characters reflect upon their lives, I couldn't help but reflect upon my own and felt the author portrayed a deep understanding of what it means to raise children, be raised, age and continue to find meaning in one's existence.
Lest one think all the material is serious, a story called "Security," had me laughing out loud at the God-fearing, "praise the Lord" spouting parrot.
Overall, I felt it was an unusual format, but it worked for me and I highly recommend reading Olive Kitteridge. At 270 pages, it's not a huge time-investment and yet I'll probably remember it for a lifetime.
Reviewed by Michele Cozzens, author of Irish Twins.
Book Review: Late to the party - I loved this book
Summary: 5 Stars
I am not normally a fan of short stories, but I do like them when they're linked, as in this book. We become acquainted with several of the same characters, both at different times and in different places. As such, we truly develop a Rashomon like view - your opinion of any given character may change as you read further on, in another story.
Brief brief summary, no spoilers:
Olive Kitteridge is the main character, in that she appears in each story. Yet, it's probably better to say simply that she appears in each story, since some barely mention her. Most of the stories take place in New England, in a small town. The time period goes up to the present day (or I should say the Bush presidency.)
Olive is a tough cookie, and the expression that she "does not suffer fools lightly" was made for her. In many ways, it's hard to like Olive, because she is so impatient and ornery, and toughest on those closest to her - yet, we also know that she was a school teacher, and some of the scenes where she reaches out and advises those troubled students are some of the most poignant of the book.
Which is to say that she is not your cardboard cutout character, and everyone who reads this book is going to have different feelings about her. (Which by the way, would make this an excellent book club choice.)
This book is going down as one of my favorites of the year. It's not just the stories - it's the beautiful, beautiful writing. Often a bad simile can throw me right out of the story , but Strout never misses. Not once.
Lastly - I thought this was one of the best books I've ever read when it comes to describing the process of aging - both emotionally and physically. It's simply stunning, and I'm not sure this novel could've been written by anyone who hasn't begun to experience it themselves. She absolutely nails it.
Highly, highly recommended. Especially for book clubs.