NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout continues the life of her beloved Olive Kitteridge, a character who has captured the imaginations of millions.“Strout managed to make me love this strange woman I’d never met, who I knew nothing about. What a terrific writer she is.”—Zadie Smith, The Guardian“Just as wonderful as the original . . . Olive, … Guardian
“Just as wonderful as the original . . . Olive, Again poignantly reminds us that empathy, a requirement for love, helps make life ‘not unhappy.’”—NPR
NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY PEOPLE AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • Vanity Fair • Entertainment Weekly • BuzzFeed • Esquire • Real Simple • Good Housekeeping • The New York Public Library • The Guardian • Evening Standard • Kirkus Reviews • Publishers Weekly • BookPage
Prickly, wry, resistant to change yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic, Olive Kitteridge is “a compelling life force” (San Francisco Chronicle). The New Yorker has said that Elizabeth Strout “animates the ordinary with an astonishing force,” and she has never done so more clearly than in these pages, where the iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but the lives of those around her in the town of Crosby, Maine. Whether with a teenager coming to terms with the loss of her father, a young woman about to give birth during a hilariously inopportune moment, a nurse who confesses a secret high school crush, or a lawyer who struggles with an inheritance she does not want to accept, the unforgettable Olive will continue to startle us, to move us, and to inspire us—in Strout’s words—“to bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.”
Praise for Olive, Again
“Olive is a brilliant creation not only because of her eternal cantankerousness but because she’s as brutally candid with herself about her shortcomings as she is with others. Her honesty makes people strangely willing to confide in her, and the raw power of Ms. Strout’s writing comes from these unvarnished exchanges, in which characters reveal themselves in all of their sadness and badness and confusion. . . . The great, terrible mess of living is spilled out across the pages of this moving book. Ms. Strout may not have any answers for it, but she isn’t afraid of it either.”—The Wall Street Journal
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I enjoyed this book especially since I had already read “Olive Ketteridge” and enjoyed that very much. I would say those of us that are of a certain age, perhaps over 50, can really relate to this book. The story seemed very realistic to me in terms of Olive’s second marriage and how she is able to carry on through each stage of her life and how under new circumstances, someone that she thought was her lifelong friend turned out not to be.
Strout succeeds once again in bringing the wonderful, difficult, fully-realized character of Olive Kitteridge. If you loved the first book, this one won’t disappoint.
I fell in love with Olive, and it was such a pleasure to read olive again . If you have not read both.
I suggest you start with Olive and then move to Olive Again . You will be able to understand the
characters and the setting better . We all are going to grow old one day , and all that we take so much for granted will slip away from us . At the end of our lives we should be able to say i lived a good life, i was loved and i loved in return . This was a key take away for me after reading this book .
We treat old people as if they are invisible and one day when we are old , people will also treat us the same.
This book will take you on a journey that’s yours and yours alone . It will serve up something unique for you . it is a book that will force you to think and reflect on your life and you will be better for it .
Highly recommended.
I had read “Olive Kitteridge” and enjoyed most of it. So after seeing all the glowing reviews for “Olive, Again” and Oprah’s Book Club pick I was sure I’d enjoy this one too. Elizabeth Strout is such a gifted writer, especially the way she describes the world with meticulous attention to detail, eliciting familiar feelings around common occurrences. Getting to know Olive in both novels was an engaging experience because of her authenticity, directness and brutal honesty. Beneath all her crustiness you know she cares about certain people in her life and about her short comings.
But “Olive, Again” was a hard read for me due to its dreary undertones from beginning to end. The occasional humorous observations sprinkled throughout the story didn’t help bring enough relief from the depressing lives of the characters. I think I would have appreciated this novel more if there hadn’t been so many characters. It seemed like each time I got involved with one character a new one popped up in a somewhat disjointed stream of more sad experiences. I still rated it a four because I think Strout is a masterful writer and her excellent character development outweighed my personal reaction to all the dismal aspects of their lives.
i love everything Elizabeth Strout has written.
This is a book for the older female reader. We know Olive from earlier novels: a big, outspoken, irascible woman who says exactly what she thinks. In this novel she touches the lives of other people in her small Maine town in odd ways. It’s not so much a story as a series of encounters. She is quite old by now (over 80 at the end of the book) and finds herself reflecting on her past, a thing she never did before, and while it wouldn’t be true to say she learns from her mistakes, she does mellow somewhat. An strangely engaging novel that will not be to everyone’s taste, but I liked it!
I just loved the interesting characters that Olive encounters during her life time!!
This book is so honest about the up’s and downs of again and relationships & the writing is exquisite.
It’s wonderful to pick up a book that so immediately and skillfully plunges you into the small, everyday events that make us all human. Just like her first book (Olive Kitteridge), Elizabeth Strout takes us into the orbit of Maine-born-and-raised Olive — now older, retired, and just as prickly and wise.
Like the first book, this sequel reads like a series of short stories about individuals in and around the small town of Crosby, Maine. Some are Olive’s former students. Others, her neighbors. But each has a deeply touching story to tell about the everyday pain people routinely carry, their own resilience, and the kind of love and relationships that brings meaning to our lives.
Whether it’s a young woman visiting the burned down ruins of her family home, or a Civil War enthusiast who uses the dog to speak to his wife, or the residents of an assisted living facility struggling to find community — each has a valuable and emotional story to tell. All of them, connected in some way to crusty but lovable Olive.
Highly recommended.
Don’t beleive theres any one living that writes better about marriage and family relationships. Keep them coming!
I giggled and then found myself almost in tears reading the crass, bossy woman’s life. I am sure there are others that can envision themself as a piece of Olive in real life. I know I don’t live near Maine, but it seems so perfect as a little town for my later years of life. I glad for Olive it was a giant piece of her life. Just as I know, my little hometown will be for me. To find two loves has to be something special, especially when both gentlemen see Olive for her she is. It makes me smile to know that the pieces of backstory given, let you know Olive was who she was. She did change for others and pretty much said what she felt. Many times my family and friends tell others, I have no filter, so if I say something I meant it. I also feel that grown children do tend to grow a stronger love for their parents as we age, I see that with my son. Still not much of a communicator and very much independent, like Christopher, making his own life with his wife. I feel a lot like Olive, not truly having friends just those who I work with that can tolerate my crazy. I love that the author finally had Olive put her memories to paper. Makes me wondered if there’s another story on Mrs. Kitteridge, or if the author purposely left you to decide what and how long a future Olive has.
Olive is one of a kind. I love her quirky, honest view of life.
Olive Again is a thought provoking look at the issues around aging done through the eyes of a beloved character, Olive Kitteridge.
I have been an Elizabeth Strout fan since reading her first novel AMY AND ISABELLE. Her most recent work, OLIVE AGAIN, a “sequel” to her prize-winning novel, OLIVE KITTREDGE, travels the same territory as her earlier work, in that it takes place in Crosby and Shirley Falls, Maine; it features Olive Kittredge, and it reprises characters from some of her other novels such as THE BURGESS BOYS and AMY AND ISABELLE. I loved seeing Olive again, this time negotiating the process of aging with all of her typical honesty, horror, and underlying strength. The novel, which reads more like a collection of linked short stories—much like its predecessor—does not reveal a great deal that is new, and sometimes it veers toward the sentimental, but it will be very satisfying for anyone who enjoyed Olive the first time.
These 13 stories makes the ordinary extraordinary. Full of complex situations and written with compassion. Olive is outspoken, yet we see her in this second novel as Olive is older and working to understand herself and others. Elizabeth Strout said, ” Olive Kitteridge continues to enrage me, continues to astonish me with her complexities – and she continues to make me love her. I hope the reader does as well.”
I loved this book! It was like being told stories by a friend. And I identified so much with Olive it almost scares me!
I thought the writing was phenomenal! I loved the characters that were so full of personality and so real.
I have to give this a 5 star because the book moved me so!
I adored this book. I also adored its predecessor, OLIVE KITTERIDGE and doubted Strout could surpass herself. I wouldn’t say she surpassed herself, but OLIVE, AGAIN was certainly an equal to the first book in terms of emotional power and truth. Its beauty and depth lie in deceptively simple prose that renders deep commentary on the human condition, love, aging, and loss. Highly, highly recommended.
Olive , a woman who lives in Crosby, Maine. surely is prickly as a rose. Still, it is very easy to identify with her. Perhaps, she shows the courage to say and do what is impossible for others to voice and act upon on the journey through life.
Painting her broadly is to write that because her ordinary life matters ours matter too. Her family is not perfect. Who cares? They belong to her and she belongs to them. It is very sad when an accusation is thrown her way. Still, she keeps walking and struggling to live through the next day. No matter what happens Olive is determined to endure to the end.
By the way while living in a sunless room, she takes the chance to grow two roses in a little sun out back. I am sure they grew because around Olive whether you are a person or not, you will change in some way.Ask one of her two husbands. Thank goodness Oprah chose Elizabeth Strout’s novel “Olive, Again.” I might have missed it.
What I liked most about “Olive, Again” is the way the story develops around the central character, Olive Kitteridge, who is a clear-eyed New England eccentric. I loved the way it unfolds from different points of view to provide nuance and texture to sometimes very difficult subject matter. Strout is an excellent writer and the reader is never bored – only buoyed – by her masterful prose. I recommend this book to anyone trying to find meaning in their most intimate relationships and their true purpose in life.
Having read and loved Elizabeth Strout’s 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge, I was eager to read Olive, Again. Once again, I was transported—by the clear and compelling writing, the captivating storytelling, and the many fascinating characters—first and foremost, of course, Olive herself. Like the first book, Olive, Again is a collection of stories about people living in Crosby, Maine. Olive is the central figure in many of the stories, and we see another chapter of her life unfold. But in some of the stories, she is simply a peripheral character, a walk-on, even a “Where’s Waldo” figure. Still, she is one of the most interesting characters in modern literature. She’s prickly and opinionated, mouthy and blunt, and also very vulnerable. It’s impossible not to care about Olive. I loved this book! If you haven’t read Olive Kitteridge—or if you don’t remember it well—I would recommend reading it before turning to Olive, Again. But do turn to it.