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 really didn’t want to review this negatively but it was a book I had trouble finishing. I have read and re-read all her previous books and loved them. When I received Olive, Again I put it on my book shelf and put off reading it because I knew I had other books to read that weren’t going to be as good. Saving the best for as long as possible, I guess. I was wrong, and it was a disappointment.
A realistic depiction of aging. Also includes tales of troubled characters along the way.
Loved this one as much as the first. Strout captures the subtleties of humanity—the disappointments, confusions, sorrows, losses, and the moments of elegance, goodwill and empathy, in a very real, bold, completely captivating way. One of those rare books that made me sad to have it end. But like the original, Olive Kitteridge, I’ll be reading this one, again and again. (less)
Elizabeth Strout did it again. Such well crafted real characters and Olive seems to be off the pages and sitting with you sharing stories. How could you not love Olive and her quirkiness? Who could resist this finely crafted novel? Olive and her family, friends, husband and acquaintances share bits of life and relationships in a small Maine town. A must read for me. Hope the stories continue.
Olive Again is a wonderful collection of independent chapters continuing in the vein of Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kittredge. As Olive ages, remarries, and navigates grand-motherhood, her cutting and wry observations are portrayed in her own voice as well as through the point of view of others. Her aging seems to come with a stripping away of possessions and relationships. Although she suffers no fools, she is refreshingly accepting of others as well as the changes to her own life. Her lack of filter is refreshing in a world where everyone checks what they say aloud. This book is wonderful in its pared down prose, and its elevation of the mundane business of living and loving.
Loved everything about this book. Love Olive!
Although Elizabeth Strout is my favorite writer, I gave the book 4.5 stars. As usual, I was engaged with the characters and their dealings with the slings and arrows of their lives. I can relate to Olive in many ways, but at times, she is too mean spirited. I like/relate to grumpy, cynical, abrupt, but meanness is not on my radar unless the character is criminally bent. Olive could’ve been nicer to her little grandson when he paints her a picture for her fridge. And referring to the new lady at the residence as Mousy Pants all too many times, was grating. Really, Olive, don’t worry about being too nice.
The novel does an excellent job in revealing the trials of aging, both physically and cognitively, not to mention the loss of dignity. (wearing Depends).
I’ve enjoyed all of Strout’s books; some more than others. Two chapters here I didn’t care for, but won’t mention them due to spoilers.
So yes, it was fun to read about Olive’s continued life in Maine, while I traveled by plane, train, and automobile in Germany! (
IT IS VERY GOOD TO RECOMMEND IT.
I was lucky enough years ago to win an ARC of Olive Kitteridge. I have the same feelings about that book which I have about this book. I just feel depressed when I read them. Did I enjoy both books? ABSOLUTELY! But, there is just something about Olive which depresses me. And to be honest, I think it is the way she loves people…she cannot find the joy in that love. And lots of people do not like Olive for this very reason. She is prickly, ornery and cantankerous.
However, this has not stopped me from reading all the Olive books. There is just something about that woman that draws me in. She is tough, independent and a hard worker. And then, there is her kindness. It is so out of the ordinary. It is not a side she shows often and when she does, it completely surprises the reader and you see a totally different side of this wonderful character.
This story has fantastic characters and it is amazingly well written. This whole series is not to be missed! Olive is…just Olive.
I have to admit, I didn’t much like OLIVE KITTERAGE, but I thoroughly enjoyed OLIVE, AGAIN. In this book, as Olive is reaching the end of her life, we meet people who live in her town, learn about their problems and Olive’s impact on their lives. Olive remarries and comes to terms with her approaching death. I got a kick out of Olive’s friendship with Isabelle of Strout’s novel AMY AND ISABELLE.
Political Stereotyping Ruined This Book
This book is an interesting study in the life of a woman and the lives of women in general. This is not a ‘feel-good’ story. It is more than a little depressing. There was no closure to anything in this book. I kept thinking that it would get better or have a point. And then the book went all political. It was spouting political rhetoric and had all sorts of evil political prejudice. I read books for entertainment if I had wanted political bashing I could watch the news. I almost stopped reading it right there I should have. This book was a waste of time. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
In Olive, Again, author Elizabeth Strout gives her readers more of the churlish, judgmental and highly disliked Olive Kitteridge. As with the first book, the story is told through interwoven short stories. In this second book, Olive is featured prominently in most of the stories (whereas there were many stories in the first book in which she only had a cameo appearance).
Age and loneliness have softened Olive a little bit. While outwardly brutally honest and outspoken, readers have insight to Olive’s vulnerabilities through her inner dialogue. There were times I felt her sadness and regret deeply—especially as it related to her estranged son and grandchildren. Olive has moments of enlightenment, however, she believes a change will not beget the reward she desires at this point in her life.
“…she just sat I her chair and watched her birds at the feeder outside her window and thought that she was not unhappy.”
For all her claims of being blue collar and “salt-of-the-Earth”, Olive is, in fact, quite the snob. On one hand she claims to be an extreme liberal, and on the other hand she has no tolerance and is quite judgmental of anyone who she considers pedestrian or “wrong” (e.g., anyone who doesn’t share her views). The dichotomy of how misunderstood she feels and how disparaging she is of others makes Olive Kitteridge a conundrum. Do I empathize with her? Do I hold her in contempt? The answer is a little of both. As with most people, Olive has muddled through life the best she can. Sometimes she is curt and brusque, and at times she displays compassion (in a stoic, Mainer way). Her mistakes have cost her dearly in terms of a son who cannot forgive her for her imperfections. That painful penance is balanced by several encounters with former students who clearly were positively influenced by their high school math teacher.
A creatively told tale about human frailty and misgivings, about love, longing and regret, Olive, Again is a bit more melancholy and introspective than the first book. With the exception of the author’s unnecessary inclusion of her political views, Olive Again would have been the perfect sequel to the story of the highly opinionated and bluntly honest Olive Kitteridge.
Olive, Again is a sequel to Elizabeth Strout’s 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge. This book covers the decade or so after the conclusion of the first book.
In the Olive tradition, this book is done as a series of engaging vignettes. Some are purely anecdotes from Olive’s life, others are about the small town residents of the mythical coastal town of Crosby, Maine. The stories show strengths and weaknesses, love and lust, and how relationships divide, sever, or reform.
I have greatly enjoyed both Olive Kitteridge and Olive, Again, but it’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly why. Yes, the writing is wonderful. The characters are just that. . .characters! The luscious Maine coastline is inviting. But there is something about these little individual stories that speaks to my heart. It’s rather like sitting with an old friend and sharing stories from your lives. I very much enjoyed this book and certainly do recommend it!
Oh how good it is to spend time with Olive Kitteridge again! I didn’t realize how much I have missed her until I opened the pages of this book.
Olive is still living in Crosby, Maine. She is aging, though not gracefully. But then, she was not graceful at any age – brusque, stodgy, no-nonsense and opinionated, Olive doesn’t fit in and she doesn’t care. I find her honesty quite refreshing! She is very reflective in this book, examining and questioning herself and the choices she has made.
Strout’s keen, insightful observations on the struggles of being human, and her vivid descriptions make it easy to become engaged with and immersed in this book. The characters are so deeply dimensional that it is easy to fall under Strout’s spell. Everyone has a story, and the wide range of characters and situations they find themselves in, made the pages fly. I loved this book, and highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.
I love Olive Kittridge, she is her own woman even if sometimes she finds herself a bit outspoken LOL. She makes us all take a look at our own senior years and just what they might be like. Thank you for such a great book!
I know that I am the outlier on my feelings for this book but let me explain that 3 stars from me means that it was a good book but not a great book FOR ME.
Olive Kitteridge was also a 3 star for me, I found that I just didn’t like this character even though many seem to love her. I watched the HBO series to reacquaint myself with her and how the first book ended. I loved the series by the way, and it ended on such a hopeful note.
As in the first book this is written in a series of short stories, most of which Olive plays a part in or there is a thread connecting her to the story. My favorite story was the one where Olive is at a baby shower, a pretty conventional, dull affair and one of the guests is in labor. I will leave you to discover what happens and how Olive handles this. This was the only story that made me laugh and feel that maybe there was a softer side, somewhere, to Oliver.
This book starts when her second husband has already died, although there are quite a few flashbacks to some happy times when she and her husband lived together and did some traveling. As a character I really enjoyed Jack. He had a lot of empathy, he knew that he had made mistakes in his life, particularly with not accepting his daughter’s lifestyle, but he wanted to make it right. He also had a great sense of humor, something completely lacking in Olive’s character.
Olive never seemed to be able to figure herself out. She was extremely upset when a former student, Andrea L’Rieux, once the Poet Laureate of the United States writes a poem about her. She had met Andrea months before at the local coffee shop and had had a conversation with her, it all ended up in the poem. I thought that it summed Olive up pretty well:
“Who taught me math thirty-four years ago/ terrified me and is now terrified herself/ sat before me at the breakfast counter / white whiskered / told me I had always been lonely / no idea she was speaking of herself” “Use it for a poem, she said / All yours.”
I thought that the poem explained a lot about Olive, because she was always a person alone, even when she was with Henry and then Jack. She never seemed to truly let people in, to see how she felt inside, her insecurities, her prejudices, she didn’t seem to be able to fully love even the people that she cared about.
What I disliked about the book is that I felt as though I knew where Olive was heading and it wasn’t a pleasant forward look. I questioned at times whether I wanted to continue her story since it was quite dismal.
If you loved the first book than you will likely love this one. It is definitely not a happy book and it left me feeling rather depressed, not what I like to feel at the end of a book.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley
Olive, Again,” is touching, heartwarming and life-changing! As one enters their middle and later years many of us have questions arise – but oh how Olive addresses some of these in a way only she can. You will laugh and cry as you walk with Olive and others through daily lives much as your own. Questions may arise as to what do our children think of us and how they were raised? When our loved ones enter an assisted living or nursing home facility, do our busy lives prevent frequent visits? I can say I need to look a bit more deeply at myself! Elizabeth Stout is an author with insight that reaches out and just grabs your heart from the first page. Thank you Netgalley for a chance to review this awesome book. #OliveAgain #NetGalley