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Olive Kitteridge: Fiction |  | Author: Elizabeth Strout
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
List Price: $14.00
Buy Used: $4.99
as of 11/7/2009 12:10 CST details
You Save: $9.01 (64%)
New (102) Used (69) from $4.99
Seller: jls-books
Rating:  268 reviews
Sales Rank: 51
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0812971833
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780812971835
ASIN: 0812971833
Publication Date: September 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.
As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life–sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition–its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.
Praise for Olive Kitteridge:
“Perceptive, deeply empathetic . . . Olive is the axis around which these thirteen complex, relentlessly human narratives spin themselves into Elizabeth Strout’s unforgettable novel in stories.”
–O: The Oprah Magazine
“Fiction lovers, remember this name: Olive Kitteridge. . . . You’ll never forget her. . . . [Elizabeth Strout] constructs her stories with rich irony and moments of genuine surprise and intense emotion. . . . Glorious, powerful stuff.”
–USA Today
“Funny, wicked and remorseful, Mrs. Kitteridge is a compelling life force, a red-blooded original. When she’s not onstage, we look forward to her return. The book is a page-turner because of her.”
–San Francisco Chronicle
“Olive Kitteridge still lingers in memory like a treasured photograph.”
–Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“Rarely does a story collection pack such a gutsy emotional punch.”
–Entertainment Weekly
“Strout animates the ordinary with astonishing force. . . . [She] makes us experience not only the terrors of change but also the terrifying hope that change can bring: she plunges us into these churning waters and we come up gasping for air.”
–The New Yorker
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 268
Understanding Olive November 5, 2009
Marci Rae (Boston, MA)
Author Elizabeth Strout won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for this collection of short stories about life in Crosby, Maine, and in which Olive Kitteridge, a retired school teacher, is the unifying thread, appearing to varying degrees in each narrative. Strout's prose is lovely; her stories rare photographs of flawed people. I especially related to the character of Olive Kitteridge. She spoke to me in ways characters rarely do. At once she's all prickles and barbs, yet suddenly she shows compassion and understanding revealing unexpected wisdom. She wants to be a better mother, a better wife, and yet can't seem to transcend her need for her world to be orderly, to make sense, to meet her expectations.
 A rewarding read! November 5, 2009
A. L. Liller (Maryland)
A life span of Olive,a reserved school teacher, beautifully written, in 13 short tales to enable the reader to delve deeply into her very soul. The supporting characters, Henry Kitteridge, her husband, the complete opposite in character,who is an out going pharmacist, son, Christopher,a podiatrist, daughter-in-law, Suzanne, all play their roles full of human emotion. These are complex, interesting, real life, flawed characters, living in a New England village. This is an insightful, profoundly moving and thought-provoing look into family conflicts and loss. Elizabeth Stout is a master!
Two other recommendations I'd like to share is EXPLOSION IN PARIS, by Pirrung and A RANDOM ACT, that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. All three of these books would make perfect book club reads!!
Olive is My New Hero November 3, 2009
Tallgirl77 (Washington, DC)
Olive Kitteridge was recommended to me by a coworker who told me virtually nothing about the book other than "read it...you'll enjoy it" And she was right.
The story is told in a series of shorter stories, some about Olive directly, and others about people who know her in large and small ways. Olive's inner dialoge is fascinating and real. If you don't know someone like Olive in your life, you probably ARE Olive in some way. And learning what makes her tick made this a very good read.
This book was not what I would call a "Feel Good" book. Most of the book tells stories of bad things that happen to everyone...death, divorce, lonlieness, bad marriages, cancelled weddings, heartbreak and deceipt. I found myself a little depressed as I read it, and when I finished it, I burst into tears. If you are middle aged, you will defintely find this book something to think about (and maybe even worry about.) Despite the doom and gloom, I loved every minute of the read due to the quality of Elizabeth Strout's writing. Have you ever read a book, loved the subject or story line, but wanted to tell the writer where to turn their "camera" so you could see something they do not describe? Well, you won't feel that way with this book. It is clear, concise and she described for me everything I wanted to know.
For those of us who are a part of a book club, this would make an excellent book club section. Many different stories to touch on and talk about.
Happy reading!
A Wonderful Gem by A Splendid Author November 3, 2009
Agnes Grey
It was by sheer accident that I stumbled across "Olive Kitteridge" and the author Elizabeth Strout. Her short stories are so exquisite that I have re-read Starving, Tulips and Security before finishing the book which I am reluctant to do as each one is priceless, and I am hoping one day that the author plans to provide us with more such realistic and pragmatic tales. Ms. Strout remains consistent, and there is not an anecdote in her intertwined thirteen stories that disappoint. They are ironic, at times both funny and sad, and always provide food for thought. At a certain age, one can relate to the above and there is not a false note to be found in this brilliant book of short stories. Congratulations to Ms. Strout.
Good service November 2, 2009
joneslinwa (Cle Elum, WA)
The service was terrific and the books arrived in just a few days. I belong to a Book Club so I ordered the books for a couple of the members and was glad to get them so soon.
Thanks.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 268
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