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|  | Author: Elizabeth Strout
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.06
as of 11/23/2009 13:28 CST details
You Save: $6.94 (50%)
New (103) Used (47) Collectible (1) from $3.95
Seller: treebeardbooks
Rating:  280 reviews
Sales Rank: 65
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
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
Condition: Brand New, Fast and Professional Shipping (no shipping to: APO, AK, HI, PR as standard mail to these locations takes 4+ weeks).
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 26-30 of 280
She can kill with a smile She can wound with her eyes she can ruin your faith with her casual lies October 28, 2009
simple sellers
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
The whole time I read this, I thought of Billy Joel's song Alway's a woman to me.This story isn't just about her its also about all the people in the town where Olive lives. Some are happy ,some are sad,some just need a little direction. Olive is an incredibly good teacher, a decent friend when someone really needs her to lend a hand.(Even though she is always saying she hates the general public.)She is a total bitch sometimes, and says things that most people wouldn't say drunk.She seems oblivious to the fact as to why people cower in her presence.
Her husband Henry is pretty laid back ,but lets her know when she is too much.They went through a rough patch in the seventies and almost ended it,but then decided that they needed each other.
I wish we could of heard more from Christopher, Olive's son. He makes all these blanket accusations on why he doesn't like her,but I would like more detail. He seems not have a problem with her until he went to therapy? Was it all pent up inside of him or did his shrink make more of the situation that was there? If these things he says were true, why is he letting his mother anywhere near his children? Did his father,Henry know.It left me wondering.
Even with all of her issues, you can't help but feel for her. Even though she isn't real, I keep waiting for her to come from behind me at the grocery store in that dress with the giant poinsettas on it.
 Stroll through town... October 28, 2009
A. Fishel
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Have you ever walked through town wondering about the personal lives of those you randomly encountered? Reading "Olive" is a bit like that - allowing you to openly spy on private lives. You catch glimpses of happiness, struggle, yearning, and despair. They form a picture of a community, the lives entertwined to construct the beauty of human existence.
I usually avoid short stories, but "Olive" is more of a novel than a short story collection. It is beautifully written. And while most of its characters do not attain the depth that Olive does, the book is not really about the characters. It has so much insight into life as a whole and human relationships that the reader may truly be the main character - the interpretation more valuable than the observation.
Read this book. And next time you're in line at the pharmacy, at a funeral or a bar, look around and see if folks don't seem more familiar.
 My expectations were just a bit TOO high October 27, 2009
Nelaine Sanchez (Miami, FL USA)
I'm not too fond of short stories - although I did purchase this with the hopes of enjoying it since they seem to be loosely related stories with one particular character, the ubiquitous Olive Kitteridge. And as expected Olive does appear in every story in the book - sometimes just merely by name, other times it's a cameo appearance, but her presence is definitely felt throughout these vignettes into the lives of some of the residents of Crosby, Maine.
Now let me shed some light on the infamous Olive Kitteridge. Olive Kitteridge = a bit nasty, a little on the heavy side and definitely older. That description alone should give you a feel for exactly what we're dealing with here.
As you go from story to story you read about Olive, her friends, relatives and acquaintances scattered throughout Crosby, Maine. And I will confess that the stories in this book will have you thinking not just about the fictional characters Ms. Strout has created, but about your own life and that of your friends and family. These are very real life characters that you can easily associate with yourself.
With that said, sadly, I just never got around to "really" liking any of the characters. Don't take me wrong, Olive was a force like no other. When she came into a room (or a story) her presence was definitely made known. But I think it made me feel preoccupied... in the sense that I was looking forward to Olive. When was she going to enter the story? How did this person know Olive? Was she their teacher? Was she a neighbor that lived down the road? Olive, Olive, Olive. In the end, I found it to be distracting.
I honestly thought the premise was unique and clever. And, needless to say, Ms. Strout's writing is superb... but in the end it just never clicked for me. I'm not sure if that was because the stories were too short or I just had "too" high expectations for this, but sadly it just fell flat for me.
Painfully Real October 26, 2009
Rebecca Gormley (Dayton, OH United States)
This is an amazing, wonderful book. I didn't want it to ever end. I feel that I learned so much about life and about myself from reading this book. There is so much in it I would love to have some people to discuss it with. I will definitely read all her books from now on.
Complex, Well-Written Insights October 26, 2009
Loyd E. Eskildson (Phoenix, AZ.)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Elizabeth Strout's novel is a series of short stories revealing dynamics and truths of small town life. It revolves around Olive Kitteridge, a retired seventh grade math teacher. She lives in Crosby, Maine with a husband and only son. She is 72 years old and described as large, overpowering, and stubborn woman.
Thirteen stories, each a chapter, show a unique character, and nuanced viewpoints revealing Olive from many angles. She has to face many life changes, including her husband's illness and death. Her son moves away and we see Olive as more loving and complex than her public personality. In one chapter she is sitting in church and happy, feeling life was a gift "that one of those things about getting older was knowing so many moments weren't just moments, they were gifts."
In most of the chapters, Olive is key to the story, other chapters she just steps in and out of several townspeople's lives. I found those less fulfilling than when Olive was the star. The characters enable the reader to step into their shoes, experience an emotion that rings true and reveals a common humanity. It quietly gives an honest note of wisdom, that in understanding others, we understand ourselves. We can walk in another man's shoes and give them credit for doing the best they can.
The novel is somewhat dark in bringing to the surface our dark and dangerous sides for honest examination. Life is not always happy and facing the stark truth of reality is just a way we learn respect people's viewpoints, although we may not be able to stand them.
Well written and deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it won.
Showing reviews 26-30 of 280
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