Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strout

2008 • 385 pages

Ratings130

Average rating4

Olive Kitteridge: indomitable, compassionate and often unpredictable. A retired schoolteacher in a small coastal town in Maine, as she grows older she struggles to make sense of the changes in her life. She is a woman who sees into the hearts of those around her, their triumphs and tragedies.

We meet her stoic husband, bound to her in a marriage both broken and strong, and a young man who aches for the mother he lost - and whom Olive comforts by her mere presence, while her own son feels overwhelmed by her complex sensitivities.

A penetrating, vibrant exploration of the human soul, the story of Olive Kitteridge will make you laugh, nod in recognition, wince in pain, and shed a tear or two.

Genres

Mood

emotional

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Series

Featured Series

2 primary books

#1 in Olive Kitteridge

Olive Kitteridge is a 2-book series with 2 released primary works first released in 2008 with contributions by Elizabeth Strout.

Popular Reviews

Reviews with the most likes.

Mimi

I put off reading this book for a long time because I was afraid, despite its good reviews, that it would be a cringe-inducing portrait of a middle-aged woman. It's not. It's a series of stories, some that focus on Olive Kitteridge and some that just happen around her, that creates a community of characters. I read it in one afternoon because I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

March 12, 2015

Elizabeth Dean

There is nothing more romantic than old people who have been married a really long time. This book is about them. Some lose their spouses, some have affairs, some die. They are often in hell, as the main character observes. And then after all that, they move on. Olive is awesome. Well worth the read.

October 13, 2010

Vilandra

Slow, with an unlikable main character. It was okay, but I was glad to finish it.

February 10, 2022

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