Olive Kitteridge - Reread

 

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Fiction

2008

Finished on March 22, 2025

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

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 own 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.

It's been a little over a decade since I read Olive Kitteridge, so my second time felt almost like reading a new book. Over the years, I had forgotten a lot of the details of the stories in which Olive is not the main focus, but the overall premise of the book was etched in my mind after watching the miniseries (starring Frances McDormand). The bleak vignettes, and Olive's unlikeable character, make for a melancholic read, but I grew to like Olive and was left with a sense of hope as I read the final pages.

My earlier review of Olive Kitteridge can be found here. I gave the book a slightly higher rating in 2014, but not by much.