Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; Reprint edition (September 30, 2008), ISBN-10: 0812971833
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
Source: 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winner
A friend told me she had checked this book out at the library and thought we should read it together while we were at the beach this week. I went by the library and picked up the second copy. Now, after taking a day to read through this collection of 13 short stories, I want to own it. It was that good. Probably in my top ten list now. Sometimes prize winners disappoint and leave you thinking, "Huh?" but I can absolutely see why this book was recognized as great literature.
All of the stories are connected by an unforgettable character: Olive Kitteridge - unlikabley likable. It's hard to explain how she gets under your skin from the beginning. I disliked her, liked her, loved her. She taught me a lot about growing old, being a mother and wife, being a friend. The stories are all set in a small coastal town in Main and revolve around the people of the community. Olive appears (or is mentioned) in all of them, but is often not the main character. Still her personality shines through.
My favorite is probably Winter Concert, a sweet story of an elderly couple going to a concert on a winter's night (Olive and her husband sit a few rows in front of them.) The wife is confronted with her husband's repetitive infidelity and the hurt it causes plus her response to her husband are moving and unforgettable. Actually, the whole book is unforgettable and emotionally powerful.
Read this book. Really.
Check out the Good Words I found in Olive Kitteridge here.
And here's a couple of articles on the book: Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times.
Rating: 5 of 5 STARS
Source: 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winner
A friend told me she had checked this book out at the library and thought we should read it together while we were at the beach this week. I went by the library and picked up the second copy. Now, after taking a day to read through this collection of 13 short stories, I want to own it. It was that good. Probably in my top ten list now. Sometimes prize winners disappoint and leave you thinking, "Huh?" but I can absolutely see why this book was recognized as great literature.
All of the stories are connected by an unforgettable character: Olive Kitteridge - unlikabley likable. It's hard to explain how she gets under your skin from the beginning. I disliked her, liked her, loved her. She taught me a lot about growing old, being a mother and wife, being a friend. The stories are all set in a small coastal town in Main and revolve around the people of the community. Olive appears (or is mentioned) in all of them, but is often not the main character. Still her personality shines through.
My favorite is probably Winter Concert, a sweet story of an elderly couple going to a concert on a winter's night (Olive and her husband sit a few rows in front of them.) The wife is confronted with her husband's repetitive infidelity and the hurt it causes plus her response to her husband are moving and unforgettable. Actually, the whole book is unforgettable and emotionally powerful.
Read this book. Really.
Check out the Good Words I found in Olive Kitteridge here.
And here's a couple of articles on the book: Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times.
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