Olive Kitteridge Audio CD – CD, September 20, 2011

I begin with a quote from the 2008 Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge: Fiction by Elizabeth Strout:"...then Olive felt something she had not expected to feel again: a sudden surging greediness for life...She remembered what hope was, and this was it. That inner churning that moves you forward, plows you through life the way the boats below plowed the shiny water, the way the plane was plowing forward to a place new, and where she was needed."Restoring hope is crucial for couples who fear they've lost their way, for an individual with profound grief who's lost the most important person in their life, or someone who experiences panic attacks for the first time and feels overwhelmingly out-of-control or for all of us who suffer from the loneliness that's part of the human condition. Olive Kitteridge: Fiction is a luminous novel that captures the very nature of what it means to be human. The author's wisdom about regrets, anger, guilt, wounded souls and the weariness and hardships of life are worth re-reading several times. Six of the interwoven stories were published previously from 1992-2007. This book was worth the wait because there is a layering of characters that has a depth developed with the gift of time.There are two sides of hope which Olive is keenly aware of. Hope is crucial to endure hardship. Also hope is often disappointment delayed (as Carl Whitaker family therapist used to say). Olive is not one to be surprised by disappointment and she lives her life expecting it's daily arrival.Like all difficult people Olive has her strengths. She can recognize her own hard truths; "My son hates me, too." or " She hated the scared part of herself." Her honesty combined with her meanness create an unforgettable three dimensional character. This is a book where the truth of it grabs you and brings tears to your eyes. I re-read the last five pages at least five times. It is a book rich in capturing both the gratitude and struggle of life and asks you not to "squander" your days on this earth. Olive's learning's about her mistakes become etched in our memories as if they are our own.Her loneliness is palpable. There aren't enough books that capture the profound nature of loneliness which is such a huge part of so many people's lives. We are so selfishly unaware in America that we don't take time to introduce single people to each other, whatever their age. In a couple when they lose respect for each other, and disdain begins to crumble their alliance, it can be a terribly lonely place. Ultimately, Olive pays that price because her yawning mouth of hunger and needs obscures seeing the good man beside her and recognizing who her son really is. The author knows the truth, that couples who don't respect each other are on the lonely path to life without sex. Olive Kitteridge boils the terror of loneliness down to it's essence. She represents some of our worst fears for ourselves and she is redeemed by hope to embrace life yet again.So much that is popular lacks substance. Elizabeth Strout has taken her time to write a remarkable book jammed full of substance. Her writing is elegant. She is brilliant because she asks you to consider what is lyrical about life while acknowledging the hardships. It is one of the top three books of my life.

I picked up this collection of short stories by virtue of its selection as a 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner. Each of the stories is set in rural Maine, and while the title character is not necessarily the focus of the stories, she figures (sometimes very peripherally) in each. Having spent some time in Maine, I was able to recognize many of the characters and settings, which was a benefit. Coincidentally, I picked up this book immediately after having read George MacDonald Fraser's The Complete McAuslan, with exactly the same framework (without the Maine setting).These short stories are VERY short, most in the range of 10-25 pages long. I don't necessarily dislike short stories, however I like for my short stories to be at least long enough to actually tell a story and this collection is borderline in that regard. Many of the offerings merely paint a tapestry, albeit in beautiful prose, but fall short of actually engaging the reader. There are several, however, that I found to be first rate (most notably Pharmacy, Starving, Security). It is exactly the kind of writing you would expect to impress Pulitzer Prize judges.Many of the reviews express displeasure with the title character and an inability to "relate" to her, or appreciate the stories due to the fact that she is a rather unpleasant person. Having read these reviews prior to reading the book, I was surprised to find Olive Kittredge to be not so unpleasant at all. In fact, in several of the stories, she is a very sympathetic figure indeed. In others, she is not the nicest person in the world, but still far from many of the characterizations found in the reviews. In any event, in most of the stories, she is a peripheral figure, and in some barely makes an appearance at all. Regardless of her characterization, she is not a central enough figure in the collection on which to base an extreme opinion.One complaint: Amazon lists this work as having 304 pages. In what universe? The Table of Contents only shows 273 pages. There is a reader's guide that accounts for another 10 pages or so. Even including both covers and the blank pages in front and back fails to generate 290 pages, so where does the number 304 come from? I've seen this happen before in books of fewer than 300 pages. The publisher apparently thinks that 300 pages is an important number to exceed, so they do everything they can to plump up the book with wide margins, large print and "reader's guides". When even all of that fails, they just lie? When raising the issue, I've been questioned, "Why does it matter how many pages it has?" My response is that it must matter; why else would they feel the need to lie about it?Bottom line: This is a very short book containing very short stories, some of which are very good. Others, though beautifully written, go nowhere. The entire collection could probably be read in two sittings of a couple of hours each.

You will love this book. Definitely characters I can relate with.

I loved this book, the writing of E. Strout is sublime. But Olive - OMG, what a horrible woman !I think in the whole book there was perhaps two times coming from her mouth (or even her thoughts !!!!) something nice. I must say, it ruined the book a little bit for me - to read about such a despicable woman like that, it makes your hair stand upright. How she treats her husband, her son and ALL the people around her... I hated her. Needless to say, I will NOT order the 2nd book "Olive again", lol !I ordered another book of Strout instead, as she is really a wonderful, admirable author.

No es exactamente una novela, más bien una concatenación de episodios enlazados entre sí, a veces de modo tenue. El foco no recae exactamente sobre Olive K. sino sobre la comunidad en la que ella vive, mostrándonos las idas y venidas de sus integrantes. ¿Es triste el tono de la novela? sí, lo es. Pero no exagerada sino adecuadamente triste. Más bien realista. Lo que ocurre es que la protagonista, y sus convecinos, han catado su dosis de derrota (y quizás de victoria), como todos nosotros.Está maravillosamente escrito. Eso sí, demanda nuestra atención porque cada frase cuenta, porque percibir el matiz exige concentración. No explica los hechos de modo directo, sino que va sembrando el texto de sugerencias, de alusiones, y al final todo encaja de modo que cada capítulo deviene una perfecta obra de orfebrería.

Olive Kitteridge is a Pulitzer Prize Winner for fiction, which is breath-taking in its beauty and eloquence. The structure of the novel is 13 episodic stories, which provide a candid and searching insight into a small community in the coastal town of Crosby in Maine. It would be unfortunate to race through the pages without savouring the atmosphere, the wonderful sense of time, and the rich array of fascinating characters that enhance the human relationships on display. It takes the little breaks between stories to reflect on the mastery of prose and the observational expression of Elizabeth Strout.Olive Kitteridge is the indomitable presence throughout the book. Some stories have the faintest mention of Olive while in others she impacts with the overbearing resolve of a woman that is determined to get what she wants. Olive is rarely the focal point, but she acts as a magnet drawing each story to exist in her presence.Olive is an ex-school teacher, a tall and often clumsy woman, but as the years progress she becomes big,“… her ankles puffed out, her shoulders rolled up behind her neck, and her wrists and hands seemed to become the size of a man’s. Olive minds – of course she does; sometimes, privately, she minds very much. But at this stage of the game, she is not about to abandon the comfort of food, and that means right now she probably looks like a fat dozing seal wrapped in some kind of gauze bandage.”Olive has a formidable presence and a complexity that is intriguing and undefinable. While she offers very little filter in her comments and consideration of others and thinks it ludicrous to cry at weddings, she cries when she sees a young anorexic girl, Nina.“Olive shook her head again, blew her nose. She looked at Nina and said quietly, ‘I don’t know who you are, but young lady, you’re breaking my heart.’‘I’m not trying to,’ said Nina, defensively. ‘It’s not like I can help it.’‘Oh, I know that. I know.’ Olive nodded.”The first story is a touching story of her husband, Harry, who is a pharmacist, and his relationship with a young married assistant who tragically loses her husband. The relationship is subtly transformed from a platonic friendship to the delicate suggestion of deeper feelings as he allows himself to imagine what life would be like with this young woman. The emotional conflict burdens him until he finally asks Olive if she would ever leave him. “Oh, for God’s sake Henry. You could make a woman sick.” she responds.Most of the following stories reverberate with a sense of betrayal. You can feel the connection with the characters, laugh through incidents, be astounded by some events, nod in recognition with many, and shed a tear or two at others. The writing is emotionally stimulating and reveals such vivid moments that give breath to sentiments you may not have been expecting.This is a wonderful reading experience, infused with beautiful prose, images and feelings that we all encounter or witness throughout our lives. I would highly recommend this book. The reason why I jumped to read this book after it sitting on my bookshelf for so long, was that the sequel, Olive, Again, is due for release on 31st October this year.

Adorei o livro, pela oportunidade de ver a vida numa pequena cidade do Maine, EUA, com personagens que parecemos conhecer.

内容に関してです。まだ途中ですが、このピュリッツア作品は堅苦しくなくて、女性の感覚でうなずける点が随所にあり、どこの国でも同じだな、、、と感心してます。