Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Olive with a Hint of Lemon
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout is a Pulitzer-winning novel about a stern, intimidating schoolteacher and
interconnecting stories of the townspeople whose lives intersect with
hers. Each of the thirteen chapters in this book meanders through the
personal struggles and secrets lives of various people in a small Maine town.
Although
this was not a cheery book, I enjoyed it and found the narration fresh and
intriguing. It was like listening to a friend gossip about neighbors. Strout’s
skillful storytelling made it easy to get lost in the tales of the townspeople.
She had my full attention. Among others, we get to know the piano player in a
local bar, a mother of three who loses her husband, and a woman struggling with
anorexia. Each story brings some type of tragedy or turmoil to light. The book
is like a somber quilt with Olive as the thread that holds it all together.
Olive, herself,
is not a bright and happy person. She wouldn’t win any Miss Congeniality
contest. She is abrupt and caustic. She is strongly opinionated, and at
times she is sour as a lemon. But we discover that underneath the rough
exterior, she is also caring, sensitive, and lonely. Like everyone, she’s
a flawed human being, and I liked getting to know her and the people around
her.
This book was made into a 2014 TV mini-series. The cast includes Frances McDormand
as Olive and Richard Jenkins as her husband, Henry.
This book met several of my 2015
Book Challenges: Read a Pulitzer-prize winning book; read a book that has or
will become a movie; read a book with only two words in the title.
Happy Reading,
Annette
Comments