Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Not A Wasted Word
At the edge of the continent, Crosby, Maine, may seem like nowhere, but
seen through this brilliant writer’s eyes, it’s in essence the whole world,
and the lives that are lived there are filled with all of the grand human
drama - desire, despair, jealousy, hope, and love.
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 and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize
the changes in those around her: 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 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.
2009 Pulitzer Prize winner in the Letters, Drama and Music category
Personal Review: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
If I could make those five stars twinkle a bit for a book, I would do it here.
Elizabeth Strout certainly earned her Pulitzer Prize, not by writing an
Important Book but by capturing a strong and not terribly likable woman
and a small Maine town. And she makes us care.
We see Olive Kitteridge in so many lights here--her husband's, her son's,
her former students', her co-workers--and each time, it's a revelation. The
writing is matched well to the story at hand; it's precise and astute without
calling attention to itself. She has Doris Lessing's eye for character detail,
but she's more compassionate. The other writer I thought of was Thornton
Wilder; you could almost call this a 21st century Our Town.
The person who told me about this book said that Strout captured what it's
like to be old, but I think she captured the whole spectrum of white, New
England existence. Olive feels like someone I've known all my life, and I
expect I'll carry her with me for a long time.
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