- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Pocket Books (7 April 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743467728
- ISBN-13: 978-0743467728
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 64,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Olive Kitteridge might be described by some as a battle axe or as brilliantly pushy, by others as the kindest person they had ever met. Olive herself has always been certain that she is 100% correct about everything - although, lately, her certitude has been shaken. This indomitable character appears at the centre of these narratives that comprise Olive Kitteridge. In each of them, we watch Olive, a retired schoolteacher, as she struggles to make sense of the changes in her life and the lives of those around her - always with brutal honesty, if sometimes painfully. Olive will make you laugh, nod in recognition, as well as wince in pain or shed a tear or two. We meet her stoic husband, bound to her in a marriage both broken and strong, and her own son, tyrannised by Olive's overbearing sensitivities. The reader comes away, amazed by this author's ability to conjure this formidable heroine and her deep humanity that infiltrates every page.
About the Author
Elizabeth Strout's tenure as a lawyer (six months) was slightly longer than her career as a stand-up comedian (one night). She has also worked as a bartender, waitress and piano player at bars across the USA. She now teaches literature in New York, where she lives with her husband and daughter.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A very intimate novel.,
By Alessandra F. (Italy) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories (Paperback)
Olive Kitteridge might not be the quintessence of pleasantness. As a teacher she always scared the hell out of her pupils; as a wife she never apologized with her husband; as a mother she made life impossible for her son. However, as the pages go by, we can't help realizing how her image changes according to the points of view. Sometimes Olive touches other lives in ways she'd never imagine, sometimes she can even be a very gentle presence, and some others a very obtrusive one. From time to time, in a few tales, we're allowed the small "privilege" of sharing her deeper thoughts, and that's when all the painful contradictions of her inner self come to light.I really loved this book. What makes it special to my eyes is the way Elizabeth Strout has to approach people's lives, from the outside and from the inside, big and little events, or better big and little "bursts", as Olive would say: "Olive's private view is that life depends on what she thinks of as 'big bursts' and 'little bursts'. Big bursts are things like marriage or children, intimacies that keep you afloat, but these big bursts hold dangerous, unseen currents. Which is why you need the little bursts as well: a friendly clerk at Bradlee's, let's say, or the waitress at Dunkin's Donuts who knows how you like your coffee. Tricky business, really." If you're keen on the intimist kind of literature, I strongly recommend it.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elizabeth Strout - Olive Kitteridge,
By
This review is from: Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories (Paperback)
I'm no great fan of modern fiction, generally. Most writers at work today seem uninspired, and write unambitious, trivial books that have generally been written before. (There are, of course, a few exceptions). This, however, I felt was different. It's not exactly shockingly original, but I felt it overflowed with quality, with compassion. It's a wonderful, rounded view of a woman's life. I adore Olive Kitteridge, the lady and the book. I felt myself reading each consecutive story with further commitment to her character. It's not a happy book (in fact, almost every story is about something variously tragic), but I like depressing books. And I liked this, a lot.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Subtle and nuanced,
By Elizabeth M. Gump (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories (Paperback)
I chose this book for beach reading this year, and was blown away by the nuanced approach to understanding Olive Kitteredge through the eyes and thoughts of people who came into contact with her. Each chapter offers another dimension of Olive and her world. I read it once, and then read it again to rejoin this world. Lovely, bittersweet.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
