THE WELL DRESSED OLIVE: A Trip Back in Time and Dreams Fulfilled

by John M Noldan

The story is a fictionalized semi-autobiographical effort done in the first person narrative starting in Medias Res with flashbacks that reveal a very dysfunctional family life and the personal struggles and sacrifices required to survive there and achieve what no one else in the family could do. The negative effects of parental alcoholism, mental and physical abuse, and poverty and a very long road of education chosen for its difficulty as a challenge and an assured exit from his early years.


After a life long experience in Medicine, the only assurance we have is our beginning and our end. We can’t chose our family at birth but we adapt as best we can. We survive by finding a place of peace and chose those we associate with to help us through the rough patches. Some have to escape their past for a better future and create plans as to how to do this. We reach crossroads and have to chose what path we are to follow. Some decisions may be easy but others require sacrifices that are very personal and cannot be undone. In the final analysis, can we say it was worth it all? Some might say that we should appreciate all that we are blessed with and there are really no “re-do’s” in life. But the one assurance we have is that there will be peace for all of us in the end.

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2024

Reviews

[Eliza Grayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Well-Dressed Olive isn't a flashy memoir but a tell-all truth about a very complicated life. John M. Noldan writes with the perspective that only comes from decades of lived experience in a volatile environment. What I appreciated most was that this isn't just another story of hardship. It's about resilience, difficult family dynamics, sacrifice, and the lifelong pursuit of purpose moving between present reflections and earlier memories. This took a little getting used to, but once I settled into the rhythm, it made sense. What was unusual was the domestic violence and abuse by the mother who was both a victim and the abuser--unusual because we saw the father (who had his own alcoholic issues) escaping from his wife's volatile behaviors. And the four siblings are trapped bonding more with the father than the mother.

The medical career provides an interesting backdrop, but the heart of the book is really about overcoming poverty, abuse, and the limitations of one's beginnings, reflecting on how our past shapes us—and how determination can reshape our future. I occasionally wanted more detail in certain episodes, especially how his sister Dee chose her career path, and why the two older brothers abandoned their younger brother and sister. If you enjoy reflective memoirs about perseverance, family, and finding meaning after adversity, The Well-Dressed Olive is worth your time.

[Beta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting and Inspiring

This is a quick read! It will give anyone hope for the future even if your present predicament is harsh and unforgiving. You can succeed and overcome obstacles despite a difficult childhood and poverty.

[Donald Petroski]

Should check out the large number of book reviews on Amazon and not the 1-2 on GoodReads.