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Olive Kitteridge #1-2
Olive Kitteridge / Olive Again
Please Note That The Following Individual Books As Per Original ISBN and Cover Image In this Listing shall be Dispatched Collectively:
Elizabeth Strout Collection 2 Books Set:
Olive Kitteridge:
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 Again [Hardcover]:
Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her. Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine - and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life.
Elizabeth Strout Collection 2 Books Set:
Olive Kitteridge:
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 Again [Hardcover]:
Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her. Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine - and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life.
- GenresFictionLiterary Fiction
100 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
About the author
Elizabeth Strout
49 books19k followersElizabeth Strout is the author of several novels, including: Abide with Me, a national bestseller and BookSense pick, and Amy and Isabelle, which won the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and the Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize, and was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize in England. In 2009 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book Olive Kitteridge. Her short stories have been published in a number of magazines, including The New Yorker. She teaches at the Master of Fine Arts program at Queens University of Charlotte.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
July 1, 2020
(4.5 stars) I read the first of these, “Olive Kitterage” a few years ago, my first Elizabeth Strout book and I really enjoyed it. Strout was to become one of my favourite writers as I immediately loved the simple narrative, the sharp eye for detail, the wonderfully diverse cast of characters she created, the very strong sense of place and what it means to live in fairly tight-knit communities, a trade mark of many of her books. I was very pleased to see there was a follow-up, revisiting Olive in her latter years.
The books read as stand alone stories but each story is connected to the others in the book, a format that I really like. There is the continuity of a novel but each story has an intensity and structure that makes it satisfying in and of itself. I loved seeing a character from one story pop up for a cameo appearance in another, and it felt very much like you were part of this small Maine town, bumping into these characters on the street.
I loved the voice of Olive, a no-nonsense retired schoolteacher, big and loud with strong and very decisive opinions, yet with a warm heart behind it all. I think this collection presents an overall more sympathetic view of Olive, growing more vulnerable in her old age and having to adapt to changes that make her question beliefs and habits of a lifetime.
The stories range from Olive delivering a baby in the backseat of her car to recounting her son, daughter-in-law and their children paying her a long overdue visit as they learn about her upcoming marriage to Jack, who we remember from the first book. Many of the stories have other characters as protagonists, for example “Dominatrix”, but all stories reference Olive in some way, which is clever and enriching as hers is a voice worth referencing!
All stories have a lot of heart, but also humour, there is sadness and beauty in equal measure, there is aliveness and spark with Olive’s indomitable spirit and occasions in plenty that question the absurdity of modern life. Mortality importantly is a strong theme running through the novel as Olive gets progressively older, but as is the case with many older people, even death and mortality comes to be seen as just a fact of life, and there is no sense of heaviness about it.
I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend Strout’s writing and storytelling as increasingly strong and engaging with each new book.
The books read as stand alone stories but each story is connected to the others in the book, a format that I really like. There is the continuity of a novel but each story has an intensity and structure that makes it satisfying in and of itself. I loved seeing a character from one story pop up for a cameo appearance in another, and it felt very much like you were part of this small Maine town, bumping into these characters on the street.
I loved the voice of Olive, a no-nonsense retired schoolteacher, big and loud with strong and very decisive opinions, yet with a warm heart behind it all. I think this collection presents an overall more sympathetic view of Olive, growing more vulnerable in her old age and having to adapt to changes that make her question beliefs and habits of a lifetime.
The stories range from Olive delivering a baby in the backseat of her car to recounting her son, daughter-in-law and their children paying her a long overdue visit as they learn about her upcoming marriage to Jack, who we remember from the first book. Many of the stories have other characters as protagonists, for example “Dominatrix”, but all stories reference Olive in some way, which is clever and enriching as hers is a voice worth referencing!
All stories have a lot of heart, but also humour, there is sadness and beauty in equal measure, there is aliveness and spark with Olive’s indomitable spirit and occasions in plenty that question the absurdity of modern life. Mortality importantly is a strong theme running through the novel as Olive gets progressively older, but as is the case with many older people, even death and mortality comes to be seen as just a fact of life, and there is no sense of heaviness about it.
I really enjoyed this book and strongly recommend Strout’s writing and storytelling as increasingly strong and engaging with each new book.
July 27, 2024
Dnf at page 40.
Two books in one, ”Olive Kitteridge”, and “Olive again”, we have Henry Kitteridge who is a pharmacist and Olive’s husband. Denise works with Henry and as her husband dies, she had to learn to live alone for the first time, and that’s where I stopped reading 🙇♀️
Unfortunately, not a book for me. I could not connect with any of the characters and I did not want to continue reading on. This was another book I borrow from my bf’s mother, and it was my second book by Strout. As mentioned, not a book for me. I may continue reading about Lucy Barton though. We’ll have to see. Not rushing it lol 🤷♀️
Happy reading!♥️
Two books in one, ”Olive Kitteridge”, and “Olive again”, we have Henry Kitteridge who is a pharmacist and Olive’s husband. Denise works with Henry and as her husband dies, she had to learn to live alone for the first time, and that’s where I stopped reading 🙇♀️
Unfortunately, not a book for me. I could not connect with any of the characters and I did not want to continue reading on. This was another book I borrow from my bf’s mother, and it was my second book by Strout. As mentioned, not a book for me. I may continue reading about Lucy Barton though. We’ll have to see. Not rushing it lol 🤷♀️
Happy reading!♥️
September 27, 2024
Ik heb genoten van dit boek. Bijzonder hoe Strout in ogenschijnlijk simpele taal al die mensen, hun relaties, hun kleine en soms grote gedoe in het stadje Crosby ( Maine) beschrijft. Scherp, soms geestig, soms ontroerend. En steeds weer Olive Kitteridge, met wie je je steeds meer verbonden gaat voelen, hoewel ze soms ook erg irritant is, maar tegelijk ook heel open en eerlijk. Het gaat ook over ouder worden en dat wordt mooi beschreven, maar is tegelijk ook confronterend.
October 25, 2025
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Very good, 8 out of 10
Olive Kitteridge is the name of an HBO series that I have seen a few weeks ago and which served as an anchor.
When I looked over the list of Pulitzer Prize winners, the familiarity of the name made me stop and decide to read it.
If I do not apply it wrongly here, this is an effect studied by psychologists, which makes us inclined towards familiar names.
The novel is very good and it has plenty of readers that have rated it on goodreads- over 70,000, which may mean that in fact millions of people have been enjoying it, without writing a review or posting about it.
The heroine is very interesting and complex, albeit neighbors and even friends are not always crazy about her.
Olive can be obnoxious and even Christian; her son is not close to her for quite a long time, perhaps never that fond of her.
Henry is the husband that in many ways I preferred and somehow consider to have been a more likeable hero of the novel.
On the other hand, he is there in one of the lead roles, and serves as something of an opposition to his wife.
They have a humorous conflict in the strangest and most dangerous of circumstances, as they are the victims of a hold up.
There is an attack which takes place in the most unusual place, in a hospital where Olive stopped because she had to go to the bathroom.
As I am forced to think back at the story, since I have decided to write about it, I realize that I am not sure if I like Olive.
Yes, she has nice qualities and her suffering cannot but wake up, empathy and compassion, even in a senseless reader like this one.
Her estranged son is one important reason to feel sorry for a woman that, although harsh at times, dedicated a major part of her life to her son.
I acted in much the same way as Christian towards my own mother, after she made me spend lots of money renovating her apartment, only to kick me out and force me to take my wife and daughter to a remote location.
That did not help create a close, warm relationship, but then she did care for me as a child and I should have passed over mistakes and chagrins.
Olive Kitteridge says about herself that she is a peasant, with simple, strong wishes and opinions, including in politics.
She hates not just George Bush, but all republicans and those that have voted for the moron who “lied to the nation”.
It is funny that she can be so angry about this, but this another occasion when I identified with a character- this time in aversion to some political character- in my case I felt anybody who likes Basescu must be stupid or crazy.
Olive Kitteridge can be surprisingly open on other issues, such as homosexuality where she is rather favorable, but since she is a Democrat that only makes sense in a way.
There are some passages where she expresses desire for another man’s body and then it feels awkward, but I will be 72 – Insha’Allah- and must see how I feel then.
The miscommunication with the first daughter-in-law can be funny, albeit very tense and even hateful.
The second wife of her son is friendlier and more agreeable, but her habits are downright dangerous and seem implausible in today’s America.
This was a very good read, even if not in my top 30, maybe not even 80.
Very good, 8 out of 10
Olive Kitteridge is the name of an HBO series that I have seen a few weeks ago and which served as an anchor.
When I looked over the list of Pulitzer Prize winners, the familiarity of the name made me stop and decide to read it.
If I do not apply it wrongly here, this is an effect studied by psychologists, which makes us inclined towards familiar names.
The novel is very good and it has plenty of readers that have rated it on goodreads- over 70,000, which may mean that in fact millions of people have been enjoying it, without writing a review or posting about it.
The heroine is very interesting and complex, albeit neighbors and even friends are not always crazy about her.
Olive can be obnoxious and even Christian; her son is not close to her for quite a long time, perhaps never that fond of her.
Henry is the husband that in many ways I preferred and somehow consider to have been a more likeable hero of the novel.
On the other hand, he is there in one of the lead roles, and serves as something of an opposition to his wife.
They have a humorous conflict in the strangest and most dangerous of circumstances, as they are the victims of a hold up.
There is an attack which takes place in the most unusual place, in a hospital where Olive stopped because she had to go to the bathroom.
As I am forced to think back at the story, since I have decided to write about it, I realize that I am not sure if I like Olive.
Yes, she has nice qualities and her suffering cannot but wake up, empathy and compassion, even in a senseless reader like this one.
Her estranged son is one important reason to feel sorry for a woman that, although harsh at times, dedicated a major part of her life to her son.
I acted in much the same way as Christian towards my own mother, after she made me spend lots of money renovating her apartment, only to kick me out and force me to take my wife and daughter to a remote location.
That did not help create a close, warm relationship, but then she did care for me as a child and I should have passed over mistakes and chagrins.
Olive Kitteridge says about herself that she is a peasant, with simple, strong wishes and opinions, including in politics.
She hates not just George Bush, but all republicans and those that have voted for the moron who “lied to the nation”.
It is funny that she can be so angry about this, but this another occasion when I identified with a character- this time in aversion to some political character- in my case I felt anybody who likes Basescu must be stupid or crazy.
Olive Kitteridge can be surprisingly open on other issues, such as homosexuality where she is rather favorable, but since she is a Democrat that only makes sense in a way.
There are some passages where she expresses desire for another man’s body and then it feels awkward, but I will be 72 – Insha’Allah- and must see how I feel then.
The miscommunication with the first daughter-in-law can be funny, albeit very tense and even hateful.
The second wife of her son is friendlier and more agreeable, but her habits are downright dangerous and seem implausible in today’s America.
This was a very good read, even if not in my top 30, maybe not even 80.
September 3, 2021
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout is her second book of the Olive Kitteridge story. If you liked Strout's first book I think you will love her second.
Olive, Again covers Olive into the second half of her life. She marries, her relationship with her son matures, and she confronts health challenges. In case anyone is wondering, the book does end on a pleasant note.
Strout does follow a similar format. Each chapter is a short story unto itself. In some cases, Olive is hardly mentioned. Yet the stories blend and to me tie neatly in the end.
Olive, Again is a book of 289 pages. I highly recommend it. If this is your first try, I suggest you read Olive Kitteridge first.
Olive, Again covers Olive into the second half of her life. She marries, her relationship with her son matures, and she confronts health challenges. In case anyone is wondering, the book does end on a pleasant note.
Strout does follow a similar format. Each chapter is a short story unto itself. In some cases, Olive is hardly mentioned. Yet the stories blend and to me tie neatly in the end.
Olive, Again is a book of 289 pages. I highly recommend it. If this is your first try, I suggest you read Olive Kitteridge first.
November 5, 2021
One of the best books I've read recently! Not all readers may relate to Olive as strongly as I do, since I, like Olive, am struggling with becoming elderly, but I would think most readers who enjoy insightful fiction will appreciate the psychological depths that Strout explores in this story of folks in a small Maine town which stands in very well for the present-day USA.
February 7, 2025
I liked this book as much as I remember liking Olive, Again. It was a bit strange to read it after reading "The Bell Jar," because it seems to be both books are a lot about loneliness. Olive Kitteridge is perhaps a bit more hopeful. And it's a good look at lives in a small town, the demons people live with, the intrigue, and family relationships.
November 1, 2021
I'm a fan of small town New England stories, so this was a win for me.
September 2, 2023
4.5 stars Another great read about Olive as she adjusts to life without Henry and begins a friendship with Jack Kennison. Jack was a character in the first book.).
Olive has to come to terms with the fact that she is growing older and has to continue to deal with the many changes in her own life as well as those of her community and the world. (No shock that Olive is not a fan of President Trump!) Regarding relationships, Olive married Jack which, of course, required adjustments by both; there were more rocky times with Olive’s son and family which saddened Olive; andfriends were aging and facing health challenges. Like all seniors, Olive had to deal with loneliness and loss and physical frailty. Throughout it all, Olive maintained her honesty and realism as she faced so many changes that made her look at things differently and question beliefs and habits she had held throughout her life. VI wish that a few pages would have been devoted to Jack’s passing and how Olive handled that. I felt Jack deserved that!!
Olive has to come to terms with the fact that she is growing older and has to continue to deal with the many changes in her own life as well as those of her community and the world. (No shock that Olive is not a fan of President Trump!) Regarding relationships, Olive married Jack which, of course, required adjustments by both; there were more rocky times with Olive’s son and family which saddened Olive; andfriends were aging and facing health challenges. Like all seniors, Olive had to deal with loneliness and loss and physical frailty. Throughout it all, Olive maintained her honesty and realism as she faced so many changes that made her look at things differently and question beliefs and habits she had held throughout her life. VI wish that a few pages would have been devoted to Jack’s passing and how Olive handled that. I felt Jack deserved that!!
November 6, 2024
What a master class in characterisation. Olive, again - a marmite person, loathed by some for her bluntness, appreciated by others for her kindness and her ability to listen.
You have the feeling Elizabeth Strout enjoys the characters she writes a lot; she has a great deal of fun with these stories - and a lovely way of highlighting the absurdity of human life. There's tragedy too: loss, doubt, impatience, fear, confusion and moments of understanding and kindness. Olive has it all.
Some may find the loss of dignity in old age depressing in the final chapters - but she writes this so well (I think of my own mother). It is the brutal truth of life. And today, on the 6th November when the world is one beyond my comprehension (with the American election outcome), the penultimate chapter really spoke to me.
You have the feeling Elizabeth Strout enjoys the characters she writes a lot; she has a great deal of fun with these stories - and a lovely way of highlighting the absurdity of human life. There's tragedy too: loss, doubt, impatience, fear, confusion and moments of understanding and kindness. Olive has it all.
Some may find the loss of dignity in old age depressing in the final chapters - but she writes this so well (I think of my own mother). It is the brutal truth of life. And today, on the 6th November when the world is one beyond my comprehension (with the American election outcome), the penultimate chapter really spoke to me.
February 6, 2024
Olivea voi joko vihata tai hänestä voi pitää kerrottiin esittelytekstissä. Pidin, tykkäsin! Miksi en olisi pitänyt? Olive on tarkkanäköinen ja tulee auttaneeksi ihan ohimennen monia kylän asukkaita omalla tarkkanäköisyydellä olematta kyttäävä juoruakka. Toki Olive möläyttää asioita, mutta minusta se oli piristävää.
Kirjassa on monta eri tarinaa, jotka jotenkin liittyvät Oliveen. Tarinat olivat mielenkiintoisia, mutta pinnallisia ehkä siksi, että niitä oli ympätty niin paljon ja löyhää yhteyttä Oliveen piti rakentaa? Minusta se teki kirjasta hieman sekavan. Kokonaisuus siis kärsi, kun Oliven elämää olisin mieluusti seurannut enemmän. Lisäksi en oikein ymmärtänyt Oliven ja Henryn poikaa, mistä se kaikki katkeruus kumpusi? Eihän Olive niin paha ollut?
Kirjassa on monta eri tarinaa, jotka jotenkin liittyvät Oliveen. Tarinat olivat mielenkiintoisia, mutta pinnallisia ehkä siksi, että niitä oli ympätty niin paljon ja löyhää yhteyttä Oliveen piti rakentaa? Minusta se teki kirjasta hieman sekavan. Kokonaisuus siis kärsi, kun Oliven elämää olisin mieluusti seurannut enemmän. Lisäksi en oikein ymmärtänyt Oliven ja Henryn poikaa, mistä se kaikki katkeruus kumpusi? Eihän Olive niin paha ollut?
September 4, 2025
Elizabeth Strout is praised about her abilities to take the reader into apparently familiar wordls and provide us with an intimacy that connects us immediately with the characters within those worlds.
Olive... dear Olive... is such a character and I was so delighted to delve more into her life, friends , and acquaintances. The author does this by providing these vignettes of sorts. We readers "are illuminated by both what the characters understand about others and what they come to understand about themselves."
Within this novel, Olive manages a second marriage, confronts fer aways fraught relationship with her son and his ever increasing family, all the while, crossing paths with those intimates stories within the seaside town of Crosby, Maine.
Olive. What's there NOT to love?
Olive... dear Olive... is such a character and I was so delighted to delve more into her life, friends , and acquaintances. The author does this by providing these vignettes of sorts. We readers "are illuminated by both what the characters understand about others and what they come to understand about themselves."
Within this novel, Olive manages a second marriage, confronts fer aways fraught relationship with her son and his ever increasing family, all the while, crossing paths with those intimates stories within the seaside town of Crosby, Maine.
Olive. What's there NOT to love?
October 27, 2025
Having really enjoyed the first Olive Kitteridge book by Elizabeth Strout, I had to read the second one. Set, like the first, in a small community in Maine, this amusing novel focuses on Olive's interactions with various citizens of the town of Crosby. A retired schoolteacher, Olive has been the teacher for nearly everyone in town. Each chapter focuses on a moment in time for a different person or family that has known Olive at some past time; something happens that now brings her to mind and back into their lives. Olive is a unique woman, unforgettable to say the least, and in her retirement years, she tries to make sense of her own life and those around her. Highly recommend this book!
February 5, 2021
For some reason, I could not select the kindle version of Olive Again, which is what I just finished reading. I read Olive Kitteridge some years ago. I really liked this sequel for the author's ability to enter her characters and in doing so, help the reader toward self-understanding. This is a sad and wise book about the loneliness and pain we all carry and the blindness we have about our own actions. At the same, it's hopeful in showing how characters move toward growth and getting what they need.
December 20, 2021
I bought this to read as I so loved Olive. She is a lady who is a survivor in this world, and one who does a considerable amount of reflection in her last years. I couod see myself in her, my friends in her and my relatives too. She had compassion and basically she believed in her son , probably rather too much. Both her husbands saw her for who she was and loved her. I like the style of Elizabeth Strout, she almost gives stage whispers as she writes which bring her characters and scenes alive.
August 16, 2026
So many times while reading this book, I felt emotional and teared up, at times, for pages and I didn’t feel that my emotions were being manipulated. What a remarkable author Elizabeth Strout is! It’s difficult to explain how she works her magic. I couldn’t help feeling, while and after reading this and Olive Kitteridge, that Strout is a very observant and mature person, very wise. Wiser than most of us and with the talent to share that wisdom about what we know and what we don’t while navigating our lives.
December 10, 2021
I am unsure how I feel about this book. You are introduced to Olive and what is going on in her life. There are lots of other characters in this story you are introduced to, some connect with Olive and some don't. I guess it's a snap shot into other people's lives. I enjoyed some parts of this story but mainly I am unsure of how I feel, maybe a little sad. Old age is at times hard. Perhaps if I had read this first I may have enjoyed the story more.
December 30, 2020
Olive is old, and reflective. All she knows now is that she, like the Buddha taught, knows nothing. It is amazing to me that a person, Elizabeth Strout, can write a life about a complicated woman and every sentence has life. Not a big word or fancy line is used, yet all make the reader stop and remember or think, 'that was me, is that me, oh, poor mom, yes, you suffered that.' The majority of readers will reflect on this story for a long time.
January 11, 2021
En berättelse med en huvudperson som vi sällan hör i egen person, utan oftast ser genom andras ögon. En novellsamling om en liten stad och om en människa samtidigt. Fruktansvärt skickligt gjort! Möjligen en klassiker.
May 2, 2022
Not an easy read as Olive is a very complex and sometime just plain odd. I wondered several times why I was reading it but continued to the end. It does make you think introspectively - as did Olive Kitteridge.
March 10, 2025
Weer een heel goed boek over de nu oude Olive Kitteridge. Ze vindt een 2e man en leeft daar nog 7 jaar mee. Tussendoor worden er andere personages uit het dorp beschreven, waarin Olive soms heel terloops wordt genoemd. Een bijzonder empatisch schrijver!
August 23, 2025
The human experience through all these observations big and small about marriage, relationship, family, being yourself, motives in relationships, lying to yourself, etc. I love Elizabeth Strout for it.
February 9, 2020
A great insight into family and community life. Really enjoyed it and was sad when Iain was finished it.
February 23, 2020
I loved these 2 books. An absolute rare find. Each chapter drew me in. New families , new dramas in the lives of each. Wonderfully descriptive. And Olive
November 30, 2020
This author is off my list. I read fiction for enjoyment. I do not enjoy an author pushing their ignorant leftist views on me. I’m done with this author!
February 5, 2021
Credible, articulate presentation of a complex character who realises it is easiest to keep it kind and simple.
March 11, 2021
Unexpected plots, but okay for light reading.
July 18, 2021
Beautiful. Clever premise, great characters and setting. Very moving about old age and all of life really.
August 22, 2021
I enjoyed the character of Olive once again. Her reflections on her own aging were intriguing. I preferred the 1st Olive but glad I got to meet her again.
August 23, 2021
marvellous
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews