How depressing. Every story was depressing. I read a bit more than half and it never improved. What a disappointment. Thank you NetGalley for an advance. Ooh in exchange for an honest review

OLIVE AGAIN
By Elizabeth Strout


I am certain I am in the minority, but I just got board with the multiple characters.
Jack was perhaps my favorite character in this book as well as the first one.
I received an ARC for Netgalley in return for a fair review.

Bittersweet, that’s Olive, Again. A stern Ay yuh woman from Maine going through life tough as nails, but not really. I cried a lot reading this. Elizabeth Stout has written a book that could be about anyone’s mother, grandmother, sister, or aunt. Life. It’s a quick read and well worth it. I loved the book. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House books for the perusal.

How many phases does one go through in life? We enter as a baby, then grow into the formative years of childhood, the testing grounds of adolescence and teen years; emerging, if we’re fortunate, to young adulthood. Here paths divert, women in Olive’s day, I’m guessing she was born around 1936-37, so she became a young adult (21) around 1958, during our country’s prosperous, post-war years. Her family was far from wealthy, but since she became a teacher, she must have had some college. As with many women of her generation, she married and had one child. As our book opens Olive is now in her seventies, a widow; a grandmother of one biological grandson, plus three step-grandchildren. She’s still living in Maine in the simple house where she raised her son. She hasn’t spoken to her son, who lives in NYC with his with and children, for at least three years. She’s not exactly sure why.

Olive is honest, sometimes brutally so; with the best intentions. She just doesn’t understand why people don’t want her advice, since she means well. She has no time or reason to sugar-coat her words to sound nicer, so they’ll be better received. Why bother with such nonsense! Olive really has a good heart, she wants to help, but it’s her approach to people; she just can’t see what she’s doing wrong. That’s really the whole problem in a nutshell.

In this last phase of her life, what should we call it: the winter of her life? Olive would hate that; she’d say, ‘just call it what it is, the final phase.’ In this phase, Olive meets Jack Kennison, a former Professor and bad boy of academia, who admires her bluntness.

“People either didn’t know how they felt about something or they chose never to say how they really felt about something. And this is why he missed Olive Kitteridge. Now Jack allowed his mind to go to Olive Kitteridge. Tall, big; God, she was a strange woman. He had liked her quite a bit, she had an honesty— was it an honesty? — she had something about her. A widow, she had— it felt to him—practically saved his life.”
Jack’s wife had died from cancer a few years ago and he felt guilty and thought it should be him that died. Jack felt this way because he cheated on her. He spoke out load to her spirit I guess, “Just so you know, I know I’m a shit.”

Somehow Jack and Olive became a couple to keep each other company; then they married.

Olive is frustrated with her son’s unwillingness to understand his mother’s situation; which is not unusual.
“What's she supposed to do, be a museum piece in a museum home so it could sit there in case he wants to visit?! So she'll be there, and the house we'll be there, and he'll have his childhood memories to come back to ready and waiting?! He doesn't even think that she might be lonely, and would like or need another's human's touch or love or even companionship. Never, not a thought that his mother could be a viable person who wants to move on.”

You’re right Olive, it’s difficult for our children to see us as people, we’re parents.

Strout writes knowingly; you just feel it within you; listen to how she describes the young woman, Cindy, who is suffering from cancer:

“Cindy had worked as a librarian at the local library. She loved books, oh, did she love books. She loved the feel of them, and the smell of them, and she had loved the semi-quiet of the library, as well as the old people who came sometimes for the whole morning, just to have a place to go.”
“But as a child she had liked poetry; her third-grade teacher had given her a copy of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s’ Poems Selected for Young People. This was partly because her teacher had told her that Edna St. Vincent Millay had grown up in Maine too, only an hour away; and that the poet, as a young girl, had been raised in poverty. The teacher had been kind in how she said that, and it was not until years later that Cindy realized it was to help her, Cindy, with her own circumstances of need.”

Olive is the only person in town who visits Cindy. “But why don’t they come see me?” asks Cindy. “They’re scared,” responds Olive. Olive, speaking the truth and not making excuses.

There are many tales in this book about Olive helping others, all beautiful and sweet. Olive would hate it. I personally, love Olive Kitteridge. I think she’s right, especially as we age, who has time to sugar-coat words, be honest. Of course, careful of not offending anyone or hurting their feelings; a little tact is helpful too.

The best chapter, in my opinion, is “Pedicure.” Jack and Olive have been married for five years at this point and have grown somewhat comfortable with each other. Jack is 79, and Olive 78. I won’t give anything away, but you must read it. Ms. Strout explains so much about ageing in this chapter.

Olive lives a good long life, I so much want to write here what she’s thinking about as she gazes out her window, but I cannot. You must read that for yourself. You must.

Thank you Netgalley, Random House, and Elizabeth Strout

from Beth's Book-Nook Blog:

I adore the cranky and wonderful Olive Kitteridge; and I truly enjoyed the first novel about Olive and how wonderfully written it was. This one (out Nov. 5) continues Olive’s story, basically for the rest of her life. It is so well-written that it makes the story of her life beautiful. Elizabeth Strout has an amazing way of making the ordinary extraordinary.

Thank you so much for this follow-up book. I hadn’t realized until I finished it that I needed more Olive in my life!

If you loved the first one then Olive Again is a must read!

How exciting that Olive Kitteridge of the Pulitzer Prize winning book by the same name has returned. Olive, the retired irascible junior high math teacher in the small town of Cosby, Maine, can hardly help running into people she knows, each with a history and a struggle. She frequently understands what her neighbors should do while questioning her own feelings and actions.

Elizabeth Strout takes the common connections Olive makes in life and moves them on to the heart of the other character’s problem. For instance, Olive finds an unsteady Cindy Coombs looking for milk, a loaf of bread, and two cans of soup in the supermarket. Sensing the need of her former student, Olive helps her get the groceries to the car and begins a series of visits where she listens to Cindy deal with her cancer diagnosis.

The approach to death comes up in this chapter, foreshadowing a theme for others to come. Cindy who knows death is a possibility is comforted by Olive’s words “. . . if you do die, the truth is – we’re all just a few steps behind you. Twenty minutes behind you, and that’s the truth.”

Olive’s personal relationships come into question as she remarries, tries to navigate relationships with a grown son and stepdaughter, and faces growing old. Making her acquaintance again felt like revisiting an old friend with a bur-like exterior covering a mellow inside.

Often, the question with a sequel is whether it makes sense without the first book. Because of her unique writing style in both books of a dozen or so “linked tales” with Olive making appearances in each with an overall strand running through that ties them together, each can be read as a standalone. Still, if you asked me if I would read them both in order, I would answer with Olive’s word, “Ay-yuh.”

This is book 2 in the Olive Kitteridge series and I think I'd recommend reading book 1, Olive Kitteridge first. That way you are introduced to the characters and understand some of the town dynamics. Crosby, Maine hasn't changed much except for people getting older. Olive is larger than life in some of the interactions and a minor character when the story needs her to be. She is a great character and I hope we see her again. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hells Bells and Godfrey! Olive is Back! Elizabeth Strout has produced another novel full of quirky characters and aging narrators and I don't know how she can create a whole town full of characters full of back stories and trauma and personality! This book takes us back to Crosby, Maine, where Olive is now a widow...and is on the heels of marrying again. I know! Who would have thought grumpy ol' Olive would find love again! She is still somewhat estranged from her son and is trying to navigate the world in this new normal without Henry.

I enjoyed the book and this Pulitzer Prize winning author has brought us Olive back, but this time in her golden years and maybe final years as she watches loved ones pass over the bridge. I enjoyed this collection of stories, all about Crosby, Maine and its citizens, but preferred the stories where Olive was the focus. If you have previously read Amy and Isabelle or The Burgess Boys, you'll find some of these characters making an appearance in the stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This anticipated follow up features the now iconic Olive Kitteridge in a more reflective state in her life. It has been two years since her husband, Henry, died and Olive has started a new relationship with Jack Kennison, a widower. Strout uses this relationship status as a vehicle for Olive's observations on her life, and how her actions have caused stress in many of the most important connections in her life.

Strout is simply a gift. Her writing is breathtaking, gorgeous, and heartbreaking. Revisiting Crosby, Maine, Strout once again draws on the small-town characters and their connections to Olive. Her works speak to the reader with her signature style of subtle nuances juxtaposed against the not-so-subtle, Olive. This book is a character study that is a feast for the reader.

Admittedly I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as Olive Kitteridge, but it was lovely to revisit the brutally honest and discontented, yet empathetic, Olive.

My first time reading a book By Elizabeth Strout and let me tell you, she is an amazing author who understands what it is to be human. This book is boldly written, observing how life is a big struggle for almost all of us.
Very powerful, emotional, truthful, and brave.
I have never read a author like her before, her boldness, her honesty, and how she writes from the heart.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book, while giving my honest review

This is a book that has stayed with me after finishing. To read about Olive and her struggles with aging and her complete honesty with how difficult it is was comforting for me. My mother is in her 70s now and has not experienced any major health issues, like Olive but my dad has passed and reading this book makes me wish more than ever that I could talk to him again.

If you have not read "Olive Kitteridge," you can still completely understand and enter into Olive's world. Clearly Elizabeth Strout is at the top of her game to create the memorable images contained in this collection of connected short stories.

Keeping up with all the characters became a bit different in digital format, but I loved every single word of this universally human and delightful book. The aspects left unsaid make it even better. Strout's integrity as a writer and a human being shines through her prose. I will be rereading this one!

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Readers are transported back into Olive Kitteridge's world. Time has passed since the first book. Strout captures the human spirit with her brutally honest character. Each chapter is a short story about people in their town - Crosby, Maine. The common denominator is Olive. Though she may not be directly involved in each chapter, she is the thread that connects the vignettes.
Olive is direct and speaks her thoughts in all settings. In this book, she's coming to terms with how that has affected her relationships with family - both husbands and her son. She also grapples with death and accepting she is nearing this point in her life journey.
Stroud's writing style captures the gamut of emotions for each of her characters. She brings the reader in as though they are sitting in the scene too.

A perfect sequel to Olive Kitteridge. I missed her. This was just as good as the first. I am a fan now of Elizabeth Strout and can not wait to read her backlist titles.

Who has not known someone like Olive...straight speaking with little or no filter for appropriate interaction with others? Olive reminds me of Sheldon on Big Bang Theory with her intelligence and cluelessness. The author does a great job going beneath Olive's exterior and showing the internal conflict that many of us have. As best I can remember, even the "feel" of this novel is true to the first book of Olive. Great follow-up story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to read and review.

My Thoughts: Back in 2008 I tried to read Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, but ended up quitting on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Since then, I read and enjoyed My Name Is Lucy Barton (my review) and its follow up Anything Is Possible (my review). I had hoped that her later two books were a sign that my tastes had changed enough that I would enjoy Olive, Again. Sadly, I didn’t. I finished this one, but found Olive to be just too dour to love and the quirky characters living in her community also held little interest for me. With few exceptions, the characters and their stories were just too depressing and the book certainly does nothing to make me ever want to visit Maine. Even Strout’s wonderfully sparse writing style could not save Olive, Again for me.

In a recent interview Elizabeth Strout indicated that she didn’t intend to write another book about Olive Kitteridge until Olive just appeared to her while she was on vacation in Europe. And for all of Strout’s and Olive’s fans, it’s a wonderful gift that she did reappear. “Olive, Again” follows Olive’s life immediately after the events in “Olive Kitteridge” and is written in the same manner - linked short stories. Olive is still irascible, cantankerous, and wry, but she is also gaining a little more awareness of who she really is. Strout touches the reader’s heart and soul with her immense skill at portraying ordinary people in-depth, and with compassion and understanding. It’s not necessary to read Olive Kitteridge first but I did, just so I could follow the evolution of the characters and the ways they and their lives have changed. Oh Godfrey, this book is an absolute gem and one not to be missed.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 10/23/19.

Hell’s bells, Olive is back and just as lovable as ever. Through Olive and other characters in her acquaintance, Elizabeth Strout takes the reader on a journey through everyday life with all its complications. Between Strout’s beautiful style of writing and Olive’s forthright attitude, I enjoyed this follow up just as much as the original.

Olive again is who she is and still not afraid to say it like it is, however she mellower, a little less difficult and ornery here in this story. I cried less in this one and loved her even more as we can see her grow and come to terms with ageing and her truths.

Elizabeth Strout doesn't miss a beat here and picks up after Olive Kitteridge and she explores loneliness through ageing and regrets. She takes that hope of doing better from Olive I felt in the first book and we see Olive reflecting on her life and coming to terms with her relationships.

Elizabeth Strout explores ageing with compassion and humor. I loved seeing Olive's frustration and insecurities about ageing yet not taking it so seriously but gracefully. I hope to do the same.

Olive in both books represents our worst fears for ourselves and gave me hope we can come to terms with our vulnerability as we age and grow as a person. Even though Olive can be infuriating in both books, her acceptance, reflections of her truth, along with her willingness to see them and do better is admirable. It's refreshing to see in a world where we put our truths on others instead of accepting them as our own.