Reviews
"In the first chapter of Elizabeth Strout's Olive, Again . . . the man who will become Olive's second husband writes, 'Dear Olive Kitteridge, I have missed you and if you would see fit to call me or email me or see me, I would like that very much.' Jack Kennison might be speaking for fans of Strout's Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge, which inspired an Emmy-winning HBO mini-series and now this sequel. However, like its iconic heroine, this book is capable of standing alone. . . . [Olive] is as indelible as the ink on Jack Kennison's paper. If you know Olive, you know how she would respond to the hoopla: with an eye roll and an 'Oh Godfrey.' It's good to have her back." --Elisabeth Egan, The New York Times Book Review "Strout dwells with uncanny immediacy inside the minds and hearts of a dazzling range of ages: the young (with their confusion, wonder, awakening sexuality), the middle-aged (envy, striving, compromise), the old (failing bodies, societal shunning, late revelations). . . . I have long and deeply admired all of Strout's work, but Olive, Again transcends and triumphs. The naked pain, dignity, wit and courage these stories consistently embody fill us with a steady, wrought comfort." -- The Washington Post "In thirteen poignant interconnected stories, Strout follows the cantankerous, truth-telling Mainer as she ages, experiencing a joyful second marriage and the evolution of her difficult relationship with her son. In her blunt yet compassionate way, Olive grapples with loneliness, infidelity, mortality and the question of whether we can ever really know someone--ourselves included." -- People (Book of the Week) "A magnificent achievement on its own terms . . . We see Olive acquiring a view of herself, and coming to recognize as valuable the other people who grant that vision. In the process, she shares in the alchemy that she continues to perform for us and elicits our unexpected, abiding love." -- The Boston Globe "Strout has created one of those rare characters . . . so vivid and humorous that they seem to take on a life independent of the story framing them." -- The Guardian "The lovable, irascible Olive Kitteridge is back. . . . In this novel--set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Maine, ravaged by opioid addiction and economic neglect--Strout wields great pathos out of life and all its attendant tragedies." -- BuzzFeed "Strout aims the spotlight on her wry heroine and the characters of Crosby, Maine, in another book that's sure to have you flipping pages long into the night." -- Bustle " Olive, Again returns to Olive and the town of Crosby to do what Strout does best: find meaning in the tiniest and most mundane details of everyday life." -- Vox "Strout has said that she doesn't know why readers like Olive so much, except that she is complicated, like all of us. But I think we all have had an Olive in our lives whom we never got to know. Mine was a teacher named Gertrude. It is Strout's genius to reveal them to us in all their idiosyncratic glory. Olive, again? Oh yes, I do think so." --Ann Treneman, The Times (UK), "Return to the wonderful world of Strout's unforgettable Pulizer Prize-winning novel, Olive Kitteridge , with Olive, Again . Strout weaves together the stories of the different characters populating Crosby, Maine, in her inimitable voice, all tied together by Olive. . . . Lose yourself in the world of Olive, Again . You'll be so glad you did." -- PopSugar "The lovable, irascible Olive Kitteridge is back in this sequel to the charming (but also casually devastating) 2008 novel that won a Pulitzer Prize and spawned an HBO miniseries. Strout sticks to her winning formula: interrelated short stories linked by the presence of familiar faces. . . . In this novel--set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing Maine, ravaged by opioid addiction and economic neglect--Strout wields great pathos out of life and all its attendant tragedies." -- BuzzFeed "Maybe you read the wonderful Olive Kitteridge --or saw the HBO series--and thought you'd had enough of Strout's dour, prickly heroine? Guess again: Her return is a stunner." -- People "Fans of Olive Kitteridge will devour Strout's sequel." -- New York "After a No. 1 spot on the bestseller list, the Pulitzer Prize and a TV miniseries starring Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge is surely the most beloved unlikable character in recent literary history. . . . This new collection of stories about Olive's friends and family hits it out of the park." -- Newsday "Strout aims the spotlight on her wry heroine and the characters of Crosby, Maine, in another book that's sure to have you flipping pages long into the night." -- Bustle " Olive, Again returns to Olive and the town of Crosby to do what Strout does best: find meaning in the tiniest and most mundane details of everyday life." -- Vox "Olive Kitteridge is back, crustier than ever and just as unapologetic as she was when she first appeared 11 years ago. . . . Caught up in scenes of great hilarity . . . and bewildering grief, Olive may offer blunt honesty that defies societal norms, but her clarity is refreshing and never cruel. . . . Strout, who won the Pulitzer for Olive Kitteridge , wrote that Olive forced her way back into Strout's consciousness long after the author thought she was done with her. Olive demanded Strout write these new stories. Of course Olive did that. It's so . . . Olive. Thank goodness Olive prevailed. Exquisite." -- Library Journal (starred review)
