Olive Kitteridge falls into a category of books that's critically acclaimed, but also really popular and bestselling. I'm not sure why, but these are books that I tend to pass up. I probably wouldn't have read this one either, except for the fact that it's my book club's latest pick.
This is a series of connected short stories, all set in a small Maine town and all featuring the character of Olive Kitteridge. Sometimes the stories are told from her point of view, and other times she's merely mentioned as a peripheral figure in another character's story. At first I was a little skeptical about this setup, thinking that in some cases, the author just threw some reference to Olive into an otherwise unrelated story to make it fit into this collection. The stories grew on me, though, as I read further into the book. Each one deals with a seemingly ordinary aspect of life, yet is really complex and illuminating about the character of Olive. She's a blunt, no-nonsense woman, and it's interesting to see how her personality evolves, both as she progresses through life in stories that revolve around her, and as we see her perceived by others in the stories that feature other characters.
Despite not being that excited to read this, I think it may be one of my favorite book club picks so far.
This is a series of connected short stories, all set in a small Maine town and all featuring the character of Olive Kitteridge. Sometimes the stories are told from her point of view, and other times she's merely mentioned as a peripheral figure in another character's story. At first I was a little skeptical about this setup, thinking that in some cases, the author just threw some reference to Olive into an otherwise unrelated story to make it fit into this collection. The stories grew on me, though, as I read further into the book. Each one deals with a seemingly ordinary aspect of life, yet is really complex and illuminating about the character of Olive. She's a blunt, no-nonsense woman, and it's interesting to see how her personality evolves, both as she progresses through life in stories that revolve around her, and as we see her perceived by others in the stories that feature other characters.Despite not being that excited to read this, I think it may be one of my favorite book club picks so far.
I also read this book because it was our book clubs monthly choice. I blogged about it at literatireflections.blogspot.com because my group seemed to dislike it very much and I was a bit offended!I am so glad to find a person who liked it and I hope you had compassion and appreciation for Olive.
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