OLIVE, AGAIN—a masterful collection of short stories structured around the memorable (and lovable) curmudgeon Olive Kitteridge—took my breath away. The ruminations on life, love, aging, family, and most notably death incorporated into each story are powerful and unforgettable. Like OLIVE KITTERIDGE, many stories involve Olive in only a peripheral way, but this didn’t bother me as it did when reading OLIVE KITTERIDGE; maybe the difference was that I already “knew” certain characters from Strout’s first book, but I tend to think Strout’s command of the short story was the real reason behind my interest in all of the characters. Be prepared to experience the full gamut of emotions when reading OLIVE, AGAIN: more than once I found myself tearing up and, by the next story, laughing. Thankfully, this is one of those books that requires readers to slow down a bit and reflect upon not only the stories themselves but their own lived experience. Despite some really tough subjects that are broached in OLIVE, AGAIN—and at times feeling absolutely gutted by what I read—I didn’t want this collection of stories to end, and I sincerely hope there’s more of Olive to come. A huge thank you to the Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a free digital ARC copy of OLIVE, AGAIN in exchange for an honest review.

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout is the sequel to Olive Kitterage. The story begins, where the first book ends, with retired teacher Olive, widowed and in her golden years. Olive says what she thinks and has "lost her filter", if she ever had one to begin with, which makes for a delightful read. Strout does a great job finding the humor in aging. I enjoyed this book even more than the first book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this delightful read in exchange for my honest review.

What a marvelous novel this is! Strout tells her stories of the different characters and Olive is the thread that binds them. Olive is older now. She says what she thinks and is very honest. She may be a role model for me.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In this sequel to Olive Kitteridge, the books picks up where the first one ended and we find Olive in her golden years. Her husband Henry has died. Her son Christopher is living far away from Maine in NYC with his family. Olive is lonely. So she and Frank, a man who also lost his mate after a long marriage, get married. After 8 happy years Frank dies and Olive once again is alone.

The 13 linked stories that make up the book span 10 years. Once again many of the stories are about people in that area of coastal Maine who have some connection to Olive. Several are about Olive and her interaction with her friends and family. Old age has not mellowed her and she is still as outspoken as ever. She experiences challenges like many other rural elderly folks including loneliness, infirmity, loss of independence and serious illness. She also discovers that love is all around her.

I enjoyed this book because it got me thinking about the difficulties that the elderly experience. The author does not set out to scare readers but uses plain language to show us what life is for elderly folks in their final years.

I received this ARC from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed these stories. Olive reminds me of Fredrick Backman's, Ove, character in many ways. The softening of Olive's personality was a very nice development and made me actually like her.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House and Elizabeth Strout for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Strout and Olive Kittredge. And Olive, Again is another outstanding outing by Strout. It’s a series of quiet stories loosely connected by Olive that creep up on the reader leave yout hungry for more. Set in Crosby, Maine Olive moves through the stories from meeting Jack her second husband; becoming a widow for the second time; to her old age, a heart attack which brings her back from death and life in assisted living. And through all the stories Olive shines as a character frustrating, perceptive and caring. And as Jack describes her, she was “so Olive”. And “so Olive” is just fine with this reader.
While we see drugs, loneliness, infidelity, homophobia, dysfunctional families and death in the stories these are offset by beautiful moments of genuine love, caring and compassion. Much like this beautifully written passage.
“There was a kind of horrifying beauty to the world: The oak trees held their leaves, golden and shriveled, and the evergreens stood at attention as though cold, but the other trees were bare and dark-limbed, stretching into the sky with dwindling spikiness, and the roads were bare, and the fields were swept clean-looking, everything sort of ghastly and absolutely gorgeous with the sunlight that fell at an angle, never reaching the top of the sky.” Everything about this book is beautifully written with believable characters. Loved every moment and so sad to say goodby.

This is the long awaited sequel to the Pulitzer Prize winning book, "Olive Kitteridge." It continues with the stories touched on in her other books including the cleverly written "Burgess Boys." The story takes place in Crosby, Maine and gives the reader a comical yet realistic view of small town America. A must read for fans of Elizbeth Strout.

I loved it! I read and loved a few books from Elizabeth Strout and Olive Again was not a disappointment too.
I was not a big fan of short stories, but I started loving them with authors like Elizabeth Strout. My dislike for short stories was because I felt often that short stories were missing something like a good description of characters or a good plot, or something amiss in the story.
This is not the case with Elizabeth Strout novels, and I must say the books I loved the most are this one and Anything is possible. She successfully describes the characters and they are so human! They are often not very lovable, but this make them real not just a character in a book.
In this book you will find again Olive, but also other personages of previous Elizabeth Strout novels, it may be good reading her previous novel I think but it is not necessary!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Elizabeth Strout does it again with amazing prose and amazing characters. In this book we revisit Olive in her old age. I will not give any spoilers regarding what she's up to, but suffice to say in this installment she is more pensive and self-aware as she reflects on her life and relationships. The book is told in a series of vignettes that focus sometimes on Olive and sometimes on others in Crosby and Shirley Falls, Maine. If you are an avid Elizabeth Strout fan, you will also recognize some old friends among the characters, and I enjoyed seeing what they've gotten up to since their books (and also have a yen to go back and reread a few old favorites!). The book ends bittersweet and a little melancholy. Olive Kitteridge is always a rewarding character, and I further enjoyed having Frances McDormand's portrayal in my mind as I read. Unlike some other film recreations, I think she did Olive justice and her portrayal adds to the reading experience. Enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for my review.

I haven't read the first book in this series, but that being said, Elizabeth Strout is such a wonderful story teller that I wasn't lost at all in this book.

I have to read the first one, only because of the fact of how much I loved Olive. She vaguely reminded me of Ove from A Man Called Ove. She seems to say things as it is and its a bit much for some people in her life (I believe she is even referred to as a old bag at one point).

This was a great book of just story telling and telling stories of people. Very refreshing!

Skillful character development shows keen insight into human nature. Strout illustrates how we all influence others’ lives, even if only in small ways..

Written and presented as a collection of short stories and snapshots starring Olive and others in her life and family. My rating should not be read as reflecting poorly on the writing, stories or characters (all of which are good)...but solely on my personal dislike for this type of anthology.

When “Olive Kitteridge” first came out, I wasn’t the first to read it. When I did, it took me a bit to really warm up to it—which I did, eventually—and then even longer to realize what all the fuss was about. It was a collection of simple-seeming stories about what seemed to be real people, thinking and behaving in the ways that all of us do, sometimes, but we mostly hope that no one else knows. So I—like, probably, many readers—more than once had the feeling that someone had been looking over my shoulder: that someone had seen, or found about, something I’d thought of doing, or maybe even done, in private. Disconcerting. Revealing. And so well, so mostly seamlessly, written, that the revelation sneaks up on you, unsuspected. And then remains, resonating, for a long time, after.

“Olive, Again” continues the tradition. There are some old and some new characters. It’d be nice to remember the ones previously introduced, but isn’t necessary—I didn’t always. The stories follow Olive and her neighbors as they continue through time, living their lives, making mistakes, living or outliving regrets. There are episodes that make your heart ache, sometimes in pain, and sometimes in recognition: small glimpses of grace, or mercy.

A fine collection by a very fine writer, snapshots of life in all its common, complex, confusing conditions. We are all doing the best we can. This author’s best is very good, indeed.

I definitely enjoyed this novel. I didn't read the book before as I didn't know it was a sequel. However, I was still able to enjoy the characters and the story. Now, I want to go buy part 1!

Thank you for the eARC of this sequel of Olive Kitteridge, with this ongoing view into the lives of Olive and company. This was like revisiting old friends, even when that brings challenges anew. I love this sequel and Strout is as wonderful a writer as ever. This makes me want to reread the original.
Highly recommend!

#OliveAgain #NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroupPandomHouse #RandomHouse

Just a magnificent book. Olive got older in exactly the way we all would expect her too. Cantankerous yet wonderful. And Strout's writing is just beautiful. All of the secondary characters are fleshed out magnificently. Perhaps another Pulitzer here?

What a wonderful book. I'm surprised to find out the title of Olive, Again is due to an earlier book by Ms Strout called Olive Kitteridge. Now, I want to read her first book. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story development is unique and once I was two chapters in I wanted to keep reading. I recommend this book to anyone who likes good writing. It was a pleasure to read.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Elizabeth Strout and Random House through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are completely my own.
#Olive,Again #NetGalley

Olive has not changed much since I last spent time in her company, she is still the same opinionated, domineering, judgmental, interfering and needy woman, but time has passed. Time without her husband, Henry, whose quiet, gentle ways and willingness to see the good in people no longer softened the bitterness in their home since his passing, but it is also only in his death that she seems to begin to recognize the value of his ways in her life.

As in Olive Kitteridge, the characters that populate these intermingled stories don’t lead exciting lives; there isn’t much in Crosby, Maine that has changed. There are few opportunities for significant change, since the town seems to hang onto the ways of doing things the way they’ve always been done, while at the same time growing somewhat in social awareness.

Olive is, of course, still viewed by the town as the disagreeably irritable woman that has been crabby so long that she is referred to by such descriptions as “That pickle person. You know ---- what’s like a pickle?” followed by another saying ”That’s just who she is.”

These stories, which are all linked to Olive in one way or another, through past association as students or teachers she worked with before her retirement, longtime neighbors, they share these inner thoughts of Olive, and sometimes with Olive about life in Crosby, and their life struggles, and their lives since leaving Crosby. Still, this is Olive’s story.

With the passage of more years behind than before her, looking back on her life over the years, I loved the subtle growth in Olive, how she begins to see her failures as well as her growth, declaring herself perhaps “oh, just a tiny – tiny – bit better as a person” and finds herself wishing that Henry was around to see her light shine through.



Pub Date: 15 Oct 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group – Random House

Why do I care about Olive Kitteridge? I don't know. But I do. I like her, I'm annoyed by her, I want her to let herself be happy, I want her to get out of her own way, and I want other people to hear her good advice and follow it! I'm pretty sure if she were my neighbor, I would both avoid her and go out of my way to say hi depending upon the day.

Elizabeth Strout has a genius way of writing about everyday life in a way that makes me CARE and want to keep reading about it. She's like Anne Tyler that way.

4.75. I have always loved Elizabeth Strout’s novels, from Olive Kittredge, and others including her most recent, My Name is Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible. I was thrilled when I saw that she has written a new novel, Olive Again. This new novel does not disappoint at all. Its a winner! I laughed and cried. It’s a continuation of that whimsical, brusque, judgmental, brutally honest, yet lovable character, Olive Kittredge. As in Strout’s other novels, we see Olive’s interactions through vignettes with other Maine residents throughout the novel.

We meet Olive in her senior years, retired from teaching and after the death of her husband Henry, still living in Crosby, Maine. Between reminiscing on her life, including her marriages (yes, Olive marries again in this novel), and as a mother, and her various interactions with people in the community we see an imperfect person who is really trying to come to grips with her shortcomings. Yet we also see a compassionate Olive, in her “Olive” way, for example, in helping a pregnant woman ready to give birth unexpectedly at a baby shower for someone else, empathetic to a cancer patient/former student and her home health nurses, and to a young lawyer coming to grips with her own family history. Ms Strout’s writing is breathtakingly beautiful and concise, all characters well developed. I can’t wait for the movie and hope that Frances McDormand once again plays Olive as that is who I saw throughout the novel. This is a novel of loneliness, the complexities of marriage, motherhood, addiction and alcoholism, love, forgiveness, redemption, aging, and just a realistic picture of ordinary people. A beautiful rendering of the human spirit in all of its perspectives. Thank you Ms. Strout. Keep on writing these winners!

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.