So good again from Elizabeth Strout. Was glad to read again about Olive Kitteridge. An unusual but very enjoyable writer.

A sad, strange, funny and wonderful read. Olive Again is really a collection of interconnected short stories about the later years of Olive Kitteridge and various other residents of Crosby Maine.

Each chapter stands alone, but also connects with the other stories, weaving a work centred on ‘the human condition’ as one character puts it.

The writing is superb, with flawed interesting characters and beautifully paced so that I was always wanting more but still able to slowly savour the writing, just as the pace of the lives depicted is also rather slow.

Listened on audiobook, narrated by Kimberly Farr who was fantastic.

I'm going to make a blanket statement that some people may disagree with, but if you do you're wrong, and it's this - Olive Kitteridge is one of the most fantastic, nuanced characters to ever be written and the way Elizabeth Strout writes her in a way that's able to spear into the core of people is just brilliant and genius.

This is the sequel to Olive Kitteridge, and in this one we continue to follow Olive, as well as some of the other residents of her hometown of Crosby, Maine, as Olive gets older, finds love again, and continues to be her honest, crotchety self and all of which that contains.

I just had such a great time reading this via audiobook as the narrator just brought Olive to life in the best way possible, as well as her interactions with her neighbours both young and old and how Olive's honest way of speaking the truth and just being completely herself is able to impress herself on everyone she meets in different ways. She's just Olive and for that she is glorious.

I think Olive contains so much of what makes humans tick and the way the author writes her to bear so many flaws so openly, can make the reader think and examine all the ways they may also be like Olive in different ways whether it be openly like her or secretly ('horrible kids!').

Olive isn't necessarily a 'nice' character - she is a good human being, and a good egg overall but she is big and takes up space with a loud personality, and a fat body - she can be prickly, and rude and tell someone all the things they may not want to hear but also be able to touch someone else with an understanding of a need whether it be company or truth (or in one case, someone to notice that they're having a baby!).

This book is a joyful read but the topics that the story touches on are not light and fluffy by any means. This book focuses on aging and what that entails from leaky bottoms, and diaper-wearing - from dementia, and falling and heart attacks, of loss and widowhood and fear and loneliness. But I appreciated all of this and loved it all even more. 100% recommend this one if you enjoyed Olive Kitteridge.

I was a big fan of Olive Kettridge, so when Olive, Again came up I jumped at the chance to read it. A sequel to Olive Kettridge, it picks up where the first novel left off. Surly Olive is dealing with old age, depression, a new husband and a strained relationship with her son. That doesn't sound like the best mixture for a good read, but it really is. The book itself is a composite novel, which means it is more like a series of vignettes into the lives of the different inhabitants of Crosby, Maine, rather than a straightforward story. Olive appears in most of the stories, even in passing. The best part of the book is the character of Olive who is straight-talking and a bit of an awful person, but somehow Elizabeth Strout makes us sympathetic towards her. I worried that a second novel might not be as good as the first, but it is every bit as excellent.

A thoughtful and well-written book that encapsulates the struggles of life and human relationships. Olive is a rare example of a character that isn't particularly likeable but that you can't help but want to know more. The writing is beautiful and the stories are told with care and creativity.

Was worried about the return to characters spoiling the memories of earlier books. I shouldn't have been... Wonderful.

We meet Olive again, this time she is older and coping with the changes and brick bats that ageing brings. Beautifully observed, unsentimental tale.

Olive Kitteredge is older in this book by Elizabeth Strout, older and no more loveable yet just as compelling. Strout’s prose is as enjoyable as ever and this further instalment of Olive’s life is a very welcome one.

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<p>This isn't a proper review, I just read the book and adored it. If you've read Olive Kitteridge (my review is <a href="https://saracrowley.com/2009/08/10/olive-kitteridge-by-elizabeth-strout/">here</a>) you'll have loved it and you'll love this. I had to stop every now and then and cry - it's a triumph and may also have smashed my heart a little. I really admire the way Strout reveals profound truths about the human experience so lightly. Buy it, borrow it, read it. (But be prepared to pause and think, oof, yes, that's it, right there, the truth of love and death and loneliness and age and feel the fragility of our silly lives.)</p>
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Wonderfully written. I think I would read anything Elizabeth Strout writes. Olive is unapologetically herself and I don't believe for a second that only nice or good people should have their stories told. I could never be sure whether I liked Olive or loathed her but she existed for me in these pages and that is more than enough.

Elizabeth Strout is a master of the beautifully written spare prose, and this book proves it yet again. No word is wasted. This collection of interconnected stories features the return of lovable mistanthrope Olive Kitteridge, now adjusting to life in a post-Henry world. Even characters who appear only fleetingly are fully drawn. Highly recommended for Strout’s wordsmith skills alone.

What can I say? Olive is back and it is as profound and fabulous a book as its predecessor. Olive has aged, and is now in a marriage with Jack, the Harvard professor. Things with her son are not great, and more and more of her friends are either dying or in care homes. Oliver, same as ever, spends her time walking, contemplating her life, and ruminating on age, relationships, and especially the relationships with all the men she loved - from her father, through her son to her two husbands. Full of heart and profound insights into human life, this is a book that opens a window into human nature like no other.

Strout is an absolute master of conveying so much in few words. This novel, spanning a longer time-period than 'Olive Kitteridge', is even more masterful.

While not particularly likeable, Olive is such a relatable and realistic character and one I could happily spend more time with, although as with the previous instalment, this is not all about Olive. Strout manages to weave multiple threads together again to give us a poignant tale of lives lived.

This is a stunning continuation of Olive's story - it was wonderful to back in her world again. Really, all one needs to say is this: If you enjoyed Olive Kitteridge, then you'll love this. If you don't know Olive yet you have a wonderful treat in store for you!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this book I just couldn't connect with the writing style or characters at all. There's no sense in writing a full review about a book that just fundamentally wasn't something I enjoyed. Review not posted anywhere else.

Not quite as enjoyable as the first 'Olive' book but nothing but gratitude that we got another novel's-worth...

I love Elizabeth Strout. I love how she writes about life.

I cannot say this was better than the first Olive, but it was amazing to revisit this character- real, ordinary, but still wildly interesting.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books UK for this book. This is the 2nd Olive book and I really enjoyed it. Essentially it's a gentle meander through the latter part of Olive's life, featuring stories of people and encounters. Beautifully written, Strout is a very talented writer.

I did not realise this was a sequel when I requested it, however, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book at all. I very much enjoyed this and will be hunting out the first in this series!

One of the most beautiful books I have read. It is a sequel and I had not read the previous book before Reading this one and that did not distract from the book at all

A simple story of an older woman who is misunderstood in her intentions you hear how with the best intentions relationships can fall down.

It caused me to reflect on my own relationship with my family and how we can easily miscommunicate and how that can shape relationships over time

A brilliant book I would recommend to anyone

Wow. You have to hand it to Olive what a woman. The author has the ability to absorb you in Olive's world and encapsulates everything around her with such amazing clarity. A must-read.