Written by Elizabeth Strout, this book won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Well deserved!Olive Kitteridge is a "novel in stories" -- a collection of 13 linked stories about a prickly retired school teacher. Set in a Maine coastal town, the stories allow us to follow Olive Kitteridge through a variety of common life experiences. Mrs. Kitteridge had been a junior high math teacher who scared her students by her gruffness and no-nonsense approach to life. Age has not mellowed her. In her own words, Olive "didn't like to be alone. Even more, she didn't like being with people." She's conflicted about people in her life. Yet, as we read these stories, we're reminded of our own lives: the gossip, the kindnesses, the tragedies...especially in the small-town interactions. In the end of the story, we realize Olive is not bitter, but has both gratitude and regret. "It baffled her, the world. She didn't want to leave it yet."
In spite of her prickliness, I grew to really like Olive, and I wanted her to do well in her relationships with the world around her. My guess is you will also find yourself (or your experiences) in bits and pieces of these stories -- enjoy!
1 comment:
I read this---liked it...felt as if I was the town peeping tom as it shifted through the variety of lives :)
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