Her husband ran his pharmacy and came home to be taken care of while he mooned over his young assistant. I suddenly felt as if I had gotten the point and the reason it had won the Pulitzer.However, I then found myself comparing Strout’s obvious point to that of Wallace Stegner’s in There is no set plot in Olive Kitteridge, but we do get a sense of who she is through her experiences and her impact on others. Too bad he didn’t meet someone kinder. Her abilities for insight and compassion were all over the map, sometimes strong and other times absent.I couldn’t help thinking, when she was presented as a difficult and critical wife and mother, how tough a life hers was. I felt that the thing that defined Olive was her father’s suicide – it had her looking over her shoulder, managing a lot of that depression within herself, and keeping her eye on whether her son had inherited that gene. Initially, I found Olive unlikeable, but I came to understand that she was very lost and that her lack of introspection was a huge factor in her loneliness. Perhaps the last story in the book is a bit contrived in that maybe it’s not that plausible that Olive would have one last chance at connection. I am 61. . Work Cited. It presents a portrait of the title character and a number of recurring characters in the coastal town of Crosby, Maine. Why hate short stories? 2 pages at 400 words per page) View a FREE sample. Good luck with your blog. . Denise: Thibodeau: Henry's new pharmacy saleswoman. She honestly had no clue why her son didn’t want to have much to do with her (although he must have known she loved him or he probably wouldn’t have stayed in touch with her at all). Olive’s relationship with her son is particularly opaque and puzzling, so much so that I still don’t know what to think about it. She is a middle-aged math teacher who first appears as a nagging wife to her pharmacist husband. She becomes acquainted with a young girl suffering from anorexia, and Olive, in her blunt way, tells the girl she is “starving to death” and then they have a good cry together.Other stories present dramatic action, such as the trip and fall of a former student into the ocean during high tide. Elizabeth Strout. Olive Kitteridge. With each new chapter, confusion besets the reader as they grapple to understand who, what, where, when, and how. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout is a beautiful and moving book on the struggles and disappointments in life. No wonder she balked at some of his expectations when it came to entertaining and social expectations.Overall, I found it thought provoking to be presented with very different perspectives on one person. even if it isn’t “the book” for you, at least acknowledge that is it extremely well done.This book is a treasure! I’m a big George Saunders fan.I (almost 60) must agree with Emily, and I’m once more baffled by the awards committees these days and the books they heap prasie upon. The second chapter in this book, where Kevin comes back to the town, and Olive sits in his car as Kevin’s rifle lies on the back. Patty is serving coffee at the counter of the diner. life is lonely and painful and you take what good you can get… or you don’t).When I finished the book, my first thought was that just because Strout was a skillful writer does not mean that she isn’t capable of writing absolute crap.I have to give this book a “No” also. Kevin drives by his old house. And the author nails each situation as if she had lived every moment of it.Just finished reading this novel and found it very depressing. Then again, she was very dedicated to her husband once his abilities tanked. It *is* a collection of short stories and should be read as such. This Study Guide consists of approximately 26 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Olive Kitteridge. I believe most people’s lives are marked by suffering in one form or another and as we grow older, it becomes more and more difficult to ignore the basic fact of existence: that we’re going to die and we will die alone. Olive didn’t get it but I did.
I agree. In a sense Kevin explains Olive’s character when he thinks of John Berryman’s poetry: “Save us from shotguns and fathers’ suicides…Mercy!..do not pull the trigger or all my life I’ll suffer you’re anger.”Phew! I wish there were more novels that so insightfuly explored how (always) difficult and (sometimes) rewarding it is to make a commitment to a relationship over decades, and how these relationships go through several completely different phases – relationships to spouses of course, but also to children and friends.Pultizer, I dunno either. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition–its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires. I’d love to hear your thoughts.all right, I’m in. I’ve only read the first two stories and doubt I will have the tenacity to finish. I seriously doubt that I would have read this book as a young woman and if I had, I probably would have identified only with the younger characters. Each section is like starting a new book because of the unfamiliar characters and situations that are constantly introduced. Although I did like the ending so I guess I must have found Olive a likeable character in some way, to be happy for her belated transformation (ish).Rachelle, what a wonderful comment.