Having just read 'Olive, Again' I feel I was at a distinct disadvantage having not read the previous Olive books. I had not had the opportunity to get to know her younger self. I didn't like Olive very much, and her son & grandchildren even less so. The book is written as a series of events rather than a story. I found this distracting. The book was recommended on the writers similar style to Anne Tyler, who I love. So I am going to seek out the books of younger Olive and get to know her better.

I just love Olive Kitteridge! On the surface this should not be a particularly interesting book, simply a collection of short, self-contained but interlocking episodes about a rather curmudgeonly old woman who keeps moving on with her life despite the weight of local and personal history around her. But it is! It is beautifully written in an apparently simple, effortless style, but it manages to weave a picture of a wonderful, multi-layered character with whom I empathised, cried and gradually fell in love. I have read other books by Elizabeth Strout and they have never disappointed; now I will go back and read the earlier book about Olive and relish the re-acquaintance, grateful our relationship can continue, even retrospectively.

'Olive, Again' is a lovely book - read with or without the original novel - and highly recommended for those who enjoy being immersed in another life and ultimately being entranced by it.

This was simply brilliant. I don't know any other writer who can craft characters so profoundly in just a few pages. She has the most talented eye and her voice stays with me for days.
The story of Cindy and Olive was heartbreaking in its rawness and honesty.
Olive returned: stronger, happier and more irritatingly lovable than ever. I adored this revisit to her life and town.

Well Elizabeth Strout has done it again - another Olive book that I completely fell in love with. I just adore Olive herself - cranky, says what's on her mind but still adorable - and the author is just so clever at getting everything RIGHT. Realistic characters and life situations, memorising writing. I just didn't want it to end, but end it did. Will Olive return? Read the book and make up your own mind. I've yet to read Strout's earlier works, so I'll add them onto my list.

I wasn't aware that "Olive, Again" was a sequel until I came to write this review - I thought the ", Again" was because Olive Kitteridge appears in each chapter of this connected collection of short-stories, sometimes the focus, other times just passing through. I didn't feel I'd missed anything by not reading the first book, this sequel is perfect standalone.

Elizabeth Strout comes from the Anne Tyler school of writing - small town America, every day characters, and perfect observations of their habits and foibles. This book is marvellously understated. The writing is basic, no frills, but says just what it needs to say - and like Anne Tyler, what isn't said is equally as important.

Wonderful, charming, highly recommended.

I was hesitant about Olive, Again, having loved Olive Kitteridge and also feeling like it manifestly wasn't crying out for a sequel. Olive, Again's great triumph is in making me feel almost instantly like this was unnecessarily grumpy - with Strout you're so clearly in good hands right away. Olive, Again is as harrowing and tender as its predecessor, and if some parts feel very slightly overdetermined (the two nurses in the penultimate chapter are more symbols than people) then the moments of spare, quiet grace more than make up for them.

I have read neither the first book of Olive nor anything else from this author. There is no real story to it, it is just Olive and her interactions with other people as she writes her memoirs in later life. She is quite an abrasive character and does not have much empathy with other people - she admits she does not really understand herself either. There are seemingly random encounters and events and jumps forward in time. This is a particularly American style of writing - small town and inward looking, like Anne Tyler or Fannie Flagg (but with less story). I did not enjoy it and found it boring and depressing.

Powerful writing, as ever, from Elizabeth Strout. Olive Kitteridge is stubborn, strong willed and fundamentally so empathetic it brings warmth to the story. I enjoy her bluntness, and I enjoy this Olive Kitteridge even more than the younger version. If you never read the first book, this one stands alone successfully but you could miss out on some wonderful character development.

You won't be disappointed!

Reading Elizabeth Strout's writing feels like coming home. From the first sentence, I urge myself to pace my reading: taking small lingering bites and chewing slowly. If, at the end of a page, I feel that my mind may have wandered, I go back and ensure I've engaged with every word, sentiment and shrewd snapshot of humanity.

Returning to Olive Kitteridge is everything I hoped it would be. Still the gnarly, cantankerous, astute, no-holds-barred, unfailingly honest, loveable and misunderstood individual, she is just "so Olive"!

Here, we observe the years advance in Crosby and Shirley Falls as Olive and her community age and morph. Never is a character named and then forgotten: Strout brings to bear the full gamut of tragedy that privately inflicts families and individuals who, when only presented with the surface, we may view unkindly and-too often- unfairly. And, though this sadness can weigh so heavily, she also has us laugh out-loud at the charm and plausibility of humorous moments created when people just try to rub along together;
"Well, that's great," Jack said, and he meant it, although he didn't care a whole lot. But she was making it interesting, as interesting as it could be to Jack, because she was Olive, and he knew they would start talking about something else soon; he was waiting.'

But it's not ONLY that! Among other things, it's Strout's careful crafting of such simple beauty in her observations of the mundane: "it was almost all over, after all, her life. It swelled behind her like a sardine fishing net, all sorts of useless seaweed and broken bits of shells and the tiny shining fish".

So, YES, read this book and, if you are lucky enough to have other books from Elizabeth Strout's back-catalogue that you have not yet read, then read those too. And then, when you (like me) have run out, read them all again.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sharing an advance copy of this masterpiece, in return for my honest opinion. You've actually made my summer.

Olive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her. Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine - and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life.

Oh how I love Olive Kitteridge! I was so excited to delve back into her life and Strout does not disappoint with further, quirky tales of Crosby, Maine. This follows the same format of 'Olive Kitteridge' with mini stories featuring different characters but all have one thing in common; Olive Kitteridge. It is such a refreshing writing style and I adore getting to know all these different people and getting snapshots into their fascinating lives. Some are funny, some are sad but all are entertaining and make Olive shine.

Throughout this, Strout makes some astute social observations, usually through the eye of the ever blunt Olive Kitteridge, they are insightful, thought-provoking and so very true. One aspect that features strongly throughout this is getting old and I thought Strout does a spectacular job in showing Olive growing old, the way the body begins to break down and the mental toll it can take. It was understated perfection that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Of course this would not be the same without the wonder that is Olive Kitteridge and I loved the direction Strout takes the character in. We see a softer side to Olive and a more sensitive one, of course the Olive of old still has her moments to shine and I was thoroughly entertained by what she gets up to and her different relationships with the characters.

'Olive, Again' is another stunning, perfect read from Strout featuring the glory of Olive Kitteridge and all her musings. I absolutely adored reading this and highly recommend it. There is something for everyone in this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for an advance copy.

This is another superb novel by Elizabeth Strout - one that revisits Olive Kitteridge in her latter years and the town of Crosby, Maine.

Strout is brilliantly adept at creating a world which is instantly recognisable, quite simple, too, and often one that shows how people deal with everyday issues. She ‘tells’ more than ‘shows’ at times but this really works for her. The style is, at times, overly repetitive but this is a trademark of Strout and definitely not a criticism.

In ‘Olive, Again’, Olive marries for the second time; her husband, Jack, dies; she moves into a residential unit. We learn about Bob and Jim Burgess again, from The Burgess Boy’s; also, Isabelle becomes one of Olive’s closest friends - again, from one of Strout’s early books, ‘Amy and Isabelle’.

A little like ‘Anything Is Possible’, the different chapters are like stand-alone but interlinked stories. I wonder whether Strout is showing us updates of these characters’ lives as she’s saying goodbye to them - or that they’ll be appearing in other future work.

I loved this - it’s sad that it’s over, though! Olive Kitteridge is troubled and cantankerous gut also caring and kind - characteristics that work but you wouldn’t think they would.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penquin Books (UK) - Viking, for the ARC.
Oh, I just loved this book; a real pleasure to read. I've not read any of this author's work before, so for me it's a standalone (but must now go back to Olive Kitteridge).
Olive was a school teacher in the coastal town of Crosby, Maine. She's retired, widowed from her husband Henry, estranged from her son Christopher who lives in New York, she finds a 'workable' love with Jack whilst they are both in their early seventies.
She knows all her ex-pupils, we learn how she affected their outlook on their life, we also learn that apart from her apparently abrasive nature, she cares; she visits, she talks about life - as if age doesn't affect her at all: until she realises it does - devastatingly.
This is a story about growing old - it happens to us all - to that I can attest. Being of a certain age I really related to Olive's predicament: your youthful mind, your hopes and dreams, they all still remain (for most) but your body deteriorates and lets you down.
Olive gets frustrated and angry - don't we all, The injustice of life, or so it seems, but amidst it all Olive adjusts to her later years, her losses and gains; she questions her parenting, her preference for either Henry or Jack, and has to accept the 'horrors' of growing old.
Did she ever know who she was?

The writing is superb. It flows and weaves between stories within her community and how Olive's life interacted with individuals and families. Sometimes humorous, often sad and reflective, this is a study in self-evaluation of one's life. The kindnesses, concern for others; basically someone's life examined through their own eyes and those of others her life touched.
Excellent.

This is a very unique book - we learn about Olive’s life after he husband’s death through to when she is living in a retirement home at the end. Her perspective on life is what makes the book interesting. She is not always kind or understanding and she only has rare moments of reflection about herself and her life, normally sad ones. Alongside her stories we learn about other people, too. In some of these other stories, Olive is a key player; in others she is barely mentioned. Each story is really about unusual relationships - a teenager who bares her breasts for an old man, families that don’t like each other and the memory of a beautiful girl who later committed suicide. None of these stories are overflowing with joy and Olive often talks of her own feelings of loneliness or anxiety. This is a gentle book that observes life acutely but I did have a break in the middle to cheer myself up with a different book.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Olive is a well known, if not well loved part of Crosby, Maine, which is a small coastal town full of her past pupils, and also full of stories of disappointment and regrets. The people she touches have their stories, and we get to see into these vignettes of families in flux, children unconnected to parents, and broken relationships. This is approached with great humanity and humour. Olive is plain speaking and honest, sometimes too honest. Her husband says he loves her , but could she save some of her Oliveness for others please.
I loved this book. Although Olive is described as a big woman, I think it is her big hearted ness which is here, and the wonderful Frances Mcdormand who played Olive in the tv adaptation really is her in my mind.

Elizabeth Strout you are a genius! Many years ago I read Olive Ketteridge and never in a million years thought you could top it, but you have. Brilliantly written with a superb use of words. I loved the way the story unfolded bringing many different characters and stories into it so fluently and effortlessly. A truly amazing read and didn’t put it down.

It’s only fairly recently that I read Elizabeth Strout, and I have all the fervour of a fresh convert. Strout beautifully intertwines the profound and the quotidian, telling stories with kindness and generosity to her characters. Her books are about ordinary people living their lives in unremarkable ways, and through them she portrays our capacity both for decency and for extreme ugliness. Olive Kitteridge, slightly mellowed by age in this sequel, tackles the joys, pains, and banalities of later life - she falls in love, makes a new best friend, learns and relearns life. It is wonderful and beautiful, and makes me excited to be old.

Fine writing, sensitivity, observation and a feel for the human all combine in this book which returns to Olive Kitteridge, now older, still cantankerous at times. These interconnected stories can feel bleak at times as they're more about endurance, a kind of dogged urge to keep living rather than joy. But there's an honesty, a wisdom and a respect for the small and ordinary that gives this book a kind of luminosity: a relevant antidote to books that are all about melodrama and excessive plot. And gentle, sharp, precise prose to savour.

I first discovered Olive (Kitteridge) in my library shortly after it as published in the UK and was mesmerised by this almost unlikeable, but fascinating character. Olive, Again is every bit as good.

Once again Olive's story is told in a series of short stories. Her husband has died and she is estranged from her son, but somehow Olive continues her abrasive way through life in a small town in Maine, gaining a new husband, in her later years.

As ever Elizabeth Strout illustrates with empathy how life can be for women of a certain age and how they face their tribulations. I hope Olive, Again wins as many fans as her earlier work and I recommend it highly.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PenguinUK for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Olive, Again follows Olive Kitteridge and her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine. Olive has grown older and is struggling to come to terms with the changes in her own life and in those around her but irrepressibly and defiantly faces ageing, loneliness, loss and love. Along the way this book tells the readers that second chances do happen, that we can learn a life lesson at any age, and that we are never too old to change.

‘Olive, Again’ was my first meeting with Olive and what a meeting! In this poignant and compassionate book Olive commands the pages as a larger-than-life character struggling but dealing with ageing, loneliness, loss and love. By describing ordinary lives and moments and how ordinary characters deal with these bravely and resiliently, Strout has written an extraordinary book that brilliantly and compassionately tells readers that we are never too old to change or to learn another life lesson as long as we dare say yes to change. I feel very fortunate to have read this book and to have met Olive but am also pleased that I won’t have to say goodbye to Olive just yet with ‘Olive Kitteridge’ next on my TBR list.

Well Olive, it was lovely to meet you and you have certainly made me think!
I really enjoyed reading this beautifully written book and now want to read its predecessor, Olive Kitteridge, then re-read Olive Again.
In this novel, Olive, a retired maths teacher, has been recently widowed. Olive does not have a great deal of self-belief and does not have a warm relationship with her only child, Christopher and his family. In the relatively small town of Crosby, Maine, nearly everyone knows Olive or knows of her. The book is a series of vignettes of the small lives of small people in small town Crosby. Nothing of global significance happens to any of the characters but their lives are all impacted in greater or lesser ways by their encounters with Olive.
All the characters, major and minor were very well crafted by the author, Elizabeth Strout. Family issues and relationships were explored in great detail and the ways in which misunderstandings can create almost unbreachable chasms. From the outset I empathised with Olive whose words and thoughts reminded me very much of my similar aged mother-in-law (also a retired teacher) with whom I have a strong relationship.
Particular episodes which stand out for me are Olive's encounter with an ex-pupil who is now a prize-winning poet; her developing relationship with another ex-pupil who is receiving chemotherapy and her defence of a Somali nurse's aide in the face of covert racism from a Trump supporter.
This is a book to re-read and consider how minor words and actions impact on others.
My thanks to the publisher via Net Galley for a complimentary ARC of this title in return for an honest review.