Welcome to Litsy!

In Olive, Again, Strout returns to Crosby, Maine, with more interconnected stories about the prickly, flawed, complex Olive. Older and slightly wiser, she‘s still hard to love—her honesty often veers into rudeness and her lack of self-awareness can be frustrating. That said, Strout has a gift for capturing the human condition in quiet, deeply resonant ways. Poignant, though I preferred the first book. Excellent audio. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 ❤️📚🎧

“I‘m an eighty-three-year old woman”, she said, looking at him.

(It‘s still hard for me to conceive Olive as being #elderly.)

I finished the novel hoping there‘s a way for her to come back again, was left feeling that I need to learn more about her.

She brought back in her latest novel. (Please leave me in the dark about how.)

I love “Olive”, one of my favorite characters.
#CharacterCharm #elderly

This is the follow up book to Olive Kitteridge. It follows olive during the remaining years of her life, and through the eyes of all the people she has touched along the way. Loved it

Elizabeth Strout can do no wrong. Each chapter is a tiny gem of wisdom. So many characters circling around Olive, their sadnesses, their weaknesses, but also often their ability to connect with each other, redirect themselves after grief or make peace. And Olive herself - irascible but truth loving, blunt to others but hardest on herself - and all the people she has impacted 🙌 - youve got to love Olive!

#CoverLove #Leaves
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

The second half of Olive's life, this one didn't follow as much the short story style of Olive Kitteridge, and although years pass by between chapters it feels more like a novella centered in Olive, which some might find more enjoyable. I liked more the first one, but it's still very well written and maintains the humor and charm of the first book.

It‘s not the usual type of books I pick up. But the stories and characters are pretty intriguing and they draw me into getting to know more about Olive (via Olive Kitteridge). No regrets.

There was no way a sequel could compete with my love for Olive Kitteridge but I love Olive so much and was thrilled to be able to spend more time with her. #booked2023 #propernounintitle

I adore Olive and I loved returning to her in this follow up. The poignancy of the writing just did me in. Cheers also to the return of summer poolside reading! 😎

I don‘t even know how Strout manages to talk about typical life in a way that just makes you read on and on without any obvious “hook”. It‘s so subtle, it‘s baffling. The characters are unique, but not particularly so. The story lines are interesting but not gripping. She takes you on a meandering walk through life through the eyes of a woman many other characters in fiction have yet to portray. The book feels both nostalgic and modern somehow.

Oh my, my, my, Olive. I miss you already! How I wish I had an Olive in my life! I did not want this to end 💛

It official. Unless I go crazy today or tomorrow I have purchased fewer books in February than I read. This hardly ever happens! 🙃 Anyway, #thisweekinnewbooks features one used book and one kindle bargain.

@TheAromaofBooks - time to shake things up again! 😱🎉

I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 212
#BooksToRead #TBRPile #TBRMountain

Curmudgeon Olive discovers a whole new life after her husband dies but she‘s still cranky! Told through a community of characters this book emphasis the connections we make as humans

Elizabeth Strout has written a book, that touches on characters and themes that I am not sure I have read before with such poignancy and compassion. Strout has interwoven characters who are in the twilight of their lives, and we walk through this experience with them; at times funny, sorrowful, and plaintive.

This book stirred something in me... and I took a moment to reflect. Isn't that what a great book does, cause introspection?

This passage spoke to me... I‘ve always said this, and have known it in my heart that someday this will be me. Waiting for the boys to come and visit their sad lonely mother.

“What frightened him was how much of his life he had lived without knowing who he was or what he was doing... he sensed that he had lived his life in a way that he had not known. This meant there had been a huge blind spot directly in front of his eyes.” Such an interesting idea to ponder.

Late post for #24in4 but I did it.

Didn‘t get very far even having the whole of Friday off work. Did finish Queenie. #24in4

Olive is a cantankerous older woman who struggles with her relationship with her own adult son and daughter-in-law yet also can be kind to complete strangers and community members who are struggling. She visits a friend in a nursing home weekly and begins to visit a young woman with a terminal disease. She‘s often not an easy character.

Amazing. I enjoyed this even more than Olive Kitteridge. Now I need to get round to watching the TV series!

Pic of my #bookspinbingo board for May!

I really love Olive and all her complexities, so I was really happy to get an update on her. What a great character.

So, I didn‘t realize until almost the end that this was a sequel. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I didn‘t like most of the book, it seemed very choppy and barely connected the characters. But I did like Olive in the end. Not sure if I‘ll go back and read the first book yet. Book 6 of 2021

I haven‘t been posting much and I‘m a little late, but I wanted to document and share what I read in January. Olive, Again was my clear favorite. 💙

#januarywrapup #januaryreads #monthlywrapup

I read Olive Kitteredge years ago, but I still thought about it every so often, so it was delightful to read this sequel(ish).

This is probably an unpopular opinion but I feel meh about this one 😬

There were parts where this book really soared, but parts where it lost me in its characters that I was to be invested in but wouldn‘t be carried throughout. I did ache for the main character and the way she was painted in the end.

New book!

Enjoyed this quite a bit! Olive is such a great character, and through interconnecting stories, we get to see her through the eyes of other characters. Here, Olive is getting older, and much of the book had to do with her reflecting back on her life. Strout‘s writing is wonderful!

#bookspinbingo

#booked2020 #eccentricmc

More books for my physical TBR pile. The top 3 I lent to my mom and she finished, the bottom 2 I found in her community Little Free Library. I can‘t read fast enough! #TBRCrew @jessinikkip @jb73 @AkashaVampie @AsYouWish @AnansiGirl @ElizaMarie @Catherine_Willoughby @MissAimz_55 @Squidgwet @Bookworm54 @katy4peas

So much of the discussion of this book focusses on Olive, and she is such a vivid, fully realised character that's not surprising. But I think I liked the stories of the other people here even more than Olive's stories. Elizabeth Strout does a marvellous job of reminding us that elderly people experience all the same emotions as the young and are every bit as worthy of our interest. I've achieved a #BookspinBingo if I use this for a free space🙂

Enjoyed hearing Elizabeth Strout talking about Olive Again and about her writing practice at the Melbourne Writers' Festival tonight.

What a character Olive Kitteridge is! 💛 I started reading this and decided to pause and watch the mini series to remind myself about the first book. Frances McDormand was excellent and it was lovely to then have the story continue. I love the way the chapters weave through the town and its inhabitants and you get to build a more complete picture. Elizabeth Strout seems to really understand human nature and writes with such compassion. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished in time for book club tomorrow night. Delightful. Don‘t expect I shall meet Olive again. I will miss her.
Love that it‘s written about a part of the US that I do know. So many of the characters remind me of my New England relatives. Just love Elizabeth Strout‘s writing. Looking forward to discussion.
@MrsMalaprop
#2020joybooks

Why did I not read this the moment it came out? Love, love, loved it. I look forward to our Monday night book club discussion.

Do you think Olive would approve? 🍸📖 #friyay #cheers 😆

When 83yo Olive has her first visit from healthcare aide Betty. 😆

Suzanne, pondering the existence of something greater, decides that our job or maybe even our duty is
“To bear the burden of the mystery with as much grace as we can.”

Loving this book ❤️. #currentlyreading

36 pages in and loving it. Oh, how I‘ve missed you Olive 🥰. #currentlyreading #bookclubread

I loved this book so much. Olive is such a fully realized character and I loved her even more in this book than the first. Explores love later in life, parent-child relationships, and all the turns life can take. I laughed and cried and I was also so happy to find a character from another Strout novel appear. She continues to be one of my go-to authors.

“And then he thought: How does one live an honest life?“ As Olive Kitteridge ages, she gains much wisdom while also staying true to herself. This is an absolutely delightful read!

I actually liked this a whole lot more than the original. I don't know if I warmed up to Olive or if the writing got better. There is one chapter, "Light" that I thought was truly outstanding. This was the June pick for my IRL #bookclub.

I was so happy to realize that Olive Kitteridge‘s story continued and I loved this book as much as the first. Olive is a gem.

I walked to my closest Starbucks today and had a strawberry açai on the patio with my 2 girlfriends! It was so normal and lovely. I got my #litsybitsy on for the walk ( it‘s 3 km return) and I‘ve done a lot of lazing and reading and animal crossing all afternoon

I really enjoyed these books. Has anyone watched the Miniseries? How did it measure up?