Olive, Again picks up where Olive Kitteridge leaves off, but the sequel could be read as a standalone. The 13 linked stories featuring some of the townspeople of Crosby, Maine, are more narrative than plot. Some of the characters appeared in Olive Kitteridge and others are new. Like its predecessor the book is beautifully written.

Some people think Olive, a retired teacher, is a difficult character, lacking in warmth, uncomfortably blunt. She frequently calls people stupid and thinks nothing of contradicting near strangers as when she tells an academic, who should have known better, that people from Somalia are Somalis, not Somalians. I wouldn’t want to be a pupil in her maths class if I wasn’t a good student.

Perhaps my favourite is Motherless Child, a story about what happens when her son, his second wife and children come to visit. You just know it’s going to be a disaster and you cringe when Olive makes one mistake after another. She forgets to get in basic groceries (like milk!). She focuses her attention on her son’s two children and ignores the two who aren’t related to her and can’t understand why their mother is upset.

Although Olive knows everyone in town, she’s a solitary character, who’s aware she’s unpopular, even with her son. But while some people are dismayed by her behaviour, others find her refreshingly candid.

Some of the stories are comical. In The End of the Civil War Days, a father who takes part in (American) Civil War reenactments discovers his daughter is a dominatrix.

In The Poet, Olive encounters her former pupil, who’s now a famous poet, at the local café. They eat breakfast together and talk about serious matters. But little does Olive know that she’ll soon be the subject of a not-too-flattering poem.

There are way too few books about ageing and many of those are sentimental and patronising stories of cheerful grannies or old farts. But here we have Olive, Again to give us a realistic view of senior land where people become ill and are fearful of dying. Towards the end of the book, Olive is in her 80s and ensconced in an assisted living facility. She’s miserable until she befriends her next-door neighbour, who initially she’d dismissed as mousy; they form a pact. Eventually though Olive does not find peace she does come to terms with who she is.

I read Olive, Again in one sitting when I should have taken my time and savoured it like a fine wine.

Vignettes from small town America. A series of short stories moving forward in time about the inhabitants of a small coastal town in Maine. The eponymous Olive Kitteridge is the main character in some stories, but in others only has a walk on part. Olive is irascible and strangely likeable.

I enjoyed it.

Olive Kitteridge. Oh how I have lived with you, enjoyed you, been appalled by you but always interested in the way you approach things. Olive is the most wonderfully imperfectly perfect creation.

When I say that I must make it clear it is only the novels, not the TV series. So it is my unfiltered view of Olive I am seeing.

Elizabeth Strout and her ability to bring here, and the surrounding cast of characters to life in wonderful. Superb writing. That it is the minutiae of relationships and emotions that matter.

In this novel we come across Olive again and some of the characters we have met before, particularly her son Christopher.

There are thirteen linked stories all totally wonderful, some are unbearably sad and some so very comic. The dominatrix daughter springs to mind.

Hopefully, with Olive and her typewriter, this will not be her last outing.

I was so excited to hear that there was to be another book about Olive because she has stayed with me since reading Olive Kitteridge. This sequel (which stands alone too) is as good as the first, if not better. The writing and characters are absolutely first class. I didn’t want to finish the book too quickly, yet I had to keep reading. When I went shopping in my local town, I almost expected Olive to appear with a pithy comment as she’s so real! I loved the way she moves in and out of the book. The structure is wonderful and appears effortless, so skilled is the writing. There are plenty of sad situations but the novel is ultimately uplifting. It makes you reflect on your own life and what is important. More than anything, Olive is one of the most unforgettable characters in literature. She often gets things wrong but also gets things right. Through her, Elizabeth Strout writes with compassion and humour about the challenges of ageing. I didn’t want this book to end. Now I’m going to go back to her previous novels and start again as these are some of the best books I have ever read.

Wow! Not an author i’d read before but she’s Pulitzer Prize winning and I can see why. This is such a beautifully written book. Olive Kitteridge is now in her 80s and feels that she’s getting old. She lives in Crosby, Maine, and this is the tale of the small town and it’s inhabitants as they come into and out of Olive’s life. Olive is an outspoken, plain speaking woman who is not quite sure how her life has turned out the way it has. She still mourns the death of her loving husband Henry, but hates being alone and is persuaded by a man she once knew and liked - Jack Kennison - to marry again. In a series of chapters that cover the next 6 or 7 years, we hear of the lives and losses of Olive, Jack, Olive’s son Christopher and his family, and an assortment of equally lovely and lonely people who populate Crosby. This book is magical. Both desperately sad, but also uplifting. Can’t wait to search out Strout’s back catalogue.

A beautifully written great read. The characters in this book and their lives are written about in a wonderful refreshing way. This is a gem of a book and a pleasure to read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I haven’t read ‘Olive Kitteridge’ but my enjoyment of Elizabeth Strout’s follow-up, ‘Olive, Again’ suffered not a jot because of this. The novel’s eponymous heroine is a truly memorable character. Opinionated, thoughtful, shrewd, overly-hasty, kind, acerbic, vulnerable and strong, she is a wonderfully convincing mix of what it is to be human and also uniquely individual. In a world where the old are often disregarded or marginalised, it is refreshing to have a ballsy octogenarian at the novel’s centre. The author is astute enough to veer away from clichés too. Retired teacher Olive is neither the embodiment of wisdom nor an innocent old lady and the characterisation is all the stronger for this. Strout’s dialogue is entirely believable; her characters’ voices rise up off the page. Her observations are equally memorable. The natural world is described in domestic terms that reflect Olive’s life: In Jack’s garden, ‘it snowed lightly one night, and in the morning the forsythia looked like scrambled eggs.’ And, similarly, in her old people’s independent living facility, Olive felt ‘that a screen had been lowered over her, the type of thing that went over a cake on a summer picnic table to keep the files out. In other words she was trapped…’. Wherever we are in the novel, a sense of Olive pervades.
However, even more enjoyable than being introduced to Olive (at this late stage!) is to appreciate the ingenious way in which the novel is structured. The reader is let into the lives of many different characters residing in Crosby, Maine and its surrounding area. Sometimes Olive appears briefly in their stories; sometimes she is only mentioned; sometimes not at all. And in arranging her novel in this way, Strout cleverly manages to create an authentic society in which people come across each other often, or occasionally, or never. Inevitably a tragedy may be lived out in the house next door and a neighbour may never know, or a missed opportunity for kindness is acknowledged years later, or a generous gesture or thoughtful word has a lasting effect.
Through Olive, Elizabeth Strout reminds us that we all have the capacity to make others happy, but not necessarily the wisdom to know when to act and what to do. This is a story of people living together, of community life. At its centre is the searingly honest Olive who conjures up no universal truths and sees that community is no more than a collection of individuals. But, still, better than living in lonely isolation.
My thanks to NetGalley and Viking, Penguin Books UK for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.

A brilliant novel.
This book was powerful, emotional and unforgettable
This book is part of a series but could be a stand-alone.
One of the most emotional books about families that I have read

'Olive Kitteridge' is one of my favourite novels, so I was a little bit apprehensive about whether a sequel would bring anything new. However I loved it. The characters are so well-drawn and each chapter and story is compelling, engrossing and moving. Highly recommended.

"...You go through life and you think you’re something. Not in a good way, and not in a bad way. But you think you are something. And then you see—that you no longer are anything."

These stitched together stories, seemingly random or simplistic all feature our favourite crotchety heroine Olive, whose contrariness has certainly been racheted up for this outing. The vignettes give us glimpses into the lives of an entire town in rural Maine. They are moving, frustrating, touching and familiar little flashes, written in moments that echo our own perception of the passage of time. Snapshots to be remembered or forgotten, but every one a life lived.

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.

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!

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.