Breathe To Read

Breathe To Read

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Book Review #28 (2015 Challenge), Olive Kitteridge

The next review is for: Olive Kitteridge (read in September 2015)


This book fit in the category: A Pulitzer Prize Winning Book

According to Amazon this book was about:

"At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse. 

As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life–sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition–its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires."

I used Amazon's review because I was not in love with this book.  It had a crazy amount of good reviews but the main character, Olive, was not likable.  Not even a little bit.  I hated her every minute in this book.  And then I watched the miniseries on HBO and she was equally awful on there.  She wasn't nice to her husband (she cheated on him), she was terrible to her son, she didn't have any friends, she never wanted to be touched or hugged.....she was just a weirdo.

The story was long and drawn out over most of Olive's adult life.  The book weaves in and out of her story and others and how she fits into their stories.  You really had to pay attention.

There were good points to this book.  Parts I really liked - especially if Olive wasn't the main focus.  So you might like this book if you can get over Olive.  Maybe you will view her differently.  Feel for her in some way.  I just couldn't bring myself to like her.

Stars: 2 1/2-3 maybe.

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