Olive Again (Olive Kitteridge #2)

It\’s a very well written novel, just do not read it if you are suffering from depression. I had to stop reading it several times, but I did my best and finished now I need a very uplifting book to overcome this sadness. 23 people found this helpful

I listen to audiobooks all the time with different narrators – women, men, different accents. This narrator was not good at all in my opinion. Her voice is OK, but the intonation she puts on words and sentences doesn’t match what the sentence is saying, which made it hard for me to follow along and in turn I lost interest quickly. For example, in a sentence talking about someone committing suicide, her tone and expression was that of excitement. This happened throughout the entire book. I kept losing interest but kept trying to stay with it. Eventually I stopped halfway through and gave up. 22 people found this helpful

My last listen was the original Olive Kitterage. I would have listened to this next one anyway but was so glad that the narrator was the same person. Excellent job. 6 people found this helpful

I liked the first Olive book. This one was all over the place more than the last! Didn\’t have any cohesiveness. It only became really interesting in the last 2 hours. 5 people found this helpful

First and foremost: Superbly written and EXCELLENTLY narrated. I didn\’t realize it until I started listening to this book, but I really missed Olive Kitteridge. When I saw Strout wrote another book (\”Olive, Again\” – what a perfect title), I was honestly a bit hesitant. Sequels are not really my preferred reading because they rarely meet the quality of what came before. I should have known Strout was different. This book is as good than Strout\’s Pulitzer winner, arguably better in some ways. The stories are well developed, taut studies in character. Like before, Olive is not always the central focus of each story. In a couple, she is merely a passing mention. Yet she always controls and frames the reader\’s understanding of events. Strout also (to my elation) brings back her careful incorporation of natural description with characterization–a facet missing from the more \”porous\” Lucy Barton and Anything is Possible. Some reviews have been critical of Strout\’s \’political\’ take in the novel. I can see where those views come from, but I think they may be taking Strout\’s writing personally. The political views are used as characterization. The story \”Heart\” is the best example of this. The politics are up-front and, often, personal for the characters. \”Motherless Child\” is another good example, folding in \’political\’ details (such as use of reusable bags, the eco-friendly Subaru) in simple, passing statements. I found Strout to handle these situations with graceful prose and empathy for everyone. If there is a downside–and I do not see this as a downside–it is how Strout confronts head-on the sexual world of her characters. As only one example, she brings to the forefront a version (albeit limited) of dominatrix culture. These moments allow Strout to establish the different views of a singular experience, and she does well to present both the views of the older generation and the younger. Interestingly, the very sexual aspects are an insight into how we can bridge an generational divide. The \”downside\” is that some may find the descriptions to be unnecessary or gratuitous. On the whole, this was the perfect sequel for Olive. I recommend it without reservation. 13 people found this helpful

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