Life

Rating: 5/5

Review: Have you ever driven around at night, seen the lit up windows of houses you drive by, and wondered about the lives going on inside? Well, this book is like taking a glimpse into those lives. One constant in each story, is the formidable Olive Kitteridge. She is a no-nonsense kind of gal, with a nasty temper, big mouth, and very little patience. She has a big heart, though, and genuinely cares when a neighbour is in trouble or dealing with a terrible loss. Each chapter is a story, a glimpse, as I said, of everyday life. Only, the majority of them deal with the hard part of life. The heartache, loss, sickness, forbidden love, and infidelity. There are uplifting moments, too, though. It's not all dreary. It's interesting, engaging, and touching. I'm so glad that I read it.

Book Description: At the edge of the continent, Crosby, Maine, may seem like nowhere, but seen through this brilliant writer’s eyes, it’s in essence the whole world, and the lives that are lived there are filled with all of the grand human drama - desire, despair, jealousy, hope, and love.

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 and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: 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.