4.84k reviews for:

Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strout

3.81 AVERAGE

emily98griffin's review against another edition

1.0

slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

fitzyreads_'s review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

rachreads3377's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

rebeccahlm's review against another edition

4.0

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

justplainbeth's review against another edition

3.75

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

sharonrhh's review against another edition

3.5

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

melc's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

bidou's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

I started this book slowly and then finished in a rush. It wasn't exactly enjoyable to read, not a page-turner or anything, but Stout has a real facility with characters, sketching out their feelings and failures, and drawing on tiny moments of human life and reaction and connection. The way she unwinds the stories to gradually fill in gaps or leave them frustratingly blank felt emblematic of meeting real people in real life.

But I do think some of my rush to finish this book was so that I'd be able to move on to something else that is lighter, easier.

Standouts stories: "Incoming Tide," "The Piano Player," "Ship in a Bottle," and looking back I liked "Starving" too - maybe part of the problem is that I preferred all the stories that had less OK in them?

midnightcitizen's review against another edition

3.5

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

parga_reads's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character