Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Published by

Sarah Ann

on

May 31, 2010

Olive Kitteridge won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. It’s about a retired schoolteacher who lives in the small town of Crosby, Maine. Olive may have a reputation for being bold and domineering, but she’s touched the hearts of everyone in Crosby in one way or another.

Every chapter in this book features Olive in its story or narrative in some way. There are chapters where someone shares how Olive affected their life, and there are chapters where Olive is simply a bystander.

Most of the stories in Olive Kitteridge are sad, tragic, and a bit depressing, to be honest. If you’re looking for something fun and uplifting book, you probably won’t like this one. It’s like the novel bunches together every possible misfortune that could possible happen to someone.

Overall, this book was just okay. I wouldn’t rave about it or outwardly recommend it. There’s about a hundred reasons I don’t chase after award-winning books, or books that belong to the Oprah or Reese book clubs.

This book was made into an HBO Max TV series featuring Frances McDormand as Olive. Elizabeth Strout has written a follow-up to Olive Kitteridge called Olive, Again (2019). Other books she’s written include:

What are your thoughts?

Last Updated on February 16, 2026 by Sarah Ann

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