Comments on The Boston Bibliophile: REVIEW: Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

great review. I keep hearing great things about t...

2009-12-10T10:44:43.932-05:00

great review. I keep hearing great things about this book.

I bought this a little while ago and have heard no...

2009-12-09T16:56:07.468-05:00

I bought this a little while ago and have heard nothing but good things about it. I read another of her books called Amy and Isabelle, and thought it was a wonderful and complex read. This book does indeed look very promising and I will have to let you know what I think about it when I am done. Great review, I am glad you loved it!

I loved this book, too. In my review a while back...

2009-12-09T09:40:59.496-05:00

I loved this book, too. In my review a while back I said I identified with Olive sometimes, and tried to say what you said better about how she's not always easy to like. This is the book I'm sending my friends and relatives for the holidays.

I'm glad you enjoyed this one so much! I can&#...

2009-12-08T11:30:48.181-05:00

I'm glad you enjoyed this one so much! I can't wait to read it.

Ive been on the fence with this one, but your revi...

2009-12-04T21:01:51.510-05:00

Ive been on the fence with this one, but your review has me thinking I need to read it. Great review!

I didn't always like Olive either, but I thoug...

2009-12-04T18:26:02.576-05:00

I didn't always like Olive either, but I thought she was a wonderfully developed character. Thanks for the review!

Great review! I wasn't sure I wanted to read ...

2009-12-04T13:07:11.779-05:00

Great review! I wasn't sure I wanted to read this one, but now it's going on my to-read list.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

I have heard a lot about this and I think since it...

2009-12-03T17:59:47.021-05:00

I have heard a lot about this and I think since it has come up so much lately in my blog reading, that I must offically had it to my to-read list. :)

Great review. I have issued this book twice from t...

2009-12-03T09:29:56.914-05:00

Great review. I have issued this book twice from the lib and returned it unread. This time I get it I am finishing it. This review will be the sole reason I read it . Thanks

I just finished reading this last night and could ...

2009-12-02T23:20:39.848-05:00

I just finished reading this last night and could not agree more!

I managed to get a remaindered copy through my boo...

2009-12-02T22:22:40.674-05:00

I managed to get a remaindered copy through my bookstore, but I still haven't gotten around to reading it. I'm hoping to squeeze it in before the end of the year.

In the past year, I've noticed how readers who usually claim to have little interest in short stories are starting to come around on the format. It's great when a book structured in stories and vignettes can get so much critical attention. I'm hoping it will open up the short story to a lot of literary fiction readers who may still shy away from getting their literature in small fixes.

Excellent review, Marie! I loved Olive Kitteridge,...

2009-12-02T20:58:11.741-05:00

Excellent review, Marie! I loved Olive Kitteridge, too, and it will be one of my favorites this year.

Your review is great, Marie, and beckoning me to r...

2009-12-02T19:05:11.130-05:00

Your review is great, Marie, and beckoning me to read the book.

I'm so glad to see you loved this one! I got i...

2009-12-02T19:03:12.454-05:00

I'm so glad to see you loved this one! I got it for my birthday, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Great review Marie! It really gave me a reason why...

2009-12-02T15:46:24.046-05:00

Great review Marie! It really gave me a reason why I should read this book. I have read other peoples' opinions and they were all very positive but none could exactly pinpoint why this book is so great. Now I know why I should give it a try.

I hope to read this book soon. I wonder if the las...

2009-12-02T14:43:52.732-05:00

I hope to read this book soon. I wonder if the last story will be my favorite, too.

I really want to read this book! It's on my C...

2009-12-02T14:23:32.900-05:00

I really want to read this book! It's on my Christmas wish list, so maybe Santa will bring it to me.

Nice reivew, this one is on my TBR. Glad you liked...

2009-12-02T13:03:11.354-05:00

Nice reivew, this one is on my TBR. Glad you liked it.

Great review Marie. I enjoyed this novel very much...

2009-12-02T12:16:23.576-05:00

Great review Marie. I enjoyed this novel very much too. It really showed how much of a person's life remains private and unknown by most. I try to keep in mind that when we judge someone we are not fully informed about what makes them tick.
Thank you for your note by the way, I wasn't even up to reading email for a while there. Glad to be able to comment again though. I've missed you and your lovely blog.

Very good review. Yes, this is one I have seem mix...

2009-12-02T11:11:37.102-05:00

Very good review. Yes, this is one I have seem mixed reviews about, a love it or hate it thing. But I keep seeing people discuss it, so I keep considering it.
You have moved me way over to the 'buy it' side...lol

I really want to read this book because I feel tha...

2009-12-02T11:06:00.043-05:00

I really want to read this book because I feel that it is one that I would enjoy. I just haven't had the time yet. Glad to get a great review as a reminder

This quote about Olive, early on in the book, is s...

2009-12-02T10:55:54.979-05:00

This quote about Olive, early on in the book, is so telling: "He wanted to put his arms around her, but she had a darkness that seemed to stand beside her like an acquaintance that would not go away." What a great way to describe depression. And also this one: "She would like to say, Listen, Dr. Sue, deep down there is a thing inside of me, and sometimes it swells up like the head of a squid and shoots blackness through me." I read this book earlier this year and never reviewed it myself, so I was glad to read your review.

I've heard mixed things about this book, but I...

2009-12-02T09:40:12.776-05:00

I've heard mixed things about this book, but I really like the points you bring out in this excellently-written (as usual!) review, and think in light of it, I must read it after all!

Oh no, I brought this one back since it didn't...

2009-12-02T09:13:04.265-05:00

Oh no, I brought this one back since it didn't manage to catch my attention (oh and the writing was tiny.)
But perhaps in teh future

I liked how E.Strout used a short story format, bu...

2009-12-02T08:41:16.699-05:00

I liked how E.Strout used a short story format, but turned it into a novel. I wonder if that was her original intent. This book was bittersweet-but I think the lows were lower than the highs perhaps. The extremes of human existence, love, marriage, birth and death in all it's forms are explored through the various characters. It almost feels like the author made a list of "when bad things happen to good people"-a quite extensive list, and then allowed the various characters to reveal how they processed their experiences.