At first I was unsure of this, in parts it felt like a child writing. But I overcame that and truly loved this book. I really love Olive Kitteridge. She’s a very wise lady and I found myself liking her more and more throughout the book. I’m missing her already.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.
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Let’s return to Crosby, Maine, to meet up with the cranky but wonderful Olive Kitteridge once again. Olive is now old, and struggles
to come to terms with life in general, and ageing in particular. Just like the previous book, this one consists of several loosley connected stories.
Some random thoughts:
✔️This sequel is just as wonderful as the first book. (Yes, you should read Olive Kitteridge before this one.)
✔️ Elisabeth Strout is really good at describing both characters, relations, and settings.
✔️ The description of the ageing human body is just brutal. I had to look up when Elisabeth Strout was born to check if she had any personal experience from it. (She is born in 1956, so probably not.)
✔️ This books makes me even more afraid of getting (really) old.
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Rounded up from 4.5, because there are so many chapters with characters from Strout's other books that if you haven't read them, I'm not sure if they'd resonate. But Olive! A fully formed woman, followed from late middle age to old age. She is a special character. Her lack of filtering and her observations are so wonderful. As I age, I find few major characters keeping pace with me, but then there's Olive. Thank you, Elizabeth Strout, for bringing her back.
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