Olive Kitteridge

“Olivia Kitteridge” is one of the most famous books by the American writer Elizabeth Strout. For this novel, she received the Pulitzer Prize, the Spanish Libreter Prize, and the Italian Bancarella Prize.

Elizabeth Strout has been compared to John Cheever, called “Richard Yates in a skirt,” and even “American Chekhov.” She was published in The New Yorker and in Oprah Winfrey’s magazine, O: The Oprah Magazine, and consistently made bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming a finalist for the prestigious PEN/Faulkner and Orange Prize literary awards. And the “Olivia Kitteridge” offered to you here received the Pulitzer Prize as well as the Spanish Llibreter Prize and the Italian Bancarella Prize. The superb language, vivid character types, and unrelenting psychological tension ensured this book its well-deserved success. The main idea here is deceptively simple: all people are different; far from all of them are pleasant—yet everyone deserves compassion. And besides, there’s nothing more interesting than the fates of those around us and the stories that happen to them.
The title heroine, at the center of thirteen interweaving episodes, is a retired teacher, and her tyrannical love for those around her will inevitably remind the Russian reader of another formidable grandmother—from P. Sanaev’s book “Bury Me Behind the Baseboard.”

The book consists of thirteen small, connected stories about dozens of people’s lives. But still, the main actor of each novella is Olivia Kitteridge. Not a young woman, a retiree, a former mathematics teacher. Perhaps some may find her too domineering and even rude. But at the same time, she is very responsive and tender-hearted, always ready to help anyone who needs it. Perhaps the only thing this incredibly strong woman fears is loneliness. And probably that makes her similar to each of us. We are sure that after listening to the audio version of this unusual book, you will certainly find something of Olivia Kitteridge within yourself.