To revisit this article, select My⁠ ⁠Account, then View saved stories. In fact, the town is not even named in most stories. But, still, the world of the film doesn’t quite feel explored or clarified enough. The settings function like a bare-bones stage set of a well-constructed play. But, as Olive Kitteridge shows us in painful, scattered detail, that plainspokenness and emotional economy oftentimes acts as a mask, behind which the sadness and hurt, the fear and despair, that color all of our lives can hide and fester. Olive is one too, she freely admits. Ad Choices. This type of interaction, plus the fact that everyone knows everyone in this small town, leads Olive Kitteridge to form her own opinions and judgments on the various people that live in the town. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. Three things happen as a result. But, for … Olive Kitteridge is a misanthropic and strict, but well-meaning, retired schoolteacher who … Olive Kitteridge may leave you wanting, as it did me, but I suppose that’s just how things go. Frances McDormand was also nominated at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie and Richard Jenkins was nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. As a high school math teacher, Olive Kitteridge is responsible for teach many of the children that live in the town, once they are old enough to attend high school age. Setting is crucial, complex, and subtle in Olive Kitteridge. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. Please give a brief introduction to this piece of literature. For the first time in her life, Olive starts looking forward to living rather than focusing on the day when she will die. First, when details are mentioned, they snap into sharp focus. By the end of the novel, when Henry is dead, Olive starts a new chapter in her life with a recently widowed man in Crosby, Jack Kennison. It matters greatly that people are in the room... (The entire section contains 2891 words.). Olive Kitteridge content, as well as access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Olive Kitteridge is an American television miniseries based on Elizabeth Strout's 2008 novel Olive Kitteridge. The film trains its pondering gaze on these damaged people as they glide and tumble through the decades, and then, with a shrug, it heaves a weary sigh. They like to be left alone and leave others be, living with the brusque efficiency required of cold winters and buggy summers. Second, while structures are not described, decorations and personal details are. [8] McDormand and Jenkins were also nominated in equivalent categories at the 19th Satellite Awards, where Zoe Kazan was also nominated Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film and the series was nominated Best Miniseries or Television Film. What is the theme statement in the novel Olive Kitteridge? Olive Kitteridge is a masterpiece: The writing is so perfect you don't even notice it; the story is so vivid it's less like reading a story than experiencing it firsthand. Her young son watches his mother darken the dinner table, and it’s clear that he’s absorbing much of her sourness. The miniseries received nominations at several awards ceremonies including the 72nd Golden Globe Awards, where the series was nominated for Best Miniseries or Television Film, Frances McDormand was nominated for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film and Bill Murray was nominated for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film. But “Olive Kitteridge” is provincial only in a literal sense. Daisy Foster lives in a cottage near the water. This study guide contains the following sections: This detailed literature summary also contains Topics for Discussion on Setting is essential to Olive Kitteridge for several tightly interwoven reasons. Already a member? Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this Olive Kitteridge study guide. The miniseries debuted in the United States on November 2, 2014, on the American premium TV network HBO, which aired the show's first two episodes back-to-back that evening; the third and fourth episodes aired back-to-back the following evening. Olive Kitteridge - Starving Summary & Analysis Elizabeth Strout This Study Guide consists of approximately 26 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Olive Kitteridge. Olive Kitteridge gently insists that even a life as quietly, bitterly lived as Olive's is a big life, and Cholodenko’s film is a wistful triumph in that regard. The website's critics consensus reads: "Olive Kitteridge's narrative slow burn enhances fascinating performances – and a story worthy of its source material. [4] At the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards, the miniseries won eight awards including Outstanding Limited Series. This Study Guide consists of approximately 26 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - Frances McDormand was also nominated at the 21st Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie and Richard Jenkins was nominated Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie. The small-town setting also means there is no anonymity and much connection. Olive is brisk—to the point of incivility. A number of individual settings are mentioned in the various stories: "Pharmacy" is mostly set in Henry's pharmacy, "Incoming Tide" is mostly set at the marina, most of "Piano Player" is set at the Warehouse Bar & Grill at Christmas, and so on. Olive's opinions and judgments are not just reserved for the other people that live in Crosby. Proud as certain Mainers, like Olive, might be of their prickly stoicism, it can be a dangerous lie. The presence of Olive Kitteridge, a seventh-grade math teacher and the wife of a pharmacist, links these 13 stories. help you understand the book. But the film did leave me wanting more. Set in Maine,[1] the HBO miniseries features Frances McDormand as the title character, Richard Jenkins as Olive's loving husband Henry Kitteridge, Zoe Kazan as Denise Thibodeau, and Bill Murray as Jack Kennison. From the awards race to the box office, with everything in between: get the entertainment industry's must-read newsletter. She is married to Henry Kitteridge, a kind, considerate man who runs a pharmacy downtown, and has a troubled son named Christopher, who grows up to be a podiatrist. Olive Kitteridge Elizabeth Strout. Maybe the series should have been longer, perhaps even 13 episodes, one for each of the chapters in Strout’s book. Almost all of the stories—twelve of the thirteen—are set in small towns of Crosby or Maisy Mills, Maine. First, the characters are very much small-town people. They live in Crosby, Maine. The story follows the main character, Olive Kitteridge, as she deals with the daily life of living in a small town in Crosby, Maine. Get started. She is married to Henry Kitteridge, a kind, considerate man who runs a pharmacy downtown, and has a troubled son named Christopher, who grows up to be a podiatrist. For example, in "Tulips" when the Larkins retreat from social interaction due to a family tragedy, the building "eventually receded so that their house with its drawn shades took on, over time, the nature of one more hillock in the dramatic rise and fall of the coastal landscape." From the bit of backstory this four-hour glimpse into a long life gives us, it’s clear that Olive has been anticipating, even inviting, the worst since a young age. But that doesn’t mean we should swat them away and scold everyone around us for enjoying themselves. But in most cases, especially when her son Christopher (played as an adult by John Gallagher Jr.) is involved, Olive’s no-nonsense gruffness poisons the air around her, suffocating happy moments before they have a chance to die a natural death. I knew Olive Kitteridge was a pulitzer prize winner, so I was not surprised that I enjoyed reading the book.