The rating on this novel was a tough decision... I waivered between 3 stars and 4, and couldn't quite land. On the one hand, Olive herself, eventually grew on me, and I strangely looked forward to hearing more about her as the short stories progressed. She was such an old sourpuss, but the author did a fine job of making the reader love her one minute, and hate her the next. She was a solid, quirky character with great depth, that reminded me so much of one of my own family members. On the other hand, the short stories left a little bit to be desired. I enjoyed some, but the great majority did nothing for me, which is unusual, because I generally love short stories.
What truly impressed me was the uniqueness of this format of short stories... they were all partially intertwined tales about people and events in this small town in Maine: most of them with a connection to Olive, however small. I also appreciated how a lingering question from one short story would eventually resolve itself in another.
So, ultimately, I landed on 3 stars, which in Goodreads speak means I liked it... which is indeed accurate. I did like it, I just didn't love it.
Read 5/10/18
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