The Pulitzer prize-winning novel from the author of the Booker longlisted My Name is Lucy Barton and Olive, Again. Olive Kitteridge: indomitable, compassionate and often unpredictable. A retired schoolteacher in a small coastal town in Maine, as she grows older she struggles to make sense of the changes in her life. She is a woman who sees into the hearts of those around her, their triumphs and tragedies. We meet her stoic husband, bound to her in a marriage both broken and strong, and a young man who aches for the mother he lost - and whom Olive comforts by her mere presence, while her own son feels overwhelmed by her complex sensitivities. A penetrating, vibrant exploration of the human soul, the story of Olive Kitteridge will make you laugh, nod in recognition, wince in pain, and shed a tear or two. 'Extraordinary ... the best novel I've read for some time' David Nicholls 'As perfect a novel as you will ever read' Evening Standard 'These pages hold what life puts in: experience, joy, grief, and the sometimes painful journey to love' Observer