Olive, again | elizabeth strout

Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy BartonA terrific writer Zadie SmithA superbly gifted storyteller and a craftswoman in a league of her own Hilary MantelA novel to treasure Sunday TimesOlive, Again follows the blunt, contradictory yet deeply loveable Olive Kitteridge as she grows older, navigating the second half of her life as she comes to terms with the changes - sometimes welcome, sometimes not - in her own existence and in those around her.

Olive adjusts to her new life with her second husband, challenges her estranged son and his family to accept him, experiences loss and loneliness, witnesses the triumphs and heartbreaks of her friends and neighbours in the small coastal town of Crosby, Maine - and, finally, opens herself to new lessons about life.

A powerful storyteller immersed in the nuances of human relationships ObserverShe gets better with each book Maggie OFarrellHer writing is exquisite; her vision is boundless.

What a sublime book.

Rachel JoyceGlorious The Times.