ELLIE’S STORY #11
My Coming-of-Age Story is About to Begin
Because we’re never too old to grow
It’s been three very full days since I last wrote in my journal — such a busy week with so much to digest. I feel like I should do “Headline News” and see how it goes. David said I was a born writer. He was wrong, but I’m better than I give myself credit for.
Book Club Yields Discoveries
David would do better with a warmer or more clever headline.
The six of us all had a different take on Olive Kitteridge. Some found Olive too repressed and “New Englandy.” I didn’t understand what “too New Englandy” meant other than going back to Alfred’s and my discussion of being “crisp.”
Olive didn’t emote, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t feel. I could relate to that. Readers who love Olive appreciate her deep but somewhat hidden heart. She helps people she barely knows — like the young woman with an eating disorder. The book was chockful of moments to support whatever view you held. My view of Olive was all positive, and I was curious what led to her growth.
My book club agreed that she evolved into quite a person. My biggest takeaway, though, was that her growth happened later in life. She wasn’t a twenty-something discovering…
