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Quick answer: If you loved Olive Kitteridge, read Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, My Name Is Lucy Barton and Anything Is Possible, then Kent Haruf's Plainsong, then Richard Russo's Empire Falls, and Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies and Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad. All are quiet, interlinked story collections and small-town novels.
Elizabeth Strout's 2008 book is a set of linked stories about a retired teacher in a Maine town. It won the Pulitzer Prize. These picks offer similar clear, humane writing.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive Kitteridge | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | readers who like small-town stories |
| My Name Is Lucy Barton | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | quiet family fiction |
| Anything Is Possible | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | linked small-town stories |
| Olive, Again | Elizabeth Strout | Adult | more of Olive |
| Plainsong | Kent Haruf | Adult | readers who like small-town stories |
| Empire Falls | Richard Russo | Adult | small-town drama |
| Interpreter of Maladies | Jhumpa Lahiri | Adult | short story fans |
| A Visit from the Goon Squad | Jennifer Egan | Adult | linked stories |
| The Shipping News | Annie Proulx | Adult | bleak but funny |
| The House on Mango Street | Sandra Cisneros | Adult | readers who want a short classic |
| Cold Mountain | Charles Frazier | Adult | literary historical fiction |
| The Corrections | Jonathan Franzen | Adult | family satire |
| Tara Road | Maeve Binchy | Adult | house swap |
| Circle of Friends | Maeve Binchy | Adult | Irish friendships |
| Outline | Rachel Cusk | Adult | modern minimalism |
1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Linked stories about a retired schoolteacher in a Maine town. Won the Pulitzer Prize, and Olive is unforgettable.
Best for: readers who like small-town stories.
2. My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
During a long hospital stay, a woman talks with her estranged mother about the past. Short, quiet and affecting.
Best for: quiet family fiction.
3. Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
Linked stories about people in Lucy Barton's hometown, who carry shame, love and old hurts. Humane and clear.
Best for: linked small-town stories.
4. Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
The sequel to Olive Kitteridge follows the sharp-tongued Olive into old age. Funny and moving.
Best for: more of Olive.
5. Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Interconnected lives in small-town Colorado, from teachers to farmers to a pregnant teen. Gentle and deeply human.
Best for: readers who like small-town stories.
6. Empire Falls by Richard Russo
A Maine mill town and the people who stay in it, centred on a man who runs a diner. A Pulitzer winner with warmth and humour.
Best for: small-town drama.
7. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Nine short stories about Indian and Indian American lives. Spare, precise and Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: short story fans.
8. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Linked stories follow people in the music business over decades. Inventive and funny, and a Pulitzer winner.
Best for: linked stories.
9. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
A man moves with his daughters to Newfoundland. Pulitzer winner with quirky prose.
Best for: bleak but funny.
10. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Esperanza Cordero grows up in Chicago in a series of vignettes. Short and lyrical.
Best for: readers who want a short classic.
11. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
A wounded Confederate soldier walks home to his love. Slow, lyrical and rooted in landscape.
Best for: literary historical fiction.
12. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
An aging Midwestern couple and their three grown children collide at Christmas. A long, comic family novel about American life.
Best for: family satire.
13. Tara Road by Maeve Binchy
Two women swap homes and lives. Moving and humane.
Best for: house swap.
14. Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Two friends grow up in an Irish village and then in Dublin. Warm and old-fashioned.
Best for: Irish friendships.
15. Outline by Rachel Cusk
A writer teaches in Athens and listens to the stories of others. Cool and thoughtful.
Best for: modern minimalism.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Olive Kitteridge: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Olive Kitteridge. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For more Strout, read My Name Is Lucy Barton. For linked stories, try Interpreter of Maladies or A Visit from the Goon Squad. For small-town novels, pick Plainsong or Empire Falls.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Olive Kitteridge?
Elizabeth Strout, in 2008.
Did it win a prize?
Yes, the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, an HBO miniseries starring Frances McDormand.
Which book here is best for modern minimalism?
Try Outline by Rachel Cusk, which suits readers looking for modern minimalism.
Which book here is best for Irish friendships?
Try Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy, which suits readers looking for Irish friendships.
Which book here is best for house swap?
Try Tara Road by Maeve Binchy, which suits readers looking for house swap.
Which book here is best for family satire?
Try The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, which suits readers looking for family satire.