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HARPSWELL — Oprah Winfrey is making Maine lobster rolls Insta-Famous.
Last month, the media mogul brought her streaming show “Oprah’s Book Club” to Harpswell’s Dolphin Marina and Restaurant to talk about the novel “Olive, Again,” her November book club pick, with Portland-born author Elizabeth Strout, in front of a studio audience.
The episode, the second in the series, started streaming on Apple TV+ over the weekend.
Gov. Janet Mills was invited to watch the filming and later met the television host.
The governor on Monday posted a photo of the two together on Facebook.
In a post Monday on Instagram, Winfrey revealed she tried her first lobster roll while visiting, and it wasn’t what she was expecting.
“This is the real deal,” said Winfrey. “I expected there to be like lots of mayonnaise and stuff in there, but this is pure.”
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“I think that Popeyes chicken sandwich has some competition,” added Winfrey.
In a social media post, Winfrey said she knew she needed to visit Maine after reading “Olive, Again” a portion of which takes place in Maine. Published in 2019, “Olive, Again” is the sequel to “Olive Kitteridge” and immediately became a New York Times Bestseller. The novel follows the life of a slightly-older Olive as she struggles to understand her hardships.
Gov. Janet Mills was invited to watch the taping of Winfrey’s show as a guest. (Photo courtesy of Lindsay Crete)
Published in 2008, “Olive Kitteridge” earned Strout a Pulitzer Prize the following year and became an HBO miniseries starring Bill Murray, Richard Jenkins and Frances McDormand.
Speaking on “CBS This Morning” in November, Winfrey described Strout’s writing: “One of her secret gifts is that she takes what is ordinary and makes it extraordinary. … Her gift is taking the simplest of things and turning them into something that feels real to us.”
Strout now splits her time between New York and Brunswick.
“Oprah has done so much to support readers and writers over the years,” Strout wrote on her website in November, after the book club selected “Olive, Again.” “I am really thrilled and honored that she chose OLIVE, AGAIN as her next Oprah’s Book Club pick.”
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