Olivia (Rossner novel) Olivia (Rossner novel) Olivia (or, The Weight of the Past) is the penultimate novel by Judith Rossner, author of the critically acclaimed best sellers "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and "August". Published in 1994 by Crown, "Olivia" examines "a mother-daughter conflict set in the world of gastronomy." Caroline Sindler is a chef and popular cooking teacher. In flashback, she recounts her past life: after showing an early interest, she learns to cook. After dropping out of college, she travels to Italy, where she finds work in a restaurant, and meets Angelo, a Sicilian in his thirties. After becoming pregnant by him,
William Atherton He got his big break playing hapless fugitive Clovis Poplin in "The Sugarland Express" (1974), the feature film debut of Steven Spielberg. After this, he garnered major roles in dark dramas such as "The Day of the Locust" (1975) and "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" (1977), as well as the big-budget disaster film "The Hindenburg" (1975). Atherton also starred as cowboy Jim Lloyd in the miniseries "Centennial" (1978), based on the novel by James Michener. Atherton appeared in the comedy "Ghostbusters" (1984) as the EPA agent Walter Peck. Martha Coolidge chose Atherton to play Professor Jerry Hathaway in the teen comedy