Anne Tyler Books

Anne Tyler does a great job of writing about somewhat ordinary people and making them very interesting. Really she just does a great job of showing how complicated everyone is, even the people that appear boring at first glance.

Danny works at a post office and Lucy walks in and contemplates whether to send a package parcel post or priority mail. And because of her choice Danny is in love. And decides to marry her.

Lucy is a mystery. She has a past but we aren't sure what it is. She comes as a package deal, with two children.

Ian, Danny's brother, suspects Lucy of cheating on Danny and when he can no longer bear it, tells him.

Danny then commits suicide and Ian is left with the burden of guilt.

It is an excellent story of how Ian tries to rid himself of guilt; how he tries to redeem himself.

A lot of the story centers around Ian's involvement in a church, Church of the Second Chance. It is a very insightful account of the modern church and the every-man churchgoer.

The book is not fast paced; don't read it for that, but it is very thought provoking and for that I liked it a lot.

Anne Tyler does a great job of writing about somewhat ordinary people and making them very interesting. Really she just does a great job of showing how complicated everyone is, even the people that appear boring at first glance.

Danny works at a post office and Lucy walks in and contemplates whether to send a package parcel post or priority mail. And because of her choice Danny is in love. And decides to marry her.

Lucy is a mystery. She has a past but we aren't sure what it is. She comes as a package deal, with two children.

Ian, Danny's brother, suspects Lucy of cheating on Danny and when he can no longer bear it, tells him.

Danny then commits suicide and Ian is left with the burden of guilt.

It is an excellent story of how Ian tries to rid himself of guilt; how he tries to redeem himself.

A lot of the story centers around Ian's involvement in a church, Church of the Second Chance. It is a very insightful account of the modern church and the every-man churchgoer.

The book is not fast paced; don't read it for that, but it is very thought provoking and for that I liked it a lot.

Anne Tyler does a great job of writing about somewhat ordinary people and making them very interesting. Really she just does a great job of showing how complicated everyone is, even the people that appear boring at first glance.

Danny works at a post office and Lucy walks in and contemplates whether to send a package parcel post or priority mail. And because of her choice Danny is in love. And decides to marry her.

Lucy is a mystery. She has a past but we aren't sure what it is. She comes as a package deal, with two children.

Ian, Danny's brother, suspects Lucy of cheating on Danny and when he can no longer bear it, tells him.

Danny then commits suicide and Ian is left with the burden of guilt.

It is an excellent story of how Ian tries to rid himself of guilt; how he tries to redeem himself.

A lot of the story centers around Ian's involvement in a church, Church of the Second Chance. It is a very insightful account of the modern church and the every-man churchgoer.

The book is not fast paced; don't read it for that, but it is very thought provoking and for that I liked it a lot.

Timothy is an appealing and all too familiar protagonist to many people who know children. Resistant to change of any kind, he rejects any well-meant attempts to vary his menu, his wardrobe, his routine. Anne Tyler carefully paces his gradual awakening in this believable and satisfying tale. Mitra Modarressi's illustrations are wittily enchanting.

James Green is a photographer of pictures for the local newspaper in Larksville and weddings, for the most part. He lives with his brother Ansel who suffers from anemia, untreated largely because he has an unreasonable fear of needles.

At the start James is attending the funeral of the young daughter, Janie Rose, of his neighbors, the Pikes. He brings Janie Rose's brother Simon home with him while other family members remain at the cemetery to spare the youngster's feelings. Ansel and Simon make ice box pizza, using the many ingredients scheduled for termination when an ice box is cleaned. (The ice box pizza is, of course, a hallmark of the style of Anne Tyler, one of the many amusing touches in this novel of family and community issues.) The child is in wonder over the use of peanut butter for their confection.

James is interested in a live-in cousin of the Pikes, Joan. He develops an idea that he should photograph everyone in the way they have lodged in his memory. Ansel asserts he is being contained to do his dying, first in the state, than in the town, and finally in a room.

Joan is twenty six. She lives in her bedroom, the way a guest does. Nine months of the year she works as a secretary to the principal. She doesn't like Ansel. She blames him for the fact her romance with James isn't progressing to greater intimacy.

In time Mr. Pike resumes working to avoid just sitting around and Mrs. Pike is persuaded to pick up her dress-making. Joan thinks she needs to return to live with her own family and then has a change of mind.

Other than the social benefits of belonging to a church and the solace of the service, I have never understood why people need religion. But this novel gave new insight. As flawed as the Church of the Second Chance is, it provides what Ian, the main character of this story needs: practical help and morale support.

When Ian foregoes his college education and lets his friends and girlfriend drift away so that he can take care of children abandoned by his brother's suicide and their mother's overdose, it is what he knows is right and what the church tells him is right. He chooses to follow his conscience, knowing he will be eaten away morally if he walks away. He sacrifices his own development in many ways and doesn't have a life of his own into middle age. During the years the children are growing up, his personality almost disappears.

The reader cringes when he makes his choice and supports his parents' advice: finish school, this isn't your problem. Two of the children aren't even blood related, and the youngest is of dubious paternity. But there's no dissuading Ian, and as he struggles to become a parent over night, the reader begins to wish she could lend a hand with all of that laundry. His father is next to useless. His mother, crippled with arthritis, barely functions, but passes on her unrealistic optimism. The Second Chance day care/summer camp is recognized as pathetic by the children, but it's laudable for providing a lifeline.

Ultimately, it's gratifying that Ian doesn't choose the "Every Man for Himself" philosophy so prevalent in our time. His youth is stolen from him. The three children's views of Ian are well drawn and colored by their ability to remember their parents and the events before Ian stepped in. Daphne, the youngest, is Ian's child from the start, as much as if he had fathered her.

Without revealing the ending, let's say that Ian gets what he deserves, although he's almost unable to recognize it.

Bottom line: you can't go wrong with Anne Tyler.

Anne Tyler does a great job of writing about somewhat ordinary people and making them very interesting. Really she just does a great job of showing how complicated everyone is, even the people that appear boring at first glance.

Danny works at a post office and Lucy walks in and contemplates whether to send a package parcel post or priority mail. And because of her choice Danny is in love. And decides to marry her.

Lucy is a mystery. She has a past but we aren't sure what it is. She comes as a package deal, with two children.

Ian, Danny's brother, suspects Lucy of cheating on Danny and when he can no longer bear it, tells him.

Danny then commits suicide and Ian is left with the burden of guilt.

It is an excellent story of how Ian tries to rid himself of guilt; how he tries to redeem himself.

A lot of the story centers around Ian's involvement in a church, Church of the Second Chance. It is a very insightful account of the modern church and the every-man churchgoer.

The book is not fast paced; don't read it for that, but it is very thought provoking and for that I liked it a lot.

Anne Tyler captures the essence of atonement as Ian Bedloe realizes his error for making a false accusation very early in his life. He spends the rest of his life atoning for this error. The fascination is that no one else seems to blame or even believe Ian is at fault. How often does this occur in our own lives when we take on the guilt of something we know we have done but others fail or refuse to recognize our fault. Ian Bedloe does the "right" thing and we are left wondering just why he makes this difficult sacrifice all in the name of reconcilliation. We only hope we would be as noble and charitable. Once again the novel informs us of who we are and how our culture treats us; we are not alone and we need such reminders of what life is all about. Anne Tyler kindly reminds us.

In "Saint Maybe" Anne Tyler focuses again on her favorite subject, people - a seemingly average family, the Bedloes.

Bee and Doug Bedloe live with their three children in a small town, on Waverly street, where everyone has their place - there are the newlyweds, the foreigners, the old lady... The Bedloes are the Happy Family. The ideal family. Average, so that they do not make others jealous of their achievements, but no scandalous behavior: the parents are happily married, the daughter, Claudia, is also happily married off and a good mother, the older son, Danny, works at the post office, and the youngest, Ian, is in high school. Everything is in balance, everything is just so. Until Danny suddenly decides to marry Lucy Dean, a perky divorcee with two children, who came out of nowhere and nobody knew anything about her. The speculations rise, and culminate in the birth of the baby, Daphne, just 7 months after Lucy's and Danny's wedding. Ian, who is the central character in the novel, decides to share his suspicions with Danny, who dies a moment after hearing the news, starting the chain of irreversible events which forever change Ian's and the whole family's life.

Danny's death and Lucy's sleeping pills overdose shortly after make Ian feel terribly guilty. This guilt and its consequences are really what "Saint Maybe" is about. The events I described above, leading to the tragedy, are only the beginning (that is why I do not consider the description a spoiler). The novel is, in this respect, anti-climactic - everything happens at the beginning and the most dramatic event is only a starting point. The real subject is the analysis of guilt, atonement and despair, and a profound change in Ian Bedloe's life after his brother's death. Ian feels burdened with responsibility and decides to take up the upbringing of Lucy's children - Tommy, Agatha and Daphne. He feels weak and at a loss, but perseveres despite his doubts and difficulties. His path is very much influenced by the Church of the Second Chance, a small congregation of slightly peculiar views...

"Saint Maybe" is not a novel with a rich plot or surprising turns of events and no straightforward answers are given to the obvious questions, which may pop into the reader's head as suggested at the beginning (Was Lucy really cheating? Is Daphne Danny's daughter?), so do not look for them. Instead, this novel is a great study of painful, lifelong guilt and coming to terms with it. The questions answered are more universal. The characters are stereotypical, they are supposed to be so (that's why I am surprised to see the criticism of "foreigners" in some other reviews - these are not real people; these are foreigners how the neighbors from their small town, for example Doug Bedloe, see them). Only towards the end, marked by experience, they finally come to life.

Anne Tyler wrote a very good book, solid and lifelike, tackling a real problem and managing to get to its core with humor, sadness, hope and love.

I leaped from her ninth book straight into this, her twelfth. She's so masterful it's downright scary, folks. The sense of awe that great authors give me was one thing that drove me to write. But if I'd read Anne Tyler's best novels, such as this one, long ago, it might have scared me right back to washing dishes and bussing tables.

I'm writing this review on a laptop in Malaysia and I know I have about 6 more of her novels back home, unread and waiting. That's something to be very happy about.

This is a great, easy, summer read. The characters are fun, quirky and surprisingly easy to relate to.

This volume is a collection of three novels by Anne Tyler: "A Patchwork Planet" of 1998, "Ladder of Years" of 1995, and "Saint Maybe" of 1991. Hardbound and durable, this volume is a better option for a reader who has started reading Anne Tyler, and even for the reader who already owns one or two paperbacks with novels contained in this volume. This volume is simply beautiful. Pleasant serif typeface, good, bright paper, nice cover artwork, and finally, amazingly low cost. You get three hardbound novels for a price of one paperback. In addition, all three novels of Anne Tyler belong to the more interesting subset of her literary heritage, so there is really nothing to be suspicious about here. Psst, do not tell anyone I have said that, but such bargains are possible only in North America. Nowhere else I would be able to get hold of three interesting novels combined in one hardbound volume for almost nothing. Do not hesitate, dear reader, and rush to purchase this collection. Now!

This was the first book of A. Tyler's that I read. I thought the most beautifully written. Somehow the title suits the book and a beautifully crafted work. The characters are human, a bit sad and you find yourself cheering them on. This book enticed me to read her others. I also liked Ladder of Years, but not as much. Breathing Lessons for which she won the Pulitzer I felt was not as good as her later works.

I cannot remember reading a more depressing novel (and I just finished The Kite Runner). The Amateur Marriage is very well written except for some style inconsistencies that bothered me but, because the story is so "small," it would be a difficult film treatment. What they should make is a movie of the reviewers' marriages who have described this story as "delightful." What must they be like?

The pace of the book is unique, in which years are cleverly rolled out in a way that make you wonder what happenbed to them... just like real life! Tyler jumps ahead decade by decade and clues the reader in using subtle current event hints that further illustrate how detached Michael and Pauline were from their own "real lives". I couldn't see either life as anything but a series of wasted, undocumented days that filled the unwritten chapters in between.

Throughout this novel you'll want to scream at the characters to "step back!", "simplify!", "communicate!" In the end, I was so glad for my own marriage and family that I demonstrated it, so, I guess you could say, this novel changed me in a good way.

I absolutely loved "The Amateur Marriage." It was the third of Tyler's novels I've read, and by far the best. As with all her novels, the characters are so fully realized as to seem like they're members of your own family, but what makes "Marriage" excel is that the plot is strong as well. I tore through this book because I felt invested in the lives of Pauline, Michael, and their friends and family, and I especially could not wait for the resolution of the Lindy drama (I'm being vague here so as not to spoil it for anyone). Some of the characters reminded me of my own relatives, which could be part of why I found the novel so compelling. I highly recommend "Marriage" to Tyler fans, and it's also an excellent starting title for those new to Tyler. Truly a gem of a novel.

The Amateur Marriage relates to all of us in a sense that we are all in amateur relationships of some kind. None of us are experts. This story really helps to illustrate just how vulnerable we all are to life's situations and complexities which can simply consist of everday happenings. Its a wonderful and relaxing read. The Amateur Marriage: A Novel

I can see only one flaw in Ms. Tyler's otherwise excellent novel--she observes and narrates with an affection and respect for each of the characters, and her insights into people are uncanny and brilliant, but she doesn't provide hope or inputs on how to cope with a mismatched marriage. So it created despair in me.

In "The Amateur Marriage," Michael and Pauline meet cute just after Pearl Harbor. Entering Michael's family's small grocery store in an ethnic section of Baltimore, Pauline seeks medical attention for a minor wound she suffered in an impromptu parade celebrating the admission to the military of several young men from the neighborhood. Michael rushes to Pauline's rescue, setting in motion a romance that eventually will result in marriage, but not before Michael enlists in an attempt to impress Pauline. They have children and settle into a typical middle-class, suburban existence. Unfortunately, they're young (20ish) and make each other pretty miserable - arguing and failing to understand each other and lacking any communication skills that the other can recognize. Really, they don't belong together; however, in that time and age, most people stuck together, as do Michael and Pauline.

Anne Tyler has specialized in finely etching the intimate lives of just such people, often focusing on quirky Baltimore denizens. She's done some amazing work ("Breathing Lessons," "The Accidental Tourist"). This couple is not as memorable as characters appearing in her best novels, but "The Amateur Marriage" is a fine addition to her bibliography. As always, her writing is solid and enjoyable, particularly the details she injects about the Eastern European neighborhood in which the couple lives initially. There also are some interesting shifts in perspective as the story winds through the decades.

Unfortunately, "The Amateur Marriage" falls short of her best novels; in particular, Tyler offers few surprises and the couple's bickering become repetitive. Further weakening the story, the couple is rather predictable - Michael is risk-aversive and silent and practical, whereas Pauline is flighty and romantic and stormy. In other words, the couple represents nearly every stereotype regarding differences between the sexes. Nevertheless, "The Amateur Marriage" ultimately is a worthwhile read. Even when she slips into predictability, Tyler manages to include enough insightful observations to keep the reader interested.

Only Anne Tyler can make you care about the most unlikely people doing rather uninteresting ordinary things, so much so, that you don't want the book to end. She is a true master. Her writing is deft. Her writing is an experience.
You always laugh and you're always touched and you're always richer after an Anne Tyler book.

I loved Patchwork Planet!! I also highly recommend Accidental Tourist.

I love the way Ms. Tyler writes. I enjoyed coming home to this book at the end of the day and having the characters be the last thing I thought about before I went to sleep. Books can dazzle you with great technical feats of word play and original ideas deftly laid out like literary banquets but in the end they MUST be good company and this book succeeded handily.

I've had this one on my bookshelf for a long time and I thought it was time to dust it off and read it before passing it on. I have heard many great things about Anne Tyler's books and it was with great anticipation I picked this one up to read. It's not as good as I thought it would be ~~ but it's not the worst either. It's just an easy-going, rambling kind of book ~~ kinda like life itself.

The main character is Barnaby Gaitlin, a thirty-year-old man who earns a living just taking care of elderly people ~~ if they needed a table moved, Barnaby was their man, if they needed to go to the grocery store, Barnaby would take them, if they needed to have someone water their houseplants while they're in the hospital ~~ again, Barnaby was their man. It is a sweet story about life, aging and coming to a self-realization that maybe that this is just all there is in this world. It's rather depressing if you stop to think about it but Anne Tyler glided over it rather gracefully.

Barnaby meets his "angel" on the way to Philly when he was visiting his daughter. Only this angel has feet of clay as this novel will show. When Barnaby was younger he was caught climbing out of his neighbor's house ~~ he would break and enter but not for cash or liquor like his friends, but he would steal mementos, something that would only be special to one person. It could be a diary, a photo ablum, an elephant carved out of ivory ~~ whatever. It was nothing precious that he could make a lot of money off of. With his family's shame hanging over his head, Barnaby tries to figure out a life of his own where he could rest contentedly. He meets Sophia, a woman six years older than him, and fell in love. Only when her aunt suspects that Barnaby stole the money ~~ he discovers that Sophia doesn't completely believe in his innocence.

It's an easy novel to read ~~ it's quick and rather predictable. It's great for summer and book club discussions ~~ but I am not sure if this book has made me an Anne Tyler fan. That remains to be seen.

7-8-07

Not even thirty, Barnaby Gaitlin's life seems less than promising. He's already divorced, with a nine-year-old daughter; lives in a basement, which he pays for by doing odd jobs for the elderly and disabled; and owes his rich, eccentric parents $8700 for a crime he committed as a teenager.

Yet despite these crude facts, Barnaby is a good man. He truly adores his clients, even at their most demanding; he is happy without much in the way of material things; and he's just beginning to forge a strong relationship with his little girl Opal.

So when Barnaby's client Grace Glynn accuses him of stealing, Barnaby is floored. It's hard to say, however, if it's really the accusation -- or the later discovery that his girlfriend Sophia (Grace's niece) secretly replaced the missing money with her own funds to clear Barnaby's name -- which angers him most. Who asked Sophia to try fixing things? And worse, do her actions mean she doesn't believe he's innocent?

The Gaitlins have long believed in angels -- mysterious women appearing at crucial moments in their lives, and guiding them to wisdom and inspiration -- and Barnaby firmly believed Sophia was his. Now, however, he is beginning to see cracks in her perfection.

Goodness is all around him, in the least likely places; something Barnaby doesn't realize until a great deal comes to pass.

She remains an amazing author. I've hit a patch where I read about a man leaving his family, a suicide and a brother who blames himself for it, and a woman leaving her family. Anne Tyler always hits very close to home regardless of what the book is allegedly "about," because that's part of being Anne Tyler. But this wasn't quite so "heavy" a book as the others, so I welcomed it. It's one of those very rare gems known as an Anne Tyler book that you can read in a single day. Savoring it, however, is something you do for months and years afterward.

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
I'd never read anything by Anne Tyler before, and I was pleasantly affected by her writing. Her characters, however odd and unfamiliar, really seem to come alive. I didn't identify well with them, but I really came to know them and understand the reasons for their actions.
However, I felt that the conclusion was a little rushed. The first half of the book taking place in Macon's family home, then the second act, if you will, his relationship with Muriel, then the third section where he moves home with Sarah, then goes to Paris....just wasn't as well-developed. The choices Macon makes at the end seem to come out of nowhere. Like, all of a sudden he's back at home and it just wasn't described. There's a flash back later, but it feels like just that. A flash back. Then, just when you think it's going to be over and he and Sarah have both grown enough to be together, he inexplicably chooses Muriel. I just didn't really understand. I found Muriel eccentric and fun, at first, and was really pleased with her and her influence on Macon. Then she got all pushy and annoying, which I felt was a device for getting the reader prepared for Macon to return to Sarah. Then, Muriel follows Macon to Paris, and I was like, "Hello, stalker?" And that just shouldn't work. You shouldn't leave your wife for your stalker. Which, really, is what she was. Macon just goes along with it, even from the beginning.
I liked Alexander (Muriel's son), though, and am glad for his sake that Macon will return to his life.

I did not like the ending for this book. It was rather abrupt.

The characters in this novel were well drawn and pulled you into their world. I wanted to find out what was going to happen to them in the end rather than what was going to happen next, though. This was not a thriller suspense novel so maybe that was appropriate. It worked to keep the pages turning for me (smile).

I liked the ways that Tyler worded things in the book (ie: "But he held his peace and watched Garner walk out. There was something pitiable about the two sharp cords that ran down the back of Garner's neck, cupping a little ditch of mapped brown skin between them.") She definitely has a way with words. I could not only see what Macon saw with this passage but I could feel what Macon felt as he watched Garner walk away.

I will probably choose another Anne Tyler novel to read (or two). It was not a bad read; I did enjoy it for the most part. As I mentioned before, I was not crazy about the ending.

This is good reading, low key, entertaining. If you are looking for sex, crime, thrill a minute, it is not for you. It is for the person who just wants to relax with a good book.

What a wonderful book. Thank you Anne Tyler for creating such unforgettable characters and filling this book with wit, creativity and enormous heart. I just absolutely loved it.

I thought this was very enjoyable book. The characters are truly believable, which for me makes for a great read. The author describes her characters in detail and ensures that their personalities are developed and before I knew it just seemed like I had met Macon, Muriel, or Sarah at sometime in my life. The story is an easy read, and would make a great beach read.