Rating: 
Summary: This book was well done and an entertaining read.
Review: I liked this book, I especially liked the character of Barnaby because his qualities were very human. I am wondering why some critics and readers thought his character portrayed a loser or someone who is unsuccessful. If your not a college graduate and a yuppie by the time you are thirty I guess that means you are a loser, which is a very ignorant point of view. Anne Tyler is a wonderful writer and this book is one of her best.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Anne Tyler's best effort
Review: I began this book with great anticipation because I am a big fan of Anne Tyler's work -- my favorites are Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and Ladder of Years. This story began promisingly enough, but was ultimately unsatisfying. So much was left hanging -- and even though this is not unusual in one of her novels, I felt at the end as though I didn't really care what happened to the main characters beyond the final page, and that IS unusual.I also didn't think that Tyler's device of writing in the male first person worked very well. I'm not saying it can't be done, but in this particular book, it felt stilted and not as authentic a voice as I'm used to from her. While I'll grant that even a mediocre book from a writer of Tyler's caliber is better than the best efforts of many other writers, this one felt like a noble experiment that didn't quite pan out.
Rating:
Summary: Ordinary People
Review: Unfortunately if one has read much Tyler, one begins to be able to predict the outcomes (if not the actual plots) of her novels. This is not a bad book by any means. It has good character definition, passable dialog, etc. It would actually make a fairly good play - very little in the way of sets would be necessary, too. I guess I wanted a little more - some surprises or something.
Rating:
Summary: Did I lose a couple of the end chapters?
Review: I have read and for the most part enjoyed all of Anne Tyler's books and really look forward to her new releases. As usual, I was immediately hooked by the characters and enjoyed the story line. I raced home from work each night to learn more about Barnaby, his job and his life. However, as I finished the book, it felt as though I had lost some of the end chapters. It felt like something was missing and I was disapointed.
Rating:
Summary: Tyler is a writer you can trust.
Review: In my opinion Anne Tyler just keeps getting better and better. I thought "A Patchwork Planet" was wonderful, in fact, I could barely put it down. Her prose is so smooth and easy, and her characters are always interesting. This book is also quite amusing. I was laughing out loud through most of it. (The whole family "Angel" thing was such a funny idea! I mean, how self important can you get?) I highly recommend "A Patchwork Planet" to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Fluffy but I liked the sentiment; Rich in spirit
Review: Sometimes it's good to read a novel that you can get through in a day. This was a fast read. I really liked the main character Barnaby's occupation Rent-a-Back. Especially contrasted with his uppity family's rich background.The description of his clients was too sketchy but charming nonetheless. I loved the dynamics in his family, smiley yet status-sensitive mother, wealthy yet mushy father and yuppie/pain in the ass brother. It made one think about priorities. What's more valuable, a high paying job in cash or in civic duty. And the idea of looking for "an angel" to direct him (us?) to better things. I had expected a little more in view of the New York Times glowing reviews of this book. The descriptions were a little thin and the style of writing jumped around a bit, hodge-podge, from introspective/thought-provoking to Dick and Jane. I'll have to try another of her books...
Rating:
Summary: Once again Anne Tyler has created memorable characters.
Review: You either like Anne Tyler or you don't. I find her writing to be very detailed and witty. The dialogue is incredible; I can picture these characters speaking and see images of the scenes in my mind. The characters reflect life as we know it; with bumps and smooth patches. Barnaby struggles with life as many people do; yet makes time for all the elderly people who need him. The book focuses on aging and what it must feel like to grow old and alone. This novel fits in well for those of us baby boomers with aging parents. There is a little bit of Barnaby in all of us; we will run from responsibility if it becomes overwhelming; we try to better ourselves and are not always successful. We experience family discord no matter how hard we try. Marriages fail; subsequent relationships become complex, and we all become old; there is no way to stop the process. Barnaby is a likeable character who struggles to measure up. He is always analyzing and is deep in thought. He tries to make up for his misdeeds, but can't pull it off to satisfy the important people in his life. His elderly clients love him and we have a small window into the lives of the elderly with Tyler's descriptions of the clients Barnaby assists. She mentions how the elderly have " old, ancient pets; a half bald cat and an arthritic dog..." She mentions the shopping cart with old people food;"one skinny quart of non fat milk; bran cereal; and a solitary grapefruit." This saddens Barnaby and seems to contrast with his own grandparents; Pop-Pop and his wife. They seems more vibrant in comparison to Barnaby's clients. Barnaby's girlfriend starts out rather promising, but by the end of the story, one shares Barnaby's annoyance with Sophia's predictability. I was glad that the novel implied Barnaby would end up with Martine. All in all, another excellent novel by Anne Tyler. I wonder how she thinks up these fabulous characters?
Rating:
Summary: Miraculously and impenetrably artful.
Review: I was in awe of this miracle of a book! It would not allow me to sleep once I opened it. I stayed up until dawn to finish it. It has a smack of sentimentality, and a tropism towards middle-class life, but where in world today can you find fiction of this caliber? I've never seen a more perfectly structured novel, and one without a sentence showing an elbow. Bravo, Ms. Tyler, for a novel I felt privileged to have met.
Rating:
Summary: The best of Anne Tyler
Review: This book kept me riveted from the first page to the last. I don't have high hopes for Barnaby but it is hard not to like him and wish him the best.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Review: I loved the protagonist, Barnaby Gaitlin. He's so quirky yet endearing, so human, so real. Tyler's books are the only ones that actually make me laugh out loud (especially the part where Barnaby states he always wanted a military wife, to which Sophia responds, "does this mean you plan to enlist?"). The stories of his elderly clients I found touching. The only problem I found with this book was that I found the plot to be slightly predictable. (DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS): You just know not too far into the book that he is going to start dating Sophia, but that the relationship is just his subconscious effort to "better" himself morally, and that Martine is really the girl for him in the end. But aside from that, I thought it was excellent, a truly enjoyable, funny, engrossing and thought provoking story.
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