Rating: 
Summary: Loved the gentle narration of David Morse!
Review: This might have been one book I wouldn't have rated quite so high in hardback, but the audio version was SO well done. A recent issue of *People* magazine mentioned Morse's contribution to the book, and I fondly remember him in *St. Elsewhere* and the movie, CONTACT. I wasn't disappointed. I'm amazed at the number of voices he used including the many old people, including women. My drive to and from work went so fast as I became involved in Barnaby's life.
Rating:
Summary: Attention to details makes A Patchwork Planet Worthwhile
Review: Barnaby Gaitlin is a Holden Caufield for the 90's. The best and most memorable dialog is the constant talk that occurs in Barnaby's head. This was the first book I've read of Tyler's, but if this is an indication of her writing it won't be the last.
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Summary: Anne Tyler understands men and the elderly.
Review: I liked this book, over all. It is hard to find great fiction. I thought there were just a couple things wrong with the book. 1. It took me most of the book to realize Sophie was not an elderly lady Barnaby was watching on the train. I thought she was old and she ended up being 36. 2. Barnaby thought more eloquently than he spoke. I don't know if that was intentional or not. Maybe all men have the potentional to be detailed thinkers and don't know how to express themselves. I might be married to one. I thought it was very interesting how important an old car in the family can start friction. That is so true in today's society and families. As far as the ending goes, there was so much potential for disaster, and the reader is right there amoungst all the action, and it suddenly ends with a "ahhhh", but you have no clue as to which woman he will choose in the long run. Interesting characters, wonderful insight into the lives of the elderly.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst book I've read in a long time!
Review: I read this book because of the acclaim and praise Anne Tyler has received from her past books, and was very surprised to find such a shallow, simple-minded story. Tyler did not think this story through. It seems to have been hastily written, perhaps for an impatient publisher. I found the main character anything but "lovable," but rather, a true loser with very little redeeming qualities. Why would I want to spend my time reading about such a person?
Rating: 
Summary: Appliqued with love!
Review: This is the first time that I've read Anne Tyler. After completion of this book, it won't be the last. The main character, Barnaby, is the common thread of this quilted story. He's a person who's been pierced by life and can then relate to those who find their lives in pieces. As others look for their angels, he finds the angelic in almost everyone.
Rating:
Summary: One of her best novels yet
Review: This was my sixth Anne Tyler novel, and the only one I have enjoyed more is Breathing Lessons. Too often her characters are eccentric in an unappealing way, but in Patchwork Planet this was not the case. I would have loved to have heard much more of the life stories of Barnaby's elderly clients. The only character I found boring was his daughter. The dialogue and situations were natural and believable. I think if you like Anne Tyler at all you will enjoy this book, and if you haven't read any of her works yet, this would be a good one to read first.
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Summary: Compassionate.
Review: "Patchwork" is the perfect description for this Tyler novel: the mismatched, dysfunctional world that is Barnaby's. Looking for his "angel," he finds her in the person of an elder client and an unanticipated finale leaves the reader in profound thought. A great walk through the life of a misunderstood young man.
Rating:
Summary: Random encounters, random rejection, and being drawn to both
Review: "The lonely one," wrote Friedrich Nietszche, always the expert of human experience, "offers his hand to quickly to whomever he encounters." While it's unlikely Nietszche was recalling the romantic ramblings of American author Anne Tyler, his words certainly sum up the sentiment of her latest novel. A Patchwork Planet intimately understands the pain and frustration of an empty life, full of illconnected parts, and the misguided notion that to appreciate ourselves, and pull those parts together, someone else must do it too. Barnaby Gaitlin is Patchwork Planet's almost anti-hero, and tries his hardest to be everything he doesn't really want to be. He's in his late twenties, has an ex-wife, a record, and spends his life as a "rent-a-back" - cleaning, cooking and constructing Christmas trees for lonely old clients. His mother doesn't trust him, and he likes that; his clients leave him their house key when they're away on holiday, and he f! eels slightly insulted. "She takes it for granted that I'm a good person," he says of one. "Come to think of it, I am the one who doesn't". Then Barnaby spots Sophia. He sees her on a train trip to Pennsylvania, and is immediately impressed when, asked to pass an envelope on to someone at the end of the line, she does so without even attempting to look inside. When Barnaby was young and wild, and would break into homes, he pored over family photos - anything at all personal - but Sophia, somehow, has a complete lack of curiosity. Either she doesn't care, or is so intrinsically good that question never crosses her mind. "What makes people more virtuous than others?" Barnaby wonders. "Don't they ever feel that zingy, thrilling urge to smash the world to bits?" But while Barnaby is drawn to Sophia because of her trust in him - and, in fact, demands she trust him - her faith makes him nervous. He doesn't trust himself, and knows ! that anyone who does, must be lying to themselves. And tha! t's worse. Alleviating all flaws, after all, is impossible; accepting others' failings without question means you will never know your own. But at the same time, sending someone away, just because they believe in you, makes just as little sense. In A Patchwork Planet, Anne Tyler offers some of her most intricate observations yet. Simple situations, and simple people, become more involved than we thought they could. Characters we don't really know; characters we don't really want to know, and characters that never know each other, all contribute to a frustrating, yet reflective, read. It's hard to feel part of Patchwork Planet - like the two main characters, you sense there's something you can't quite trust - but in the end, its coldness, and its distance, are what keep you from putting it down.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story and characters
Review: This is one of Tyler's best in my opinion. It was more realistic than some of her other stories. The characters were strong and interesting. Barnaby was an excellent lead. His foibles made him someone I could really relate to. I hope her future novels are more like this one.
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Summary: SHE IS THE BEST FICTION WRITER IN AMERICA
Review: AS USUAL WITH AN ANNE TYLER NOVEL, HER QUIRKY CHARACTERS ARE THE BEST PART. SHE IS ABLE TO TAKE THE ORDINARY IN ALL OF US AND MAKE IT SEEM EXTRAORDINARY. BARNABY MAKES US ALL WANT TO BELIEVE IN FINDING OUR OWN PERSONAL ANGEL AND LEAVING A LEDGER FOR POSTERITY. THIS IS A MUST READ FOR ANYONE WHO HAS SAVORED ANNE TYLER'S PREVIOUS NOVELS.
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