Rating: 
Summary: A Light Read
Review: This the first book I've read by Anne Tyler and I must admit I was expecting more due to her reputation. This is a well written story about a 53 year old woman who hits a point where she realizes her life has not turned out anything like she thought it would. Then as she tries to go after the life she thought she would have, she realizes she likes her life as it is. As vague as I sound writing that, the whole plot isn't that much more detailed. True this is not a plot driven story but when the end came I couldn't help but feel a little let down. I craved something a little more dramatic.That said I enjoyed the read. It was light and full of interesting characters especially Rebecca. Even though I am in my 20s I could relate to a lot of what she was feeling and going through, I only wish that the ending was stronger.
Rating: 
Summary: GOD BLESS ANNE TYLER
Review: Anne Tyler takes the everyday person, in an everyday life, and creates an exquisite masterpiece of profound wisdom and insight. In this case it is 53 year old Rebecca Davitich, struggling through a midlife crisis while dealing with a circus of eccentric family memebers . What she discovers on this peregrition is relatable to all who face the second half of their lives. It is deeply moving and uproariously funny all on the same page. Tyler is a magician with dialogue, keeping it slightly off kilter to the norm, but always believable and charming. At some point in the book you forget you are reading, transcending paper and space to join Rebecca in her pursuits, her worries, her dilemmas, and her solutions. She isn't a character anymore; she is a best friend and you are rooting for her all the way. Anne Tyler is on my top 5 list of all time women author's deservedly, with this book providing the evidence of why. Don't hesitate to buy this book; you deserve it!!!
Rating: 
Summary: unsatisfying ending goes nowhere
Review: Don't waste your time on these flat characters and nearly total lack of plot!
Rating:
Summary: Going Nowhere
Review: It was difficult for me to finish the book. I do not see where the author developes any of the characters to the point I feel like I really know them. The story is very shallow as far as knowing how characters really feel or behave;with the exception of the 100 year old "Poppy". I saw a glimse of his character and could picture what he would look like. The story just rambles on and on about the events in a family's life but there is no climax to the story. Rebecca,a grandmother, is the main character. She is trying to find out why she has become the person she is. She is different from what she was as a young girl. She contacts an old friend and trys to rekindle a fire with him,she trys to talk with her mother but nothing ever happens in the story that brings out the climatic circumstance I kept waiting for.
I suggest borrowing the book or checking it out at the library before deciding to purchase it.
Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: Like many of the other reviewers, I consider myself a big Anne Tyler fan. So I was quite excited to read her latest novel. But also like some of the reviewers, I was not at all intrigued by Rebecca's plight and found the characters to be uninteresting. I was especially numbed every time her old flame, Will (I don't even remember if that's the correct name) came into the story. The longer I read the book, the less I sympathized with Rebecca. I was completely unsatisfied by the ending, although I guess I was glad it finally ended! I did give more than one star because although I did not like the story, I still love Anne Tyler's writing. I hope this is just a one-time lapse and that Ms. Tyler will be back with more of her wonderful stories very soon!
Rating:
Summary: Back When We Were Grownups
Review: I think it would be impossible to dislike an Anne Tyler book. Her characters are just so real. Her books always introuduce you to people that you get to know so well and wish you didn't have to leave at the last page. This is not her best book (that would be Ladder of Years), but still great enjoyment.
Rating:
Summary: If you really, really like Anne Tyler-
Review: You may well love this book.I am only a casual fan of Ms. Tyler's. I "joined" at _Accidental Tourist,_ and have read every book of hers since.This my be the last one I read. It is well written, and rich with detail. Tyler would be a great historical interpreter of Baltimore.However, I wanted to smack most of the characters for being spiritless mopes.I had enomous empathy for Rebecca "Beck" Davitch, but she was the only chracter I liked.I find it interesting that most of Tyler's women are not college graduates. Rebecca continues in this pattern.Rebecca is as endearing/infuriating as Breathing Lessons's Maggie, but _Breathing Lessons_ is a more satisfying book.Laurie Colwin's _Family Happiness_ explores many of the same themes, but in a much more engaging manner.
Rating:
Summary: Back when we were grown-ups
Review: First, let me say this: I was quite disappointed in this book. To say that it went nowhere would be a huge understatement. No conclusions were drawn, no changes were made... ZIP! A portion of the book was devoted Robert E. Lee's biography...had nothing to do with the rest of the book. That being said, I was invested in the main character. I really WANTED there to be some conclusions for her. I thought maybe she would end up with the family friend, but there was no clear indication of that. Maybe Tyler's point was that THIS is real life. Sometimes the end of the story is that there is no end??? Enjoyable, but the end frustrated me.
Rating:
Summary: Another bittersweet slice of reality...
Review: I should be used to Anne Tyler by now. She doesn't dish up easy plots or pat endings, and that, at least, isn't a problem. Bittersweet is her specialty, and it's what I've come to expect. However, although her stories are often unusually distanced and cool, I think this book has slid a little too close to the "frigid" end of the spectrum. The main character, Rebecca, bloodlessly navigates her past and present, and readers are left watching as if through a valium-induced haze as the events of her life unfold with little comment or emotion. Tyler's writing is masterful as always. And I can't fault her for her plot, which is full of fascinating developments and achingly realistic family interactions. Tyler paints a keen portrait of Rebecca and her entire (very!) extended family -- so vivid, in fact, that I felt frustrated, and ultimately, disappointed, that Tyler didn't let me FEEL her story as vividly as I could see and hear it.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly uplifting character study from Anne Tyler
Review: Anne Tyler describes women in all their frustrating and wise complexity, and she succeeds again in Back When We Were Grownups. You'll feel sorry for this woman, then you'll be angry at her for being a doormat, then you'll want to protect her from the chances she takes. Her kids and their multiple marriages are difficult to keep straight at times, but just keep your eyes on the mother and you'll find that in the end, you understand her completely.
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