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Summary: Anne Tyler --Extraordinary
Review: After Patchwork Planet I wondered if Anne Tyler could possibly get better. Her latest work proves that she could. As always, after the opening pages I shook my head, wondering how she invented characters that seemed so unreal. By the final paragraphs, I had recognized myself and those around me in Rebecca Davitch's exceptional family. She is a master at transforming the ordinary into something comically extraordinary while delighting with writing that tugs at your heart. I have only one regret -- I inhaled her book too quickly. It was like a holiday meal that she spent countless hours preparing -- perfecting, only to be consumed by an unworthy guest. Take your time with this book. Savor the rich passages, for this kind of fiction is anything but ordinary.
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Summary: Read it right through on a rainy day!
Review: Thank goodness we had rain on Saturday because I just holed up in my "spot" and read this book all the way through. While I agree it's not as engaging as previous (particularly the early) books, the story was believable. Unfortunately, Tyler appears to have her characterizations down to a science -- each person is known by their traits (and only by their traits) and is 2 dimensional at best. Those traits are fascinating, though I wish there were more interaction. Knowing what Tyler can do, there should have been more juicy stuff here. However, she's still better than most anyone else at telling a story.
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Summary: ANNE TYLER'S AFFECTING 15TH NOVEL
Review: Anne Tyler, surely one of this generation's preeminent writers, has a penchant for outre characters, exploring family relationships, and probing inner feelings. She doesn't veer from this course in her affecting 15th novel, Back When We Were Grownups. Rebecca Davitch is a buoyant fifty-plus widow who tends to numerous relatives, including a 99-year-old great-uncle, with cheerleader vivacity and a cool head in a crisis. She is also the force behind a party/catering service, the Open Arms. "Beck," as her family calls her, is also given to introspection as she begins to wonder what chain of events has brought her to where she is and who she is today. "How on earth did I ever get like this?" she muses, remembering her rather impetuous decision to marry Joe, an attractive older man, divorced, with three daughters, and a home in Baltimore. They shared six years before he was involved in a fatal auto accident. While attempting to revive the values of her youth, she ponders taking up the research she did not finish in college, perhaps even taking up with her now divorced college sweetheart. Or, is her life as it should be? Rebecca does at last unearth the truth, while fortunate readers are allowed to share her quest and discovery.
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Summary: Back When We Were Grownups
Review: I was intrigued by the first paragraph of the book and found myself anxious to find out what Rebecca would discover as to who she really was. After the first paragraph, however, I struggled through the first couple of chapters trying to keep everyone straight. Several times I had to turn back in the book to figure out who a particular character was. Once I was somewhat familiar with all the characters, I really enjoyed the book and found it warm, funny and entertaining. I did find the ending a bit unsatisfying, though. It was like the author just ran out of time and needed to quickly end the book. Overall, an enjoyable read.
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Summary: Another treasure from an extraordinarily gifted writer!
Review: Anne Tyler has never once disappointed me and has again lived up to my seemingly impossible-to-meet high expectations! I've read them all and this one is just as delightful and delicious as the rest! You'll find yourself laughing out loud and smiling with pure joy as you devour her words that ring so true! If you have not tried an Anne Tyler novel, by all means DO SO! You will find yourself running out to buy them all, take it from one who knows from experience!
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Summary: Wow!
Review: I cannot remember a book that I have truly 'enjoyed' in a long time like the new Anne Tyler book. She is a marvelous writer and knows how to mix the right amount of nostalgia with humor, and weave them into a story that can only leave one wishing for more and feeling regret that the novel has reached its conclusion. Thank you, Ms. Tyler, for a wonderful experience.
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Summary: not Ladder of Years, but a great read
Review: I've read all of Anne Tyler's work, and love most of her earlier books. However, my favorite book by far was 'Ladder of Years' so I don't think that her knack for writing is fading with every book. But this book lacks the magical quality of 'Ladder' and is not as easy an escape.
It seems that Tyler has fallen into a weird trend where all her characters never find relief within the pages of her books. 'Back When We Were Grownups' is yet another story of a family woman who gets no respect from her gigantic brood. In an effort to discover the self she feels she lost to her family, Rebecca (the protagonist of this story) revisits her youth, and while she doesn't find the enlightment she was seeking within her memories and rekindled friendships, she does make some startling and touching observations of herself through the pages of the book. Tyler's beautiful prose makes this a joy to read, despite the fact that there are too many characters to keep track of (4 daughters, their husbands, their children, and their step children and all are featured prominently in the book!)
I admit that I did put the book down after the first chapter, disgusted by Tyler's insistence on portraying all families (especially children) as indifferent and quirky. Not all of us are like this. The first few pages are very difficult to get through with twenty names and characters to sort out. Rebecca's daughter's names were enough to make me want to not pick up the book again (Biddy, Patch, NoNo, and Min Foo, plus a husband named Jeep - try to keep them straight!) But I persisted after a few days, and am glad I did. Not Tyler's best...but a good book. If you can get beyond wanting to yell at Rebecca "take a stand, tell them how you feel, stop playing the saint!", you will probably enjoy it. I did.
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Summary: Awesome - Anne Tyler at her best!
Review: Like many Anne Tyler characters before her, Rebecca Davitch finds herself in a mid-life crisis, bewildered at how she arrived at the center of a sprawling, demanding, boisterous extended family of stepchildren, multiple parents, and in-laws - a family she doesn't even consider her own. Widowed at a young age, Rebecca is indeed the family bedrock; she is the one who draws people out of their funks, who runs the family business, who knows exactly what to say to whom to soothe hurt feelings. Without her, the Davitch family business of hosting parties would founder, and their relationships might splinter. But as needed as she is, Rebecca can't help thinking she was meant for another life. As the burden of bolstering her family takes its odd toll, she begins to dream about the path she almost took. Instead of bemoaning her choices, Rebecca sets out to mold a new self, the one she thinks she was meant to be. Unlike many Tyler characters, however, Rebecca does not need to leave her home and occupation but instead hunkers down, finding ways within her grasp to better herself and her lot. Anne Tyler fans know that the heart of her books is her characters - and this novel is no exception. The plot feels somewhat familiar (midlife crisis; a romantic interest who is not who the protagonist wants him to be; a lurking other who is more than the protagonist understands; adult children who flail about in their lives, beleaguering the protagonist), but the characters are fresh and lively. Rebecca is stunningly realized, as are her childhood sweetheart Will, senile centenarian Poppy, and shy and awkward Peter. The female supporting characters are less well-defined despite their unusual names: Biddy, NoNo, Min Foo, Patch. Still, what Tyler accomplishes here with so many characters is amazing with its range and depth. The only wrong note Tyler sounds is in the first paragraph, styled like a fairy tale with its "once upon a time" beginning. The tone is distant and formal, and never revisited. Even the point of view seems wrong. But don't let the first sentences mislead you; Tyler has created a warmly intimate story, with good humor and sharp insight and a likeable protagonist. The prose, as exact as it is, is never demanding, making this an engrossing and relatively quick read. I strongly recommend this book for those who enjoy character driven fiction. Anne Tyler has put together a remarkable career, and this book should stand as one of her best.
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Summary: Lovely and comforting
Review: Anne Tyler has such a gift for dialogue -- the way she captures the absurd joys and irritations of everyday life. This was a wonderful, hopeful look at the road not taken. I enjoyed it very much.
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Summary: Anyone Over 45
Review: Anyone over 45 or with grown children should read this book. It is a masterpiece in past and present. Really makes one think, not in a dry you have to learn this way, but by reading a exceptionally well written piece of fiction.
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