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Summary: Anne Tyler's saddest book
Review: Anne Tyler is a private person who never gives interviews, does readings, or signs autographs. For many years, I lived less than a mile away from her home in Northern Baltimore, and occasionally I would drive past in hopes of catching a glimpse of her out in the yard. I never did. However, in her last book, "A Patchwork Planet," she did provide one small window into her personal life: a dedication in memory of her late husband, who must have died while that book was being written.With that piece of information in mind, it becomes apparent to the reader that "Back When We Were Grownups" is Tyler's first novel as a widow. The main character, Rebecca, is widowed; there are aching descriptions of what it's like to lose a loved one. If this is Tyler's most melancholy work, well, it's understandable, given the circumstances. Somehow, she manages to make each new family of Baltimore eccentrics seem fresh; the dialogue rings true, and each character's traits are carefully observed (I particularly loved Rebecca's ex-boyfriend's obsession with his home-cooked chili). My only quarrel is that there are SO many characters that at times, I felt like drawing up a family tree just to keep track of all the in-laws and children and ex-husbands (not to mention the many repairmen constantly tending to Rebecca's crumbling old house). This is a bittersweet, beautifully written work.
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Summary: Real Life Can Be Fascinating
Review: Who, past the age of 40, can say that their life has turned out the way they planned or expected? In Anne Tyler's latest novel "Back When We Were Grownups" our protagonist, Rebecca "Beck", looks around at age 53 and wonders how she landed in the family that surrounds and sometimes suffocates her. What follows is a chronicle of everyday life that is surprisingly interesting, touching, witty and recognizable to many of us. Anne Tyler never disappoints, and the only sad thing about finishing this wonderful novel is knowing that it will be a long wait until the next one!
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Summary: As a Short Story, It Would Have Been Great
Review: Ever been a guest at the home of a friend who is a terrific cook, and you're really hungry for protein, and bloated yourself on a starchy casserole meal to get to the meat because you felt too polite to just pick through to the meat? I kept reading and reading and reading ad nauseum to get to the juicy bits of wisdom, to the point I started to skim (not a good sign). I was starving for more of her lines like: "Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered she had turned into the wrong person". Isn't that fabulous? That line alone got me thinking hard about my own life. I'm not a avid reader anymore so perhaps the fault lies with me that the story seemed too detailed. It was a good story, though, and if you like Anne Tyler's style, by all means get it.
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Summary: Happily, I will never get this superb book out of my mind.
Review: I read a great deal, as a member of a book club, and privately and in the last many years have found only two current books that will ring in my heart forever: One is this book and the other is Corellie's Mandolin. Beck, the lead character is happy and doesn't know it. Interesting concept. Surprised a reviewer would think the book sad. Since we cannot control many circumstances in our lives, what is interesting and challenging is how good people find deep contentment and happiness in circumstances less than favorable. The author teases us a bit about a romance with Zeb and touches just enough on that possibility. Nice control. I think I laughed more reading that book than I ever have in any other, and it wasn't a comedy, or was it? The rich family life was fascinating. And yes, I agree, Poppy should have his 100th birthday party even if he can't remember it. And he did. How do I write the author to praise praise her?
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Summary: What's happened to Anne Tyler?
Review: Doesn't anyone remember the Anne Tyler of years past? She wrote books in which things actually happened, things that were funny, meaningful, and poignant all at the same time. That quality is sadly lacking in "Before We Were Grownups." Worse yet, the characters are so poorly defined. Perhaps three of them have a distinct identity, but no more. For instance, I never was able to distinguish the lead character's four daughters from each other (apart from a few superficial gimmicky traits: this is the one that gets married a lot, that's the cranky one, etc.). And just try to compare the stock-issue shy little misfit boy in this book to the richly-drawn timid child in "The Accidental Tourist" and you'll see what I mean. Such a disappointment.
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Summary: A Return to Form
Review: Anne Tyler is an exceptional writer, and this is a wonderful novel; her prose is almost flawless--spare, sly, full of nuance and detail. Those who have read a Tyler novel already know about her gift for characterization--she has a gift for gently cajoling readers to desire happiness for her characters as if it were for the readers themselves. Although Ladder of Years and Patchwork Planet, her last two novels, were lightweight (especially in comparison to the great four works that preceded them), Back When We Were Grownups is a genuine success. Although loss permeates this novel, it is never maudlin or sentimental. And the questions it raises, especially about personal choices, truly resonate. I had a wonderful time reading this novel.
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Summary: Tyler once again brings characters to vivid life.
Review: In "Back When We Were Grownups", Anne Tyler brings the reader a story of a woman on a journey of self-discovery. Rebecca Davitch is a well-meaning grandmother of 53 who finds herself re-evaluating her self worthiness when , at the beginning of the book, an engagement picnic she has planned for her youngest step daughter goes awry. The reader is presented with a woman whose life long duty has been to arrange parties and outings for others. And as often as not she has found herself acting as a diplomat for many of these same people when they cannot bring themselves to appreciate one another. Once the ill-fated picnic is over, Rebecca embarks on a personal journey of discovery that reaquaints herself with who she is.Anne Tyler is one of America's most gifted writers. One has the sense that every character she has written exists somewhere in Tyler's life. The characters are so vividly drawn that it is almost impossible for this reader not to feel as though he has met and spoken with Rebecca Davitch and those around her. The story gets off to a quick start taking the reader on a remarkable journey of change.
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Summary: a sad but compelling read
Review: Perhaps it's just because I've recently become middle-aged myself, but I found Anne Tyler's new novel quite saddening. Don't get me wrong--it's also a book that draws you in, and the main character, 53-year-old-party-planning-widow Rebecca Davitch, is a person who is engaging. But both the novel and Rebecca's sudden confusion create an ache that lingers long after the reading is through. It's a beautiful ache and a wonderful book, but be forewarned--you will be wrenched. Especially if you're middle-aged and undergoing middle-aged confusion yourself.
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Summary: A search for self
Review: Rebecca Davitch is 53 years old and suddenly she wonders how she ever got to be the person she is; someone she hardly recognizes and never aspired to be. As a young woman her path was set. She was a history major in college and was "engaged to be engaged" to a solemn young man named Will. While she is at a party, she meets Joe Davitch whose first words to her are "You seem to be having a good time." From that time on Rebecca goes with the flow, marrying Joe and becoming a step-mother to his three daughters. She wholeheartedly enters into his family life and is an active participant in the family business Open Arms, in which she holds parties at the family's large estate. Now Rebecca wonders what life would have been like if she had finished college and married Will, as she had planned. She begins seeking her girlhood self, even going so far as to contact Will in an attempt to rekindle their old relationship. As she frantically searches for her true self, she ignores the life that is all around her until her octagenarian roommate, Poppy, sets her straight. This is an interesting novel with several universal themes and well-drawn characters. It moves slowly at times, but is certainly worth the read.
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Summary: A slow family album
Review: Tyler is to be commended for a beautiful first sentence "rebecca davitch found she had turned into the wrong person." Sadly, I felt the movement and pace of the novel fell downhill from there. A woman facing mid-life and identity crisis, Rebecca Davitch fills her days with throwing parties, being the jolly event planner in her mid-fifties. As we discover, her jollity is but an act; the woman inside aches for a past she cannot recapture. The thought that comes to mind here is from Ecclesiastes: "Sadness may sorrow your face, but it sharpens your understanding." Rebecca has been too afraid to show her real self to anyone for years - she hides her sadness and martyrdom sets in. She finally chooses to be proactive and reignite her relationship with a past love - her safety net of sorts - only to learn that she has outgrown him too. The pacing, however, felt wrong - far too slow for a woman who looks to others for fullfilment and satisfaction rather than herself. Initial character development was a little shallow, and Rebecca seemed stereotyped into that middle-aged interfering, busy-body aunt that everyone wishes would just go away - even me! Poppy was a beautiful character, a 99 year old who loved life, and i felt we needed to see more of him and his wisdom, as he could have shed more light in terms of the real meaning of life and family. I still like Tyler, but this was too slow for me - she has done much better in previous works, such as the brilliant Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant. Worth a read, if you have the patience for such a slow plot.
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