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Summary: Gracefully, perceptively written
Review: On the top floor of a boarding house, under the skylit roof of his art studio, Jeremy Pauling lives in a world of his own design, a fortress as fragile as it is impenetrable... But enter one woman who causes the walls to come tumbling down.Forceful, magnetic...clear and luminous...extraordinary!
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Summary: Truly a great book
Review: One of the best books I have ever read and one of Anne Tyler's supreme accomplishments! The words written within its pages have the power to change your emotions from chapter to chapter and your view of life along with it.
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Summary: Another set of quirky characters.
Review: Reading her novels is a very voyeuristic experience. In this story, the characters are unusual but sadder. The sense of redemption that runs thru many of her stories is absent. I was left feeling frustrated and confused. I'm not sure how the ending came about or what I was supposed to take from this book. I have never had this problem with Tyler's books before. On a positive note, it is the usual quick read & easy to become enmeshed in. For that reason it's a perfect airplane or beach book. But, if you are exploring Anne Tyler novels, try Accidental Tourist, Saint Maybe, or Ladder of Years first.
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Summary: Tyler knows how to let us into character's minds
Review: The most amazing part of this novel is how Tyler describes what's going on inside the characters' minds. I was especially intrigued by how Jeremy's mind worked. She can have very clear headed characters who are exploring the world in a practical way and then on the next page have a character who is just floating through life with his feet never touching the ground. I highly recommend this book.
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Summary: Amazon's description of this book is inaccurate
Review: The synopsis and book review for this book are incorrect. Jeremy's mother is already dead at the opening of the book which begins with his sister fretting because Jeremy does not perform his responsibilities as the son of a recently departed widow. Jeremy's sister does not move in with him. She merely stays at the house for the duration of the funeral. Jeremy's boarders do not "bring home babies" because he is the father of those babies. Many of the other reviews posted by readers focus on how miserable the characters are. But an underlying theme seems to be the role of the artist in our society. Jeremy's mental process of artistic creation is very unique,and in contrast to what most people believe "normal" should be. Readers shouldn't dismiss the characters because they seem pathetic. Instead, they should read between the lines to see the struggles that are taking place inside the characters as they try to define their lives in terms of social relationships and artistic vision. I recommend this book to anyone who makes art or who wants to know how the process of making art is at odds with the rules society expects people to follow.
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Summary: Insight into uninteresting characters - maybe
Review: This was the first book I picked up of Anne Tyler's. It was probably a mistake to start here. I found the book uninteresting because every character was. It seemed like I was politely listening to a friend tell me a story of pitiful people with boring lives, and nothing ever unfolded! Don't waste your time with this one. I haven't given up on Tyler, I'll be sure to read another, more recommended title.
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Summary: Touching story filled with real characters & amazing insight
Review: Though the story is quiet, with little or no action, Tyler has some of the sharpest and deepest inights into human behavior and thoughts that I have ever read. Each chapter is written in the voice of a different character, and each character is absolutely complete, unique and so real. The story is of people getting by, finding their way through their lives, and the writing is magical. Each character, though troubled, is easy to identify with in their own ways. The result is a touching, detailed, and extremely truthful book.
Rating: 
Summary: Ultimately unsatisfying
Review: Throughout this slow-moving work, a small group of pathetic losers circle each other but never connect. No one ever achieves understanding -- of themselves or of the others in their lives -- and no one experiences any passion. Joy, anger, desire, all are shallow and fleeting. The only thing these otherwise colorless characters feel deeply is their fear. None of the denizens of this Baltimore boardinghouse ever learn to overcome their reticence and express themselves. Even Jeremy, the artist who lacks the tools to navigate his way through life, works in a vacuum, unaware of his surroundings, his thoughts and his own feeings. Although this book has touches of humor, and is well-written, it is ultimately unsatisfying. Tyler has done much, much better work -- try the 'Accidental Tourist' instead and see how funny and moving she can be.
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