Breathing Lessons

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, great exploration of family relationships
Review: I recently read this book for the second time and still love it. At times it may be hard to be inside Maggie's head so often (especially when you don't agree with her) but the story completely pulls you in. These are some excellent and complex characters. My favorite thing about the book is how it lets you see numerous sides of the same event. We see how Maggie and Ira each see things from such different perspectives, yet still truly love each other. One of the most amazing things about this book is how it so clearly portrays the fact that families are collections of very different people who somehow get stuck together and love each other.

Rating:
Summary: Pulitzer Prize?
Review: When a friend of mine, a huge fan of the Danielle Steelesque, beach book type of novel, gave me a copy of Breathing Lessons, I was a bit skeptical of its merit. However, the fact that it was a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize compelled me to give it a try. As a psychology major, I am intrigued by in-depth character studies, and hoped this would satisfy my interest. As I labored through the novel, I kept wondering when it would magically transform itself from a glorified soap opera into a true work of literature. It never happened. The most annoying thing about this novel was the character of Maggie Moran. Rather than being an object of sympathy, someone I grew to understand as the book progressed, she got constantly more irritating. Her thought patterns and actions appeared to be those of a child, not an adult's. Ira, on the other hand, was a much more intriguing character. His past was developed in great detail, yet the reader was never given much of a glimpse into his thoughts. He was seen only through the obtuse eyes of his wife. With his interesting past, I would have enjoyed getting a better idea of his motivation and personality, but for some reason, I never did. In general, the late 80s must have been slow years in terms of fine literature. I cannot see why else this book would have been honored in such a way.

Rating:
Summary: A Valuable Life Lesson
Review: Anne Tyler's book Breathing Lessons uses countless motifs to convey her message that no human being is perfect, nor is any relationship ideal. It tells the story of Maggie and Ira Moran, involved in a relationship that has gone stale after 28 years of marriage. Maggie, depicted with the repeated "frizz" motif, is characterized by her ditsy, scatterbrained personality. She tries in vain throughout the whole novel to selflessly mend everyone's problems, mainly in efforts to save her son's marriage. Ira, her pessimistic, chiding husband simply engrosses himself in negative views about the "wasteful" human race and avoids Maggie if possible, otherwise remains quietly tolerant of her extremely obnoxious chatter. Even Maggie describes him as "one of those people who are born competent" (Tyler, 234.) The basic plot includes the couple's trip to an old friend's funeral, their insignificant adventures along the way, and a flashback to earlier years during their marriage. Although the flashback section tends to get tedious and wordy, it includes some of life's most meaningful lessons. It depicts the Moran's son Jesse's devotion to his wife and child after living a contrasting rebellious teenage life (continually symbolized by a "black" motif). Mainly, the book is packed full of the contrasting views of Maggie, the idealist who sees everyone with good intentions and pure hearts, and Ira, the realist who sadly often sees things in the sad state they truly are in. The motifs "hot" and "sticky" are used to foreshadow arguments betweeen the two. Their optimistic/pessimistic views are the main spark for their arguments, though it is also what keeps their marriage alive. The book ends with the quote, "Then she slipped free and moved to her side of the bed, because tomorrow they had a long car trip to make and she knew she would need a good night's sleep before they started" (Tyler, 338). This statement symbolizes their journey in the future as a married couple, and leads the reader to believe that their marriage will survive. The book follows a loosely structured plot and focuses on comical situations between two fairly unhappily married people who succeed in the end. A reader who enjoys psychological, yet easy to read love stories about the flaws of human nature would definitely enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Breathing Lessons: A review from a student
Review: In Anne Tyler's pulitzer prize winning novel, Breathing Lessons, Tyler focuses on the everyday experience of marriage and the deep development of her prime character, Maggie Moran. One difficulty that students such as myself may encounter while reading this novel is that the trials and hardships of marriage displayed throughout it are not anywhere near relating to the kind that we must face at school. They are two totally different ball games. The situations to be faced at school may include smaller issues such as forgotten homewrok, while the main focus of this novel is forgotten love. Of course, that is not to say that the novel is totally incomprehensible for a student, but it is not one that a student can relate to as easily as other novels. The novel's plot remains stationary throughout while the development of characters is established by taking side tracks and back tracks through the past experinces and thoughts of Maggie Moran and her husband Ira Moran. Maggie often makes it a personal hobby to meddle in the business of others and is often found guilty as being the root of the problem itself. One of Tyler's main purposes in this novel is to show the trials of marriage while simultaneously illustrating that one should not meddle in the business of others. This novel was well written but I would not reccommend it to anyone who is very fond of plot advancement, because you will it to be a dissapointment.

Rating:
Summary: Reads like a soap opera side-line
Review: The characters and plot in the novel reminded me of the boring families and plot lines in a soap opera--the ones you fast forward through until you get to the ones you really care about. Unfortunately, I wish I could have fast forwarded through this novel as easily. I never became vested in the outcome because the characters and story never really hooked me. I didn't really care what happened to them.

Rating:
Summary: Marriage?
Review: Tyler presents a novel that peeks into the private life of a marriage that must deal with the plights of middle-age. In just one day, we see the past and the future of a couple that must learn to rely on eachother. A ninty-mile car trip soon becomes the vehicle in which Ira and Maggie learn that life is neither pruning nor wastefullness, but rather a journey of love

Rating:
Summary: For this a Pulitzer Prize?
Review: True, Anne Tyler paints a colorful, vivid picture of the Morans, their marriage, their concerns for family and friends. And, at times, her writing is funny--many scenes would translate well on film. I'm just not sure its message is all that memorable.

Rating:
Summary: For this a Pulitzer Prize?
Review: True, Anne Tyler paints a colorful, vivid picture of the Morans, their marriage, their concerns for family and friends. And, at times, her writing is funny-many scenes would translate well on film. I'm just not sure its message is all that memorable.

Rating:
Summary: Give this book a chance
Review: I've read Breathing Lessons twice, and even saw the Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie. I thought it was truly heartfelt and very real. In response to what the others had to say about it, it's simply the story of an aging woman. She's getting used to all the changes that were taking place in her life. Please remember that Maggie didn't grow up in a time when there was such a thing as a single mother. I think it's hard for Maggie to understand how Fiona's mind works. You have to understand that Maggie is just concerned about her son--remember her plan is to patch things up between Fiona and her son. The husband of Maggie's closest friend also passes away. It's startling for Maggie to go to that funeral and see how all the people she used to know have changed. I think the meandering plot line is symbolic of Maggie's personality. Not everyone is going to like it, but at least give it a chance. It's so funny! (Obviously this book wasn't written to impress teenagers! They need to stick to Sweet Valley High or Nancy Drew Mysteries)

Rating:
Summary: Did this really win the Pulitzer Prize?
Review: This book was clearly written for those who believe that the ordinary is extraordinary. True, simplicity can be beautiful and illuminating, but banality is just boring. While the characters are amusing, the plot lacks direction and focus. On a good note, the prose is smooth and highly readable.