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Summary: A novel that makes you think and dream
Review: I enjoy Anne Tyler's books and this book was a nice reading for me. We all have dreams to just walk away and leave everything behind, but we rarely know what would happen next. This book shows that most probably we will survive, find something and somebody else we can leave with. At some point it may be necessary to do that. I liked the idea that Delia is shown as a very human being. In the real life people would criticize her a lot for leaving her family just like that. But in her situation it was human and understandable to do so. I think this book could make us more forgiving to other people who do strange things sometimes in their lives.
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Summary: A STEP UP FROM TYPICAL BOOKS
Review: This was the first Anne Tyler book I read. I thought it was fantastic and can't wait to buy her others. I was alittle disappointed in the ending I wanted Delia to stay with Joel and Noah. But the story of her finding herself and meeting other people and having a new adventure was a enjoyble way to spend time with a book.
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Summary: A great book with a few errors
Review: I am 16 years old and I have just finished reading the Ladder of Years and everyone's reviews. I was shocked that so many people were okay with the ending of that book. I thought that the book was great but the ending left me with an angry feeling as to why Delia would do what she did. It made me dislike her character and realize that all she will ever be is a doormat for her unappreciative family. She could have been happy with Joel and Noah who loved and would have treated her great as they did when she lived there. I was dissapointed in her character but thought that the rest of the book was great. Thankyou. Jules
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Summary: Ladder of Years
Review: Ladder of Years was the first book by Anne Tyler that I ever read. I found it to be comical, light reading. The main character,Delia, embarks on a trip of self-discovery. In which the reader meets many unique characters along the way.
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Summary: Should win the Deadful-Book-of-the-Year Award
Review: Holy Scott! After being convinced to read this book by the positive reviews, I expected it to have at least some literary promise. Instead, I find ridiculous dialogue, a protagonist who is totally unforgettable, and a potentially promising plot that wasn't fleshed out in an interesting way. Nothing this protagonist does or says rings true; she's schizoid and odd, but not in a compelling way. Only in an insipid way. And the episodes she encounters, (e.g. the bleeding cut to her head that necessitated a doctor visit, while chatting aimlessly with the mother of her babysitting charge) were totally uninteresting. I could handle all that, but the insult that added to this injury of a book is that the prose could have been written by a high school freshman. I would have liked Anita Shreve to have taken this story and done something marvelous with it.
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Summary: One of my all-time favorite books!
Review: I LOVE this book and have read it more than once. The idea of just picking up my bag and walking away from my husband and kids is so tempting somtimes. Thank goodness Anne Tyler wrote this book so I don't have to actually go through with it in order to imagine what the results would be in my life. I found one of the most universal truths of life in this book: that the very essence of being a human being is to care about others and become involved with others, whether we want to or not.
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Summary: In defence of "Ladder of Years"
Review: The skill of Anne Tyler's book is not in the characterisation or in the "tying up" of loose ends. Instead, the remarkable way in which many female readers of all ages have identified with the tendency Delia has to drift rather than to drive illustrates perfectly the craft of Tyler's writing - that is, to provide readers with a recognition of emotion and experience.
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Summary: I am glad it was published...
Review: The virtue of Anne Tyler as a writer is that she has the craft to drive the reader into the next page. I found this skill, not owned by a number of writers, was intensely presented in the opening of A Patchwork Planet. In Ladder of Years, the narrative is not so gripping, but still ushers the reader from the begining to the end. It is arguable that whether Delia could walk out of her life for 18 months and returns as nothing happened. However, at least for me the device of plot is convicing and distinguished. To some extent we all believe we can really learn something from life. Sure? So walking out of her old life to experience a new life really did bring a lesson for Delia? I would say Tyler's answer is no, and you can NEVER really WALK OUT OF YOUR LIFE. Bearing in mind the symbol of the title, which was mentioned by the Nah to Delia. As you climb higher and higher, and then you slide down in a second. This book is brilliantly written, and Tyler's technique of peering the multi-layers of characters and their relationships with the environment is excellent. I am glad it was published.
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Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: Some reviewers here seem to miss the point. Perhaps, thanks to the kind silences of our own mothers, you need to reach middle age yourself before you can understand the urge to leave the ungrateful husband and kids behind. It is only a fantasy to most of us, obviously an unspoken fantasy. But as Cathie Pelletier wrote (in The Bubble Reputation), "You show me a woman who never dreamed of getting in the car, heading off and leaving the whole family behind and I'll show you a woman who doesn't know how to drive." The book was very entertaining, and allowed sympathy for all of the characters. If you think it is unrealistic wait until you reach Delia's point in life.
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Summary: This book should never have been published ...
Review: I had hoped for a great book. Anne Tyler's "Ladder of Years" looked promising. I gullibly believed the numerous optimisitc quotes from "USA Today" and "Newsweek" saying that this book was a "sheer delight." As an English Major finishing up my Senior year -- and required to read this book for one of my last classes -- I was astounded that this book became a "New York Times" bestseller and chosen by "Time" magazine as one of the years ten best books. What is this world coming too? I suppose we're looking for new books to replace the older literary renditions of "the woman's need to make a place of her own" and creating a rebirth in literature for the "tired, worn out and taken-advantage-of woman," such as Edith Wharton's "The Age of Innocence" and Kate Chopin's "The Awakening." I believe we need to find better literary critics and judges, because this book isn't even remotely close to the quality of the former books. I haven't had the pleasure (or pain) of reading Tyler's previous works, but I have little desire to do so because of the bad taste left in my mouth. I kept wondering if it was just me who thought this book was ridiculous,unrealistic and just plain thoughtless. I was sorely disappointed in this Pulitzer Prize winning author. If you are wanting to read this book, I would HIGHLY recommend that you don't ... it isn't worth your time.
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