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Summary: My favorite Anne Tyler book, and that's saying something!
Review: Anne Tyler is my favorite living author and one of less than a handful who produce books that I must rush out and buy immediately. In hardback, at full price - and I HATE paying full price! Novels like this are what made me fall in love with Anne Tyler. I do not understand other comments from readers. Apparently they want fictional characters to be inspirationally motivating role models that will save the world and enlighten us all. Well, sorry, but people are not like that in real life, either. They are exotic and boring and delightful and monstrously annoying, all at the same time, As are the Pecks. The story works brilliantly. While we are wondering if Caleb Peck will be found, we're learning about "black sheep" Justine and Duncan, how they met and married. Justine's story about the cousin who was such a bad influence on her, and what happened to him, is amusing, with a terrific ending line. I found all the Pecks delightful. I found neither Justine nor Duncan "weak" or "unpleasant," but flawed, and delightfully so. Perhaps other readers were made nervous by Justine's rootlessness; I don't know. I DO know that I have enjoyed all Tyler's books, and yet I constantly return to the Pecks - I love them! Anne Tyler has a great gift - that cannot be denied. Good writing like this is so hard to find, and needs to be treasured. I highly recommend this book - it's a gem!
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Summary: Mistress of Quirk
Review: Anne Tyler succeeds in the difficult art of making essentially boring, humdrum, quirky, flawed, annoying, bizarre, weirdo social misfits the fascinating and eminently readable subjects of her books. The Pecks are no exception, who set about searching for the missing Caleb. What a rare and unusual talent this lady from Baltimore has. In reading a bio of her, I discovered she was a 19yo senior at Duke University when I was a clueless 17yo freshman there. Damn! If I'd only known...
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Summary: I'm sorry to say this, but...
Review: Can you say "I didn't get it" about a book? Yes? OK, then - I didn't get it! Couldn't understand the point of it. Maybe cause it seems like these characters couldn't understand the point of living. They just didn't seem interested in their own lives. I read to the end just to see if anything remotely interesting happens that can give some meaning to the whole book. No such luck. I dearly love Tyler's "Accidental Tourist", but something was amiss on this one. Or maybe, as I said, I just didn't get it.
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Summary: Short student review of characters and Anne's talent
Review: For my honors English 11 class, I picked Ann Tyler as my American author for summer reading. I was referred to her for her comic and lyric way of writing, and I was not disappointed. Searching for Caleb was the first book I read this summer and I found the characters and plot enjoyable. I was shocked to see that the husband and wife main characters were, in fact, first cousins, however, I was happy to see they had each other. Duncan and Justine were the black sheep of the very controlling and traditional Peck family. Its amazing that these two individuals came out so differently than most of the greedy and blind people in the family. The Pecks had gone through a lot in there time, the family's trouble dates as far back as the early 1900s. I found it to be an entertaining novel that kept my interest and made me excited about reading more of Anne Tyler's works.
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Summary: ANNE TYLER DELIVERS
Review: I am an avid fan of Anne Tyler, marking her on my top ten list of female authors. Why? Because she has the amazing ability to take, quirky, eccentric, unusual characters, throw them into everyday life, and stir the mix into grand entertainment. As readers we come to appreciate oddity; not to fear it or judge it. Humor is paramount to her tales that flow with effortless dialogue and exquisite descriptions. The Peck family is a staple of Baltimore society; their homes are meticulous; their manners impeccable; their views staunch and unchanging; their style set in stone like the identical homes they reside in. BUT, Duncan and Justine, walking to the beat of different drummers, break away in search of spontaniety. Their idosyncratic attempts toward this end, make for a most insightful presentation. Don't be afraid. Meet the Pecks. You will come to accept and like them warts and all. This is quite a delightful read!
Rating:
Summary: ANNE TYLER DELIVERS
Review: I am an avid fan of Anne Tyler, marking her on my top ten list of female authors. Why? Because she has the amazing ability to take, quirky, eccentric, unusual characters, throw them into everyday life, and stir the mix into grand entertainment. As readers we come to appreciate oddity; not to fear it or judge it. Humor is paramount to her tales that flow with effortless dialogue and exquisite descriptions. The Peck family is a staple of Baltimore society; their homes are meticulous; their manners impeccable; their views staunch and unchanging; their style set in stone like the identical homes they reside in. BUT, Duncan and Justine, walking to the beat of different drummers, break away in search of spontaniety. Their idosyncratic attempts toward this end, make for a most insightful presentation. Don't be afraid. Meet the Pecks. You will come to accept and like them warts and all. This is quite a delightful read!
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Summary: My favorite from Anne Tyler
Review: I have read everything from Anne Tyler, and this is without a doubt my favorite. Although I agree that Justine, Duncan, or any of the Pecks are hardly rolemodels, they are fascinating characters and not that hard to relate to - haven't you ever wondered what your life would have been like if you had run away every time you felt like it? One additional thought on Anne Tyler's writing style: she's amazingly talented. I've never read anyone who is as capable of making you understand a character though details of converstation as is Anne Tyler. It's more than worth giving her a chance.
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Summary: The search will get you hooked
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. The characters are so well developed.
Rating:
Summary: The search will get you hooked
Review: I really enjoyed this novel. The characters are so well developed.
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Summary: A Compelling Addition
Review: Once again Anne Tyler outdoes herself with another intriguing novel, Searching For Caleb. The mix of irresistible details along with Tyler's ability to reach the irrational root of human nature absorbs and enchants the readers. Katha Pollitt, a reviewer of contemporary fiction, clearly states her opinion in a 1975 review, "Reading `Searching for Caleb,' one is constantly being startled by such moments: gestures, words, wrinkles of thought and feeling that are at once revelatory and exactly right." In Searching For Caleb, Anne Tyler creates and leads us to understand the Peck family of Baltimore. As a reserved, wealthy family, the Pecks are concerned with and only with the well being of their family, choosing to ignore the world outside of the secluded suburbia that several generations have called home. The presiding figure over the many generations is the aging grandfather, Daniel. Daniel's every thought is fixated on the mysterious disappearance of his musical brother, Caleb, which occurred over 60 years ago. Ironically, Daniel's grandson, Duncan, an untamed boy consumed by an infatuation with danger, also rebels against the Pecks. Justine, previously a fervent member of the Peck family and an amateur fortune-teller, marries her cousin, Duncan. The couple races through small New England towns and life trying to make a living with Duncan restlessly changing his profession and Justine's predictions. When Justine decides to join her grandfather, Daniel, in an effort to find his long, lost brother Caleb, she is also searching for much more. She is looking for an answer to love, life, and to the ever-changing directions of her unsettled husband, Duncan. Searching For Caleb is a "must-read" for any die-hard Anne Tyler enthusiasts. A twisting plot and an accelerated emotional roller coaster make this novel a classic and a compelling addition to Tyler's collection of heart-warming novels.
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