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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Oh good grief. Had to read this for my book club - that's the ONLY reason I finished it.
Pro - it's short
Con - everything else.
Pro - it's short
Con - everything else.
Anne Tyler is one of my favorite authors, and while I enjoyed Redhead by the Side of the Road, it left me with a little unexpected consternation. (The book rates more than 3 stars, though not quite a 4. After a couple of days of thinking about the book, I changed my rating to 4 stars.)Tyler's characters are seem to be unique Baltimoreans and reading them is almost like running into old friends.
Micah is in his early 40's, a self-employed computer consultant and apartment maintenance person. His life and days are very routined. He leads a life of "quiet desparation." A young man, Brink, turns up on his doorstep, wondering if Micah might be his biological father. I thought the story was going to go in a different direction here, but was glad that it took, for me, an unexpected path, causing Micah to re-examine his life and his romantic relationships.
The reader see the beginning signs of aging in Micah, as in the title allusion. I enjoyed the family scenes with Micah's older sisters belaboring his relationship with Cass. I recognized some of myself and friends (at that age) in Micah.
Redhead by the Side of the Road was a quick read for me, thoroughly enjoyable, but kind of left me wanting more. Perhaps I wanted a more cohesive story rather than just a quick snapshot of Micah's life.
Micah is in his early 40's, a self-employed computer consultant and apartment maintenance person. His life and days are very routined. He leads a life of "quiet desparation." A young man, Brink, turns up on his doorstep, wondering if Micah might be his biological father. I thought the story was going to go in a different direction here, but was glad that it took, for me, an unexpected path, causing Micah to re-examine his life and his romantic relationships.
The reader see the beginning signs of aging in Micah, as in the title allusion. I enjoyed the family scenes with Micah's older sisters belaboring his relationship with Cass. I recognized some of myself and friends (at that age) in Micah.
Redhead by the Side of the Road was a quick read for me, thoroughly enjoyable, but kind of left me wanting more. Perhaps I wanted a more cohesive story rather than just a quick snapshot of Micah's life.
I am prejudiced towards Anne Tyler for a couple reasons: her quirky characters are very familiar to me, her locations are nearby, and her sentence structure is brilliant. This book received some negative reviews because the story is small. It's supposed to be small, though, to reflect Micah's world. Micah lives very near my son's house in Baltimore, so I was able to traverse his stomping grounds in my mind despite being in Covid quarantine.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tyler’s newest is a short novel with a big heart. Micah is a single man in his 40’s, committed to his daily rituals and comforts. With his own business, the Tech Hermit, he is also a super of a building in Baltimore. When his girlfriend breaks up with him, he doesn’t really understand what he did wrong. Micah’s quirkiness is endearing, and you,will be rooting for him. Recommended, with thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a typical Anne Tyler novel with a quirky protagonist named Micah, a 44-year-old man who makes a living dealing with people's tech-related problems, most of which are easily fixed. Micah is very set in his ways -- he gets up at 7?15 a.m. each morning for a run, always the same route. Each day of week has a designated chore -- mop day, kitchen cleaning day, etc. He has trouble sustaining relationships because he is so set in his ways and always manages to find something wrong with women or friends -- he just lost his latest girlfriend, Cass, and he still can't figure out why she left him. His tidy existences is upended when an 18-year-old young man named Brink shows up at his doorstep and claims he believes Micah is his biological father. Brink has run away from college after only a month, and he is afraid to tell his mother (who was a previous girlfriend of Micah's) and step-father why.
Anne Tyler is a genius at crafting interesting characters, and while her stories aren't usually exciting or complex, I keep reading because I genuinely get invested in those characters and want to see what happens to them.
Anne Tyler is a genius at crafting interesting characters, and while her stories aren't usually exciting or complex, I keep reading because I genuinely get invested in those characters and want to see what happens to them.
Obviously I am in the minority with my rating, but the ending just pissed me off! I enjoyed the characters and the story, although I wasn't really invested in any of them. No spoilers. I just found the ending a bit creepy.
reflective
sad