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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I’ve never read any Anne Tyler before, but after this I’m thinking I should try some more. It is about Delia Grinstead who lives a very comfortable life with her doctor husband in her childhood home. Her husband took over her father’s practice when he retired. They have 3 children, teen and uni age. Delia meets a man in a supermarket one day who asks her to pretend to be his girlfriend to make his wife, who has left him, jealous. Delia and this man then begin a relationship, but she breaks it off when it becomes clear that he still loves his wife. This relationship changes something in Delia though, she is no longer satisfied with her small little life, ignored by her children and husband, taken for granted by everyone. One day when they are on vacation she just walks away from everything and starts a new life in a small town. In this new life she slowly opens up, making new friends and a place for herself. And realising that she is her own person and can exist by herself. I’m not sure I liked the ending though, where she ends up with her husband again.
The main character walks away from her family because they don't appreciate her, then, after a year away, she returns for a brief visit, they all expect her to prepare their meals, do errands, and fetch things. They show her absolutely no affection, revert to the behavior that made her leave in the first place, and she decides to stay, leaving behind a boy and man who have come to love her. Weird and depressing.
We re-read this for book club to see how we responded to it about ten years later. My rating went down a little but it definitely holds up. Lots to think about regarding motherhood, marriage, communication, and self-image. Good discussion!
Oh man did I relate to this book. Who doesn't love a runaway fantasy?
I really liked this. The writing was straightforward, but somehow also a really distinctive style at the same time. An interesting mid-life-crises sort of story.
I really enjoyed this, right up until the ending. It all felt too clipped, without any real sense of completion.
The characters were interesting and the fact that it was written in the 80s gave it a wonderfully nostalgic feel.
I'd definitely like to read more of her work, possibly something more recent.
The characters were interesting and the fact that it was written in the 80s gave it a wonderfully nostalgic feel.
I'd definitely like to read more of her work, possibly something more recent.
Great story, highly entertaining. Ending not so great though, because us women can't be independent?
This book was fun to read. It is about a woman on a beach vacation who one day just impulsively walks off from her family and starts life anew elsewhere. As a woman, it is a fun way to escape into a character without actually doing it yourself! Although, I may disagree with how Delia handled things, it was neat to see how she was able to survive and make good decisions starting from scratch.
100 pages in, I abandoned this one. it's just awful.