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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Misogynistic view on women, unlikeable characters, slow plot
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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
Anne Tyler is so easy to read. Her characters feel immediately well-developed; her stories have easy to follow arcs; and, her writing is a good mix of quirky and relatable. I read “Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant,” earlier this year, and mostly liked it for those reasons. In that book, Tyler writes about how complicating family relationships can be with such ease. I appreciated how Tyler knew what she wanted to write and wrote it directly and succinctly.
“The Accidental Tourist, like “Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant,” is about family relationships. In the book, Tyler describes the Leary siblings—three brothers and one sister identical in their fastidiousness to grammar, logical reasoning, and geographical dyslexia. The Learys are a good mix of eccentric and nebbishy, and easy for the reader to like. But, more than family, “The Accidental Tourist” is about romantic love. In the book, Tyler focuses on Macon Leary, arguably the most individualistic of the Learys, as he moves from a failed marriage defined by order and stability, to a new romance characterized by messiness and unpredictability. Macon, as a Leary, longs for the routine of his marriage to Sarah; but, at the same time, he finds himself falling in love with his new, eccentric girlfriend, Muriel.
I thought “The Accidental Tourist” read like a rom-com screenplay. It was enjoyable and felt pleasingly predictable (even though, I’ll admit, I didn’t predict Sarah would return to Macon), but wasn’t much else. I’m glad it was a quick read, and think, ironically, it would make for good travel reading. I’m surprised it won the National Book Award (although maybe not—it’s an easy to read book that deals with difficult issues (e.g., losing a child) and has easily imaginable and memorable characters). Also, I felt like Tyler fell in to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trap with Muriel (see the wikipedia entry for it-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl). I don’t like using that term, but Muriel felt like that type of character and Macon seemed like the type of brooding person who falls for such a character. I think I’m done with Tyler for a while, but I’m not disappointed I read “The Accidental Tourist,” and I’ll certainly look for another of her books the next time I’m traveling somewhere.
“The Accidental Tourist, like “Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant,” is about family relationships. In the book, Tyler describes the Leary siblings—three brothers and one sister identical in their fastidiousness to grammar, logical reasoning, and geographical dyslexia. The Learys are a good mix of eccentric and nebbishy, and easy for the reader to like. But, more than family, “The Accidental Tourist” is about romantic love. In the book, Tyler focuses on Macon Leary, arguably the most individualistic of the Learys, as he moves from a failed marriage defined by order and stability, to a new romance characterized by messiness and unpredictability. Macon, as a Leary, longs for the routine of his marriage to Sarah; but, at the same time, he finds himself falling in love with his new, eccentric girlfriend, Muriel.
I thought “The Accidental Tourist” read like a rom-com screenplay. It was enjoyable and felt pleasingly predictable (even though, I’ll admit, I didn’t predict Sarah would return to Macon), but wasn’t much else. I’m glad it was a quick read, and think, ironically, it would make for good travel reading. I’m surprised it won the National Book Award (although maybe not—it’s an easy to read book that deals with difficult issues (e.g., losing a child) and has easily imaginable and memorable characters). Also, I felt like Tyler fell in to the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trap with Muriel (see the wikipedia entry for it-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manic_Pixie_Dream_Girl). I don’t like using that term, but Muriel felt like that type of character and Macon seemed like the type of brooding person who falls for such a character. I think I’m done with Tyler for a while, but I’m not disappointed I read “The Accidental Tourist,” and I’ll certainly look for another of her books the next time I’m traveling somewhere.
This was an interesting story about grief, moving on and family dynamics. I enjoyed the story overall but found most of the main characters to be very challenging. Whiile sympathetic to Macon and his family, I was often frustrated by their behavior. I was more interested in the secondary characters. While flawed they seemed more human. I would be interested in a story from Muriels prospective or for the story to continue to see what happens next. This is the second book I have read from the author and I think I just do not like that all of her characters seem annoying. Would be willing to try another book. I do not look the characters but the stories I find intriguing .
The kind of funky wobbly character development I like. Her characters are strangely loveable and they love each other strangely. I don't want to say much more than that here. I want you to enjoy the discovery of each page the way I did.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Tyler is known for her characters over her plots which is why this started dragging about halfway through. The storyline was also a bit depressing. I had thought about watching the movie -- I also thought it was supposed to be funny. Oh well.
Not my favorite Tyler book, although it is one of her most well-known. This is more of a 3.5 from me.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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