Reviews

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

sidharthvardhan's review

3.0

The biggest disappointment was the fact that redhead of title didn't turn out to be a hot woman.

In fact, both the story and the characters are ordinary - not the the kind of characters that invoke passion, whether in form of love or hatred, from the readers. They are in fact the kind of people you will find in your real life. The protagonist Micah is a tall middle aged man with almost no emotional intelligence, someone whose biggest interests are about cleanliness and orderliness and and who is perfectly satisfied with his low income. Two events, both false alarms, make him question his lifestyle choices and he discovers that he has no dreams.

It is shortest book on 2020 booker list but it could have been shorter. A big part of book is Micah visiting his customers to attend their complaints. While his work occupies biggest chunk of his life, some of that could have been cut off. If it was shorter I would have given it 5 stars. In the end, what made the book work for me was gradual and very subtly built despair of Micah toward the end.

harkless's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

mefrost's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

suehepworth's review

3.0

Short book about a lonely man in his forties, very set in his ways. Eventually realises this, and ends up with his girlfriend.
Nicely written in a typical and tile away.

lisagray68's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

colettepwr's review against another edition

informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

manderley's review

lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

millatebbs's review

emotional lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

bookbirder's review

emotional lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I went through this book very quickly, which may be a combination of the short book with the excellent writing. Anyone who enjoyed Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove should enjoy the similarities of the protagonist, while anyone who doesn't love Backman's writing style should be impressed by Anne Tyler's. 

sharon5657's review

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5