Reviews

Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

suehepworth's review against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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 against another edition

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

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

Redhead by the Side of the Road is an everyman story. This story's everyman is Micah, a man who works as an independent contractor helping people with their home computer issues. He also works as the super for his apartment building. So basically, he spends his days helping people. He's set in his ways and has his routines. He diligently obeys traffic laws and even imagines a higher traffic power watching him and commenting on his good driving. His well-ordered world is thrown askew when his girlfriend tells him she might be evicted AND a teenager he has never met shows up at his door.

This book was a quick read and I was able to read it in a couple of hours this morning while the kids were sleeping in. This is a character-driven story and was reminiscent of A Man Called Ove in several ways. Both Ove and Micah are curmudgeonly. Both of them like to do things the way they like to do them. "Redhead" wasn't a tearjerker for me though, whereas I definitely welled up a little at the end of Ove. This is probably the 5th or 6th book that I've read by Anne Tyler and they are always a nice relaxing break from thrillers, more serious lit, and fluffy chick lit. Just nice calm, slice of life story without crazy outrageous drama.

tildahlia's review against another edition

4.0

Really enjoyed this restrained portrayal of a man stuck in a rut after a relationship breakdown. A bit like Alice Munro, Tyler is so skilled at capturing the ordinary and the domestic in ways that feel real, relateable and strangely compelling. No showstopping twists and turns, but it's a short and straightforward read with the odd phrase or description that will remind you of Tyler's skill. The audiobook narrator, MacLeod Andrews, is truly one of the best audiobook narrators I've encountered. Someone give this guy an award.

northerly_heart_reads's review against another edition

lighthearted reflective slow-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

3.25