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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I am very suprised that this book won awards because I thought it was poorly written. I read this book becuase it was recommended by an author I like in an interview (though I can't remember who it was now) and the fact that the book was set in Baltomore was just an added bonus. It is very dated, which isn't the book's fault but just made it all the stranger. I didn't get why anyone was doing or saying anything. And the audiobook narrator's voices left something to be deisred.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Macon Leary loves the familiar. He loves routines and hates travel. And yet, he has made a career writing travel guides for businessmen who also hate to travel. He advises them of the best hotels to stay in other cities, even other countries, where things are most like home. In between dreaded trips, he's enjoyed a predictable life with his wife and adolescent son, until his son is killed, and his marriage falls apart. After Macon's wife, Sarah, leaves him, he sinks into depression, trying to simplify his life with ridiculous routines. One of these routines results in an injury that sends him back to his childhood home to live with his three siblings -- two brothers who also have not had successful marriages and a younger sister whose sole purpose in life is taking care of her family.
In the meantime, Macon's dog (actually his dead son's dog) has developed some major behavior issues. A pushy single mom that works at the boarding kennel inserts herself into Macon's life as a dog trainer and potential love interest. Muriel is a hot mess of dammit, the complete opposite of cool, composed Sarah, but Macon finds himself swept along by her (not without some resistance). This weird romance was my least favorite part of the novel, although I understand the necessity of shaking Macon's rigid existence as he sinks into depression.
My favorite part of the novel was Macon's family, all super quirky and set in their ways. Macon's publisher, playboy Julian Edge, is as fascinated with the eccentric family as I am, and manages to unexpectedly work his way into the mix.
This novel is all about people changing, doing the unexpected, getting out of their comfort zones. Although I don't love the ending; overall, it's a really good story.
In the meantime, Macon's dog (actually his dead son's dog) has developed some major behavior issues. A pushy single mom that works at the boarding kennel inserts herself into Macon's life as a dog trainer and potential love interest. Muriel is a hot mess of dammit, the complete opposite of cool, composed Sarah, but Macon finds himself swept along by her (not without some resistance). This weird romance was my least favorite part of the novel, although I understand the necessity of shaking Macon's rigid existence as he sinks into depression.
My favorite part of the novel was Macon's family, all super quirky and set in their ways. Macon's publisher, playboy Julian Edge, is as fascinated with the eccentric family as I am, and manages to unexpectedly work his way into the mix.
This novel is all about people changing, doing the unexpected, getting out of their comfort zones. Although I don't love the ending; overall, it's a really good story.
Macon, a fastidious, unassuming man who has lost his son in a random act of violence, now faces a wife who wants a divorce. An author who writes books on how to travel with the least possible number of actual experiences at your destination, Macon goes through life with the weirdest habits, trying to minimize anything unexpected or uncomfortable. His three siblings are similarly allergic to change and during his separation from Sarah he finds solace with them. But his poorly behaved dog Edward brings Muriel into his life and her completely different approach to everything gives Macon a chance to see that people can and do change, and that life is scary, but meant to be lived. (But Anne Tyler writes this whole novel in a way that is much less cheesy and obvious than this review.)
One of the early books I read after college. I remember it being well-written, but a chore to read. The pace and mood of the story made it a tough read for me at the time.
I guess this is the closest I get to a beach read? It had some funny moments, and I didn’t mind the ending. But I’m general just didn’t connect with the characters too much or care what happened to them. But I could see this as a good book for discussion in terms of marriage and relationships.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
For some reason, I saw this movie in the theater. I was 7 and something about the poster (Geena Davis walking a bunch of dogs?) made me beg my mom to take me. I remember sitting in the theater being like, “I have no idea what is happening.”
All this to say that when I started this audiobook, I was thinking chick lit, Geena Davis rom-com. Instead this book is a deep meditation on grief and the meaning of life. Anne Tyler is like a female John Irving—precise observations, authentic character development, strong prose—but without all the male bullshit. Too good for an audiobook. Might have to reread as a real book, right after I read everything this woman has ever written.
All this to say that when I started this audiobook, I was thinking chick lit, Geena Davis rom-com. Instead this book is a deep meditation on grief and the meaning of life. Anne Tyler is like a female John Irving—precise observations, authentic character development, strong prose—but without all the male bullshit. Too good for an audiobook. Might have to reread as a real book, right after I read everything this woman has ever written.