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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
My old man saw this at a yard sale or something and remembered enjoying it a lot when he read it several years ago, so he bought it for me and told me to read it. So I did. And I really enjoyed it too. The plot can be summed up fully in about three sentences, but it's the little things that make this book interesting. Little vignettes that will definitely stick with me. It's a slow burn, very slow, just watching this man gradually claw his way out of a rut and then slightly distance himself from his weird siblings that, albeit lovingly, keep him there.
Macon's son is murdered when he sneaks away from summer camp to get a fast food hamburger, his wife leaves him, he develops a set of very weird routines for living on his own. He writes travel guides about how to travel while staying squarely in your comfort zone. He breaks his leg, moves back in with his siblings, including his sister Rose who is the Ultimate Caretaker and Fixer for everyone in her life. He starts dating a struggling single mom/dog trainer with an excess of moxie. He starts, little by little, shedding his weird routines and joining the human race. His boss, who considers Macon his best friend somehow, marries Rose and becomes absorbed by their familial weirdness just as Macon is breaking free of it. Et cetera.
Kind of a nice romance/domestic fiction read. I'd recommend it if you don't need action.
Macon's son is murdered when he sneaks away from summer camp to get a fast food hamburger, his wife leaves him, he develops a set of very weird routines for living on his own. He writes travel guides about how to travel while staying squarely in your comfort zone. He breaks his leg, moves back in with his siblings, including his sister Rose who is the Ultimate Caretaker and Fixer for everyone in her life. He starts dating a struggling single mom/dog trainer with an excess of moxie. He starts, little by little, shedding his weird routines and joining the human race. His boss, who considers Macon his best friend somehow, marries Rose and becomes absorbed by their familial weirdness just as Macon is breaking free of it. Et cetera.
Kind of a nice romance/domestic fiction read. I'd recommend it if you don't need action.
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It looks like I'm in the minority here, but I really did not enjoy this book. I couldn't sympathize with any of the characters. I thought Macon was whiny and indecisive. I couldn't be compelled to care about what he wanted, mostly because it was never made clear to me exactly what that was. He just seemed to bump along with whatever happened.
More than anything else, my problem with this book is that nothing happened. I kept thinking that possibly in the next chapter Macon would act in some way to change his own destiny, but nope. Nothing even happened in the end, the book just seemed to stop.
More than anything else, my problem with this book is that nothing happened. I kept thinking that possibly in the next chapter Macon would act in some way to change his own destiny, but nope. Nothing even happened in the end, the book just seemed to stop.
I loved this book and its quirky characters, and it ended just the way I wanted it to.
I really enjoyed the writing style and characters. The plot was a little thin, but everyday life can be that way. I don't enjoy back and forth non decision makers and that happened at the end, leaving me disappointed. I would still like to try another of this author's books.
This novel fell flat for me. My mom recommended it and I liked the description. A man who writes travel books? A woman cracking him open to the joys of life? What's not to love? Well it was really SLOW. The plot was solid it just took forever to get to the what was going to happen. It was also more than a little sad. Macon is a bland boring annoying character but at the same time you aren't sure whether you like him or feel sorry for him for how clueless he is. Almost didn't make it through but I was determined. Already gave the book away in one of those little neighborhood library things.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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:
Complicated
This was an enjoyable read - a throwback to the 1980s, but the themes of love, loss, and family stand the test of time. Macon Leary and Muriel Pritchett are quirky in their own right and seem an unlikely couple after Macon's marriage to Sarah falls apart in the year after their 12-year old son was murdered. Macon and Muriel are both endearing and at times infuriating as Muriel helps Macon come out of his shell and Macon provides Muriel and her son with much-needed stability. The book was made into a movie in 1988 starring William Hurt, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, and a star-studded cast. I would like to see it again now that I have read the book.
I read this because it's the model novel tracked throughout The Weekend Novelist, and it's far from my typical tastes. Most literary fiction I study for technique and then grow bored with and stop halfway through. Which means my three stars is probably worth four from someone who reads outside of genre fiction more often.
The main character, Macon Leary, is a man who insulates himself from emotions and the people around him to survive a loss. When his wife leaves, he retreats further, constructing comically elaborate systems to shuffle him through the days. He grows more dysfunctional, unable to cope with life on his own. Until a whirlwind woman blows into his life and turns everything to chaos.
I enjoyed Accidental Tourist because the characters were rendered so sympathetically. Each character is vividly unique. In the hands of a lesser writer, their oddities could make them thoroughly unlikeable. Tyler, however, renders subtle emotions with such skill that you end up caring deeply for each of her characters.
The main character, Macon Leary, is a man who insulates himself from emotions and the people around him to survive a loss. When his wife leaves, he retreats further, constructing comically elaborate systems to shuffle him through the days. He grows more dysfunctional, unable to cope with life on his own. Until a whirlwind woman blows into his life and turns everything to chaos.
I enjoyed Accidental Tourist because the characters were rendered so sympathetically. Each character is vividly unique. In the hands of a lesser writer, their oddities could make them thoroughly unlikeable. Tyler, however, renders subtle emotions with such skill that you end up caring deeply for each of her characters.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Grief