Rating: 4/5
Review:
Not one of Tyler's best
Like a lot of other people, I think this is good, but not
one of Anne Tyler's best novels. It's
superbly written – it's Anne Tyler, so of course it is - but I'm not sure quite
how much it added up to in the end.
There's not a lot in the way of plot. It's a story of a Baltimore
family which is described as "unremarkable," and of their characters,
interactions, rivalries and bonds – all of which is rather what you expect from
a Tyler novel. And, as always, it's written in superb,
poised and evocative prose with some very acute observations. However, I felt this time that there was
rather more prose than observation, and I didn't really find the brilliant
depth of characterisation which is so often Tyler's hallmark, and no-one with
the utterly recognisable and memorable presence of, say, Rebecca Davitch in Back
When We Were Grownups.
In short, if you like Anne Tyler then you'll almost
certainly like this, but I doubt whether you'll find it one of her most
memorable books. A slightly qualified
recommendation.
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