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I believe I've admitted to reading all of Anne Tyler's books, several of them more than once. I just reread A Patchwork Planet, and I'm dumbstruck again. Like no other author I know, Tyler is a master of the emotional sandbag. She blindsides you, saps you in the skull when you don't see it coming (e Leggi tutto

A Patchwork Planet by Anne Tyler is an interesting little character study of a man called Barnaby Gaitlin. Not all the cards have fallen Barnaby’s way, he hasn’t met his rich parents’ expectations, he’s divorced, he works in a dead-end job, he doesn’t conform to some of the norms of society regardin Leggi tutto

This was entirely different read to anything I’ve experienced before. Written in the late 90’s though I really was fascinated with the tone of the era, the speech was unusual. I felt it was set even earlier, the fashion, the general vibe and way of speaking. Barnaby was a funny bloke, he was the bla Leggi tutto

Sometimes I feel like apologizing for liking Anne Tyler but this book in particular is truly wonderful - I'm not terribly great at reviews but it has the hallmarks of things I generally value in a book - wonderful characters who stay with you, and the amazing ability to tightrope-walk between funny

This short novel is probably a good starting place for readers new to Anne Tyler's books. Think of it as Tyler Lite, Barnaby to the rescue again with many of the author's favorite themes on show. A good-hearted underachiever, this time a black-leather-clad 30-something named Barnaby, has a complicated Leggi tutto

not quite 3 stars This book started out just fine. I started reading and found interesting characters, a pleasant writing style, and some very engaging dialogue. All good, right? Well, somewhere it took a turn, because I had to keep pushing myself to finish reading the darn thing. Here’s the problem. Leggi tutto