Their youngest, David, is already intent on escaping his family's orbit, for reasons none of them understand. Their teenage daughters, steady Alice and boy-crazy Lily, could not have less in common. Mercy has trouble resisting the siren call of her aspirations to be a painter, which means less time keeping house for her husband, Robin. They hardly ever leave home, but in some ways they have never been farther apart. The Garretts take their first and last family vacation in the summer of 1959. “A quietly subversive novel, tackling fundamental assumptions about womanhood, motherhood and female aging.” - The New York Times Book Review

From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Spool of Blue Thread-a funny, joyful, brilliantly perceptive journey deep into one Baltimore family’s foibles, from a boyfriend with a red Chevy in the 1950s up to a longed-for reunion with a grandchild.

Resident Ellyn Loy is a retired Clinical Social Worker and avid reader, who is very familiar with Baltimore. Join us for further review and discussion!Īnne Tyler, bestselling author, was awarded the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Breathing Lessons. An early family vacation at Deep Creek Lake and an anniversary celebration years later provide unexpected tensions that persist for years to come.

This story crescendos in two typical family events, decades apart. Low-key drama is a hallmark of Tyler’s writing.

Dialogue, as much as description, carries the loose plot. While highlighting unique, quirky characters, the author conveys universal experiences, such as faulty family communication, sibling conflict, establishing autonomy and the tenacity of family bonds. Having lived in the city for over 50 years, the author takes her readers on familiar tours of its neighborhoods, noting changes throughout the decades Ordinary people living in Baltimore have been the subject of all of Tyler’s novels. Individual family members are presented every decade between 19. From Robin and Mercy in their eighties, to Ben, their toddler great-grandson, we glimpse the intergenerational impact of family patterns. In her 24th novel Anne Tyler introduces us to the Garrett family. Resident Ellyn Loy will review French Braid: A Novel by Anne Tyler on Tuesday, Jat 7 PM in the Auditorium.

French braid review