Description
Book Synopsis
Anne Tyler's novels strike a deep chord of responsiveness in her readers because her novels bring to life contemporary characters to whom we can instantly relate and in whose experiences we can see mirrored our own. Tyler's novels deal with the human experience: relationships between marital partners, between parents and childrenbetween siblings; the meaning of love; the nature of identity; impermanence and change; and loss and continuity. In Anne Tyler novels, life is a complexity whose texture is built out of multiple layers. In this insightful study, Paul Bail shows us how Tyler constructs the complex reality of life through character, narrative point of view, theme, and literary devices. With the exception of Tyler's earliest two novels, which she prefers to forget, a chapter is devoted to each of the other novels she has written. Among the twelve are her unforgettable novels of family relationships and loveloss and renewal, such as Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant,
Table of Contents
Series Foreword The Life of Anne Tyler Literary Influences on Anne Tyler A Slipping-Down Life (1970) The Clock Winder (1972) Celestial Navigation (1974) Searching for Caleb (1976) Earthly Possessions (1977) Morgan's Passing (1980) Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant (1982) The Accidental Tourist (1985) Breathing Lessons (1988) Saint Maybe (1991) Ladder of Years (1995) A Patchwork Planet (1998) Bibliography Index
