This came to me via a loan from bookrambler after a lament from myself earlier in the year that i don’t feel i read enough female writers last year and to be honest in general this was Jannette suggestion ,this is one of Anne Tylers most popular novels and i can see why it is beautifully written ,it follows the ups and downs of the Tull’s family a single parent family with the matriarch pearl and her band of kids Cody ,Ezra and jenny you get to see them grow up and develop ,the main thing i loved is the Tyler write exactly how real families are warts and all there is no beautifying at all .The characters are well drawn particularly pearl and her wayward son Cody a lad that most rebellious teens would recognize .the story is told in snippets as pearl lays dying and recalls the family growing .
while pearl Tull was dying ,a funny thought occurred to her .It twitched her lips and rustled her breath ,and she felt her son lean forward from where he kept watch by her bed .”get . . . “she told him “you should have got . . . ”
you should have got an extra mother ,was what she meant to say …………………
have you read Tyler do you have a favourite ?
you chose one of my favourite lines from the book! – Glad you liked it. I love the way she weaves a believable family story and shows all the huffing and puffing and hurt feelings but also the feelings behind those feelings. The different layers peel back to expose the love behind the misunderstandings. It’s one of those stories I like to recommend to everyone who likes a good read. Pleased it didn’t disappoint you.
the realism struck me as great rare you find it about family life thanks for the loan