The Content Reader

Here another instalment in the Anne Tyler project (hosted by Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home ). This month's first book is Earthly Possessions , and it might be my absolute favourite so far.  "Charlotte Emory has always lived a quiet, conventional life in Clarion, Maryland. She lives as simply as possible, and one day decides to simplify everything and leave her husband. Her last trip to the bank throws Charlotte's life into an entirely different direction when a restless young man in a nylon jacket takes her hostage during the robbery--and soon the two are heading south into an unknown future, and a most unexpected fate...." Maybe you can say that being taken hostage is typical of Charlotte. People seem to be drawn to her. It was of course coincidental that the nervous young man grabbed her, but still. Charlotte being Charlotte meant that she trotted along as the robber ran away with her from the scene. As we follow Charlotte on her...

Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home  is hosting The Anne Tyler re-read project 2021. I have really enjoyed the reading so far. If you are interested in earlier reviews please check my blog archive. For March we read Celestial Navigation and Searching for Caleb.  "Thirty-eight-year-old Jeremy Pauling has never left home. He lives on the top floor of a Baltimore row house where he creates collages of little people snipped from wrapping paper. His elderly mother putters in the rooms below, until her death. And it is then that Jeremy is forced to take in Mary Tell and her child as boarders. Mary is unaware of how much courage it takes Jeremy to look her in the eye. For Jeremy, like one of his paper creations, is fragile and easily torn--especially when he's falling in love..." Another wonderful story by Anne Tyler. We understand that Jeremy has some kind of mental syndrom and suffers from panic attacks. Tyler's characterisation of his mental...

  Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home invited those interested to dive into the authorship of Anne Tyler with The Anne Tyler re-read project 2021 . Two books are scheduled for February; A Slipping Down Life and The Clock Winder .  "Mrs. Pamela Emerson lives a lonely new widowhood outside of Baltimore, with only a house full of ticking clocks for company. Then she hires eccentric Elizabeth Abbott as a handyman and both discover that parts don't have to be a perfect match to work." A story about, what we would call today, a dysfunctional family.    Mrs Emerson has seven children (grownups) that she seldom sees. She dresses elegantly and is keeping up her standards, although she is getting older. She is living her somewhat elegant life in a run-down house. Elizabeth comes along and life is never the same again.  Elizabeth is a somewhat peculiar character. She stopped her studies, left home and is now roaming rather freely around to ...

  Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home invited those interested to dive into the authorship of Anne Tyler with The Anne Tyler re-read project 2021 . Two books are scheduled for February; A Slipping Down Life and The Clock Winder .  "Evie Decker is a shy, slightly plump teenager, lonely and silent. But her quiet life is shattered when she hears the voice of Drumstrings Casey on the radio and becomes instantly attracted to him. She manages to meet him, bursting out of her lonely shell—and into the attentive gaze of the intangible man who becomes all too real…." Anne Tyler has with Evie Decker created another bigger than life character. A girl different from others, with few friends, good at school, but without any real interests or aim in life. That is, until she gets obsessed with a local rock singer and takes fate into her own hands. Together with her only friend Violet she starts going to concerts at a local restaurant just to hear Casey sing....

  Liz Dexter at Adventures in reading, running and working from home  is inviting us for a re-read of Anne Tyler's books. I love the books I have read by her, and it was a long time since I read them.  It might be to ambitious for me to read all of her books, but I will try to catch up with the schedule as best as I can. Here are the basic rules. Go to Liz' link above for further information.  How will it all work? My plan is to read one of the books each month by the 10th of the month and review it then, and the other by the 20th and review it then. Then my review will be available for linking and commenting by the middle and end of the month respectively. I will link to my review on this page and I will try to link to anyone’s who does a review, including on Goodreads, and sends me the link. How do I join in? When you’ve read your book, you could do any of these things … Post a review in a comment on my review Write your own review by the 15th or 30th of the month...