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Oct 24, 2011

Stephen rated it:

I’ve read and enjoyed most of Anne Tyler’s novels (starting with Searching for Caleb, which author Don Barthelme recommended to me years ago). A character from one of her first books (I think it was If Morning Ever Comes) provided the name I later gave to my daughter. The Accidental Tourist strikes closest to home with its theme of coping with a profound loss and then the ultimate redemption that comes from such an unexpected direction. It was while reading this book in about 1987 that I first f More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 03, 2011

Kim rated it:

This is a warm, wise, funny, heart-breaking and ultimately life-affirming book. In Macon Leary, the man who writes travel books for people who hate to travel, Tyler has created an amazing character. His damaged psyche, his vulnerability, the gradual changes in his character and outlook as he starts to connect with the messiness of living leap off the page. This book makes me laugh out loud one moment and brings tears to my eyes the next. Although Macon is the centre of the novel, the supporting More...

1 comment like (8 people liked it)

Sep 14, 2011

Jeannette rated it:

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13 comments like (6 people liked it)

Oct 03, 2011

Jemidar rated it:

Buddy read with Kim.

I first read this back in the late eighties and loved it, and recently decided to do a re-read just to see if I still loved it as much. I've changed and my life circumstances have changed, so I wondered...

And I'm happy to say that not only do I still love it, but I think I love it a lot more than I did the first time around. Call it accumulated life experience if you like, but it had a resonance and a poignancy that touched me at a much deeper More...

26 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2008

Maureen rated it:

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0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2007

Rachel rated it:

Things I liked about the book: humorous details, the symbolism (the house, the dog), driving plot

Things I am not sure that I like: the guy's wife leaves him and he "takes up" with a vibrant young woman who has a kid and a hard life. The wife comes back. I don't know who I want him to be with, since his life has somewhat changed for the better with the younger woman, and she saves him from his bitter, OCD life, but he does still love his wife and to me marriage is a sacred More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2008

Ellen rated it:

It looks like I'm in the minority here, but I really did not enjoy this book. I couldn't sympathize with any of the characters. I thought Macon was whiny and indecisive. I couldn't be compelled to care about what he wanted, mostly because it was never made clear to me exactly what that was. He just seemed to bump along with whatever happened.

More than anything else, my problem with this book is that nothing happened. I kept thinking that possibly in the next chapter Macon woul More...

2 comments like (11 people liked it)

Jan 10, 2008

Cindy rated it:

If you're interested in reading a book that will challenge every single emotion you thought was possible.....this one will not disappoint. I was able to step inside the psyche of every single character and understand to the fullest extent their feelings of loss, fear, sadness,desperation and frustration.....simply because I have been there myself.
This story will reveal what really happens when someone loses a child.
Best have your Kleenex closeby.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 21, 2008

Kristie rated it:

I finished this book a few days ago and have had to wait a few days to be able to write a review. I still am in awe of how such a slow story without any real standout events could make me miss it while I was at work and hate to turn to page and be one more closer to the end. I didn't particulary care for any of the characters until the end(except for the brash and tacky Muriel whom I loved all along). You will love Macon's transformation and watching him learn to live, not again, but for the More...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 05, 2011

Elizabeth (Alaska) rated it:

This book brought tears streaming, but also made me laugh out loud - unusual for me. Macon Leary and his wife Sarah lost their only child the year prior to beginning of the story. It was a difficult year not only for them as individuals but also for their marriage. Anne Tyler lets us see Macon, whose life has been one of order and routine, now struggle with his grief and with a life without everything that has provided meaning to his life. I am a fan of Anne Tyler, will not be able to get enough More...

4 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 11, 2009

BookRambler rated it:

First book by Anne Tyler I read - and was immediately hooked and had to seek out all her other books.
Unusually, there's a lot of humour in this book and it's probably all the better for it. Tyler paces the pathos with the humour really well so that it fits naturally into the narrative.
I'n not sure how to describe this book - it's about a travel-witer who has no sense of direction. Within the first few chapters we learn his son has died and his wife asks for a divorce. From then on More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Nov 22, 2008

Bonnie rated it:

No wonder this was made into a movie. But if you only saw the movie, read the book; this is her funniest, I think.

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Adam rated it:

The Accidental Tourist really surprised me. I have never read Anne Tyler before and I don’t usually get into general fiction like this but this was, to put it very simply, a beautiful novel and story. It is amazingly well-written, the characters are totally unique but believable, and the plot is interesting from beginning to end. I lost just a little bit of interest near the end when the book seemed to turn into a romance, but most stories involve love and the choices that go with love so this w More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jun 04, 2007

Phyl rated it:

I guess this will always be one of my all time favourite books. For me, it worked on all levels, I loved the story, characters and the routine absurdities that form part and parecel of everyday life. There is tragedy, humour and romance. I think this is the best book Anne Tylor has written and I've read all of them. Nowhere else does she captures the nuances of relationships so well. On a personal level, this book will always mean a lot to me, introducing a kind of anal retentive anti hero More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2007

Sunnybrook rated it:

Really loved this book when I read it.. and I can still remember so much from it. The husband who travels all over the world and always stays at Holiday Inn (in fact he might be a Travel Writer who specializes in this kind of travel).

And I think this is the book where the child is in an elite boarding school in the northeast. They sent him there so he would be safe from so many of the dangers of the world. And one night after a game, his team stops at McDonalds. The McDonalds i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 25, 2011

Edithcastro rated it:

Macon Leary is a man of routine. So much so that it borders on OCD. Men like Macon do not cope well with change. So when his wife leaves him after the loss of their son, his world is thrown upside down. This story follows his journey as he tries to leave a 'normal' life.
I loved the writing in this book. I haven't read any of Anne Tyler's work before, but I will certainly be picking more up in the future. I liked that there is so much to it than the words on the page. The story is heavy wi More...

0 comments like

Feb 09, 2012

Laurel rated it:

I was a little young when this one was first published, so it was new to me--although it is probably her most well-known work, and I absolutely enjoyed it. I always love the quirkiness of Anne Tyler's characters as well as the insight she has about the human experience. Though the book's premise deals with the aftermath of a son's random murder and the implosion of a marriage as a result, Tyler refuses to give into the temptation to bang that one note. Her character's life is more than despai More...

0 comments like

Oct 10, 2011

Amy rated it:

Apologies in advance to my book group. I promise to keep my mouth shut and let someone explain to me why they like this book, because I can't figure it out.

The main character, Macon, is so compulsive and deranged. I read reviews of the book where people thought the descriptions of his daily routines were humorous. I found no humor, only desperation and pathos. His life and psychotic narrative going on in his head was too depressing for words. Reading this book made me anxious to get More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 15, 2011

Roberta rated it:

Bellissimo! La Tyler sta decisamente diventando una delle mie scrittrici cult. Il protagonista Macon è un uomo nella sua prima mezza età, che insieme alla moglie sta cercando di superare l'assurda morte del loro figlioletto. E' proprio questa tragedia ad allontanare da lui la moglie, che finalmente capisce quanto il marito viva in un'astrazione di vita, rifiutandosi di lasciarsi coinvolgere dagli eventi, rifiutando di inseguire le proprie scelte anche quando questi dicono no, preferendo cedere e More...

0 comments like

Jul 26, 2011

David rated it:

I can't really say much about this book. It has been a while since I read it, and I needed to refresh myself on the plot. I don't even know why I read this book because it is hardly one I would have picked up at a bookshop. I suspect that when I finished reading it, I threw it into the shed up the back, and prompty forgot about it, which is probably why, when I looked at it again years later, I said to myself 'I know that I have read this book, but I have no idea what it is about'.
Anyway, More...

0 comments like

Jul 21, 2011

Emily rated it:

This was a dollar buy at my local used bookstore. The worn orange cover and coffee stains showed promise of someone taking the time to enjoy it, which is why I decided to give it a shot.

Tyler uncovers the history of the characters as they become relevant. Kinda like watching a movie with flashbacks. This way the reader isn't inundated with details about every little thing at one time. She manages to explain complicated relationships and characters with ease that allows the story lin More...

0 comments like

Jul 19, 2011

Aleah rated it:

Macon Leary is a sad sack of a guy who is obsessed with efficiency and finding the path of least resistance. Up to this point he's lived his life with a minimum of effort, including his 20 years of marriage and his career as a reluctant travel writer. Tragedy shakes Macon to his core when his 14-year-old son is murdered. Macon's wife, unable to cope with both her grief and her husband's seemingly cold demeanor, leaves the marriage. Macon begins to fall apart. Then he meets Muriel, a disheveled, More...

0 comments like

Apr 23, 2009

Mike rated it:

Ann Tyler is so polished at the story of common people faced with emotional detours in life. Macon Leary is a writer of colorless business travel guides (for the "accidental tourist"), whose marriage has failed after he and Sarah are rocked by the tragic loss of their 12yr old son Ethan. Sarah moves out and Macon hides a bit in his work, which takes him frequently to Europe. He reluctantly reconnects with some rather staid (and humorously wrought) nearby family members, which only co More...

0 comments like

May 08, 2011

Harmonybites rated it:

This novel is part of a Tyler omnibus gifted me by a friend. I liked Breathing Lessons, and didn't care for Searching for Caleb. Leaving The Accidental Tourist for last, I find the third time's the charm. All three books are well-written--Tyler is obviously a gifted, and consistently good writer. All three have similar themes--particularly the tension between staying stuck and chaotic change. You can see this with the Leary family. Their life with their mother was chaotic and as a result the fou More...

0 comments like

May 27, 2011

Fabian rated it:

Accidental tourists are annoying! (These are those pesky travelers who refuse to give up all their customs, their comforts; refuse to get lost a little in the foreigness, to LIVE.)

And this book isn't. A success then!--considering the subject matter. Yeah, the protagonist is a huge bore and as he has one of the best jobs of all time is doubly douche-ey, but he has a reason to be maudlin and dissatisfied. Lifetime Movie Network viewers would have a blast... and the novel feels dated i More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 01, 2009

Kara rated it:

I didn't know this was an old book until I began reading it and noticed some references that dated the book. I also didn't know it had been made into a movie! Neither of these facts influenced my mixed opinion of the book.

I enjoyed the author's writing style and ability to illustrate the way seemingly tedious events influence the path of one's life as much as big events do. The author also did a wonderful job of demonstrating how difficult it is to break away from one's comfort zone More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 08, 2012

John added it

"And it seemed to him, as he sank back into his dreams, that she had as good as spoken aloud. About your son, she seemed to be saying: Just put your hand here [cesarean scar]. I'm scarred, too. We're all scarred. You are not the only one." (Tyler, Ann. The Accidental Tourist, Chapter 11)

Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist is a character study on how different people sort through painful experiences in life. After having my eye on the book for years, I decided to delve into More...

0 comments like

Feb 03, 2012

Sarah rated it:

It may just be where I am in life, or what I'm accustomed to reading, but within this sweet and heartbreaking-at-times story, I felt like the characters were a little flat or caricaturish--as if they were "types" rather than realistic characters. They didn't feel like fully realized, recognizable people. Along the same lines, the ending seemed managed--I didn't believe the characters would act the way they did. They hadn't earned the inevitability of their behavior.

What I lov More...

0 comments like

Aug 13, 2011

Lennie rated it:

During their marriage, Macon and Sarah never really evolved as a couple and become one unit like other married couples. They were two distinct people: Macon had a fondness for method and order and it annoyed Sarah to no end. Their differences put a strain on their marriage but when their twelve-year old son is killed, it ruins them. After Macon and Sarah separate, Macon meets a woman named Muriel. She is extreme, unpredictable, and anything but orderly. Muriel falls for Macon but Macon mis More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 13, 2009

Sierra rated it:

I read this because I'd never read Anne Tyler before and because I wanted to observe how she melds humor with seriousness. The book was good--Tyler deals nicely with a tragedy as the external conflict, but there were a few plot holes that bothered me a lot. One was the way Macon left Muriel's son Alexander without a single word goodbye. To me that was too cold even for Macon. Then, he treated Muriel pretty badly after he left her, and in Paris too. And yet, after he has ONE epiphany as opposed t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)