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If Morning Ever Comes
by
Anne Tyler
Ben Joe is the only boy in a family of six sisters, Mama and Gram. He is studying for a law degree in New York when he hears his eldest sister Joanne has left her husband and returned home with her baby girl. Out of a mixture of homesickness and duty Ben Joe returns to the home in which he has always felt like an outsider.
Paperback
Published
November 5th 1987
by Vintage
(first published 1964)
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Sep 07, 2009
Lucy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
tyler fans
Shelves:
readawhileago
I wanted to read her first novel since I have come to respect and enjoy her later works.
Anne Tyler was just 22 when she wrote this book and it's worth it just to see her picture, looking somewhat like a long haired Audrey Hepburn, on the dust cover.
The book doesn't have much of a plot. It's more like an intense character study of a southern family and the town they inhabit. Ben Joe Hawke wonders about time and place and where he fits in the cosmos. he leaves his law studies in NYC to make sure h...more
Anne Tyler was just 22 when she wrote this book and it's worth it just to see her picture, looking somewhat like a long haired Audrey Hepburn, on the dust cover.
The book doesn't have much of a plot. It's more like an intense character study of a southern family and the town they inhabit. Ben Joe Hawke wonders about time and place and where he fits in the cosmos. he leaves his law studies in NYC to make sure h...more
In a recent New Yorker article Martin Amis wrote “When we say that we love a writer’s work, we are always stretching the truth: what we really mean is that we love about half of it.” I don’t agree with that as a general rule but it sums up my feelings about Anne Tyler pretty well. Some of her books I really love (Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Saint Maybe, Back When We Were Grownups) and they’ve become a permanent part of my mental furniture. Others leave me cold (The Accidental Tourist, An...more
Ben Joe Hawkes suddenly leaves his law studies in New York and takes the train home to North Carolina to check up on his family, which consists of his mother, grandmother and 6 sisters. Probably taking place in the late 50's or 60's, as the only male Ben Joe is considered the head of the family. A combination of his dislike of law school and New York, homesickness, and his feeling that he's not getting all the news about his family's activities prompts the sudden visit. There's not much action i...more
Apr 02, 2012
Lynne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people who don't need "shiny-bow" endings
Recommended to Lynne by:
myself
At the tender age of 22 and with her first novel, Anne Tyler already had "the stuff." Even then she was able to create protagonists who aren't always easy to like, but they keep trying to make sense out of the mess that is human experience, and they are so carefully drawn that, even if you wouldn't have coffee with them, you want them to find some answers and some degree of contentment.
How much is our identity tied up in our family, and how much of it do we own for ourselves? I don't know if Be...more
How much is our identity tied up in our family, and how much of it do we own for ourselves? I don't know if Be...more
I finished this bad boy on my Ty-Da baseball trip.
I heart Anne Tyler, and she's one of my favorite authors. This was her first published book. The writing style is wonderful, as usual, but there's really not much there. It's that and it really hurts that the main character isn't very interesting or appealing.
Hey, Anne says it best.
QOTD
"The reviews I don't remember, except that one person said the book was 'about as exciting as a cucumber sandwich,' which hurt my feelings at the time but now seem...more
I heart Anne Tyler, and she's one of my favorite authors. This was her first published book. The writing style is wonderful, as usual, but there's really not much there. It's that and it really hurts that the main character isn't very interesting or appealing.
Hey, Anne says it best.
QOTD
"The reviews I don't remember, except that one person said the book was 'about as exciting as a cucumber sandwich,' which hurt my feelings at the time but now seem...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Oh my goodness...one of the most pointless books I've ever read, with an irritatingly disconnected main character who doesn't seem to understand anyone or anything in life, including himself. I never understood why he did or said anything, and he always seems to be in some sort of stupor that makes you feel like you're in a cloud yourself reading it, just grasping for something that makes sense! I couldn't relate to a thing in it and I'm not even sure why I finished it! Now that I know it was he...more
Hmmm--not sure what to say about this one. I love Anne Tyler and I picked this up because it was her first novel and I never heard of it before.... Well, I didn't enjoy the characters, there wasn't much of a story and I hated the names (Ben Joe, really?). I didn't hate the book only because it was well written and did make me laugh out a loud a few times, but that didn't salvage the fact that it was boring and generally pointless. I found myself skimming though some of the verbose and I generall...more
Nov 18, 2012
Anthony
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Summer Cottage Readers
It was a dear friend of mine that introduced me to this author. He's actually a big fan of Anne Tyler. And after reading another novel, this one, and others in waiting, I can completely understand why. They are a pleasure to read.
Being introduced to Ben Joe Hawkes, I have to say, I've never come across a main character like this one before. He's a worrier, socially awkward, overbearing, but never seems to have the courage to truly say exactly what's on his mind. Unmotivated, discouraged, introve...more
Being introduced to Ben Joe Hawkes, I have to say, I've never come across a main character like this one before. He's a worrier, socially awkward, overbearing, but never seems to have the courage to truly say exactly what's on his mind. Unmotivated, discouraged, introve...more
My mother (a babyboomer) introduced me to Tyler's books when I was 15. I've devoured them ever since. I read them before my marriage, while I was married, during my separation, and after my divorce. I've read some of her books 3 & 4 times. Screw those long winded writers of yesteryear that my private liberal arts college told me was brilliant: Tyler takes the cake! She's the woman (in my ridiculous opinion) that John Irving should have married. She would have eaten him alive--so, maybe not.
At college in New York, Ben Joe is homesick for his mother and six sisters in North Carolina, and seizes the chance to go home when a family crisis occurs. This brief snapshot of a week in the lives of his family is, like all the Anne Tyler novels I've read, filled with perception and insight into human nature and relationships. Also like the others, it left me longing to read more about these wonderfully real characters. A gorgeous read.
I thought Anne Tyler could do no wrong and that to pick up one of her novels was to ensure a 4 or 5 star reading experience. I was sorely mistaken. I’ll give her a pass though because it was her first book and she was only 22. In the interview in the back, she mentioned that one reviewer said this book was “as exciting as a cucumber sandwich.” This pretty much sums up the main character Ben Joe, the plot, the dialogue, and the ending. Anne, you’re still one of my favorite authors! We’ll just pre...more
I love Anne Tyler. I think this was her first book and written in 1964. It's just charming & I found myself smiling all the while I read. I'd read anything she wrote. Some of my favorite books of all time are written by her (Breathing Lessons, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant,etc) so although I enjoyed this one, it's easy to see how it was just the jumping off point for her superb writing. It get's a 7 on my 10 scale.
I had read Tyler before (St. Maybe) and liked the book and liked her style, so picked this up at a garage sale. I should know that I couldn't believe the glowing cover plaudits by NY Times, Harpers, and a host of authors that Anne has probably written glowing reports about on their book covers !
This left me saying :"Wha' ?" Disfunction Junction !
I gave it two stars because I deserved two stars for finishing it !
This left me saying :"Wha' ?" Disfunction Junction !
I gave it two stars because I deserved two stars for finishing it !
The author has definitely improved as a writer since she wrote this one. This is about Ben Joe and his family. Ben Joe is attending college in NY. He is studying to be a lawyer at Columbia. After learning one of his sister’s has left her husband and moved back home, he feels compelled to go home for a visit right in the middle of a semester. Home is Sandhill, NC. The family of 6 girls and 1 boy (Ben Joe), Mom and Grandma, is quirky at best. Some of the interactions amongst characters in this boo...more
Anne Tyler’s debut novel tracks the self-realization of a young man whose character struggles to negotiate a balance between self-identity and family identity.
Tyler's characteristic wit and eccentricity of characters is shown right off the bat even in this first novel.
"Seems like you are always loving the people that fly away from you, Ben Joe, and flying away from the people that love you. But if you've decided, this once, to do something the other way, I'll be happy to agree."
Tyler's characteristic wit and eccentricity of characters is shown right off the bat even in this first novel.
"Seems like you are always loving the people that fly away from you, Ben Joe, and flying away from the people that love you. But if you've decided, this once, to do something the other way, I'll be happy to agree."
The last book I read by Anne Tyler was "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" when I was in seventh grade. It was great to reaquaint myself with Ms. Tyler's work. I enjoyed the inner-workings of Ben Joe Hawkes, being an introvert myself. The craziness of his family was authentic and clear, basically anyone who has a family can find something in this work.
Jun 03, 2012
Maggie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorite-authors,
fiction
Anne Tyler writes the most interesting and complex character-driven fiction. Ben Joe is a 25 year old at Columbia who is the only boy in a family of seven and feels responsible for the lives of the others. When he returns home to find out why his eldest sister has left her husband, we find out the "rest of the story." A rich and lovely read.
This is Anne Tyler's first book, and her quirky style is already evident. I enjoyed meeting Ben Joe and his family of six sisters plus his mother and grandmother. Some people are born to write, and while the plot and characters here are not as intricate and multi-faceted as in her later books, we can see that Tyler had found her voice already.
266 pages. Donated 2010 May.
A touchingly funny tale from the Pultizer Prize-winning author of Saint Maybe. Ben Joe Hawkes comes from a large, cheerful family of women. But when one of his sisters takes her baby and leaves her husband, everything--including his perceptions of the past--changes. "Phenomenal".--The New York Times
A touchingly funny tale from the Pultizer Prize-winning author of Saint Maybe. Ben Joe Hawkes comes from a large, cheerful family of women. But when one of his sisters takes her baby and leaves her husband, everything--including his perceptions of the past--changes. "Phenomenal".--The New York Times
Early Anne Tyler. This novel was irritating and for the most part tedious. Unmemorable characters and a wispy plot. Tyler does display the humor and ear for dialogue that she is well known for. But the reader would be better served by checking out one of the later Tyler novels where her literary gifts are more mature.
I thought this book was rather simply written, then I discovered it was her first novel, so that's all right. At least she got it out, which, is you write, you know is the main thing. One can see the charm, the depth, the interest in family dealings that Tyler went on to examine in so much more depth as she matured.
Jan 12, 2009
Sull
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Sull by:
My mother bought it for me.
I read this back when I was a teen-ager, and AT's style really caught me, though I didn't get her themes then at all. I still love her gentle style (so low-key)and now sometimes get her themes: the power of family, the powerlessness of love, the longing for independence from both. . . .
This was one of Anne Tyler's first books, written years & years ago. I enjoyed reading about this quirky, dysfunctional, southern family. I laughed out loud a couple times. Ben Joe is going to college in NY. He goes home to check on his family (all women!) when he finds out one of his sister's has left her husband. The Grandma was a hoot! Light read.
someone reviewed the book saying it was as exciting as a cucumber sandwich. i like cucumber sandwiches. they're crispy, refreshing, and especially nice with cream cheese and tomato. Not in my top five, but i'm happy i read it & I would read more of her work.
Well written and it keeps you fascinated. But aftr reading some of her later books, the plot and intricacies of the characters are faded in comparison. Definitly interesting, because it was her first book, and it is fascinating to see wht authors write about first.
Ben Joe gets a call from his mom and learns his older sister has left her husband. Ben Joe leaves college and heads home to help the family. Anne Tyler slowly and masterfully flips Ben Joe's family over onto its rough underbelly. A complex picture of a family.
Oh, how I just love Anne Tyler. Every time I pick up one of her books I am reminded what a brilliant writer she really is.
I'm only giving this particular book three stars because it is written in the perspective of a man, Ben Joe Hawkes, and I much prefer her books where a woman is the main character. But I have yet to read a book of hers that I wouldn't recommend.
I'm only giving this particular book three stars because it is written in the perspective of a man, Ben Joe Hawkes, and I much prefer her books where a woman is the main character. But I have yet to read a book of hers that I wouldn't recommend.
I like Ann Tyler books. This one, though, left me wanting more. It didn't seem to finish; it just ended. I would love another volume about this family. The characters are rich and engaging, and I would really like to get to know them better.
Just read this again and it's still great. Anne Tyler has a sensibility that I've found nowhere else, her characters are alive, her stories about seemingly ordinary people are quirky, her endings unexpected but perfect
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Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated at nineteen from Duke University and went on to do graduate work in Russian studies at Columbia University.
The Beginner's Goodbye
is Anne Tyler's nineteenth novel; her eleventh,
Breathing Lessons
, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and...more
More about Anne Tyler...
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