French Braid

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Tyler, Anne, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Tyler, Anne	4-week checkout	On Shelf

"This is a Borzoi book"--Title page verso.
"The Garretts take their first and last family vacation in the summer of 1959. They hardly ever venture beyond Baltimore, but in some ways they have never been farther apart. Mercy has trouble resisting the siren call of her aspirations to be a painter, which means less time keeping house for her husband Robin. Their teenage daughters, steady Alice and boy-crazy Lily, could not have less in common. Their youngest, David, is already intent on escaping his family's orbit, for reasons none of them understands. Yet as these lives advance across decades, the Garretts' influence on one another ripples unmistakably through each generation, much like French-braided hair keeps its waves even after it is undone. Full of heartbreak and hilarity, French Braid is classic Anne Tyler: a stirring, uncannily insightful novel of tremendous warmth and humor that illuminates the kindnesses and cruelties of our daily lives, the impossibility of breaking free from those who love us, and how close--yet how unknowable--every family is to itself"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Great Read submitted by grimest on June 10, 2022, 12:08pm Excellent portrait of family relationships

On and On submitted by Susan C on July 29, 2022, 12:40pm This story of a family goes on and on. I did finish the book. Afterward, I wondered what was the point? I kept waiting for something exciting to happen.

Typical Tyler submitted by cdunlop on March 11, 2023, 5:17pm "Oh, a French braid," Greta said.
"That's it. And then when she undid them, her hair would still be in ripples, little leftover squiggles, for hours and hours afterward...."
"Well,' David said, "that's how families work too. You think you're free of them, but you're never really free; the ripples are crimped in forever."

Anne Tyler has made a career specialty of portraying extended families, complete with their squabbles, dysfunctions, and emotional distance. French Braid continues this tradition, although it is less capitivating than her earlier work of forty years ago ("Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant"). If you don't have a large family steeped in complications and strife, this novel could satisfy some voyeuristic impulses. If you do, you may find the schadenfreude gratifying.

There are enough characters that it may be helpful to keep a list of who's who.

Okay submitted by manz on June 13, 2023, 12:10pm I don't know why I read this, but I did. I listened to the audio. It was a nice look at family, but I wasn't attached to any of the characters or the story. I did like how it was told over time. Nothing spectacular here.