If Morning Ever
Comes by Anne Tyler
Engaging and Realistic--Anne Tyler wrote this novel with circumstantial details of the Hawkes.
Specificity is always her strong point and her ability to depict the genuineness of human's emotions and actions. This novel
shines in breaking down relationships between people,love,kinship and friendship. Ben Joe Hawkes,her protagonist is a chronic
worrier who left home to study law in New York. He proclaimed himself as reversible and his bizzare habit of reading up-side-down.
One day he made a phone call home and found out that one of his 6 sisters whom he haven't seen in 7 years returned home with
a child. Apparently she left her husband... Being the sole male member (after his dad passed away)in the family of 8 women
including his eccentric mother and grandmother,he felt responsible when such 'crisis' occurred. Ben Joe decided to make the
trip back home to look into this matter plus he also have an unfinished business to attend to. Things began to unfold,he also
learnt a few valuable lessons and even caught up with his old flame,Shelley from this fruitful trip home. Ben Joe eventually
realised that his family are independent and each have a life of their own and he should to. I always admire Anne Tyler's
conscientious writing style.This time she created a engaging and compelling family drama that illustrated the importance of
family bonding, sharing,love and care,also finding your true self and the significance of what is leaving your family spread
your wings and get your own life and not forgetting your root.
Back When We Were Grownups
Fearing of turning into a wrong person is a sad and truthful
self confession. 53 years old Rebecca is a widow since she was 26 years old.One fine day,she suddenly began to doubt the way
her life turned out.She felt driving further and further away from what she intended to be.. Her lack of self-believe and
doubts in the what-ifs of life is the main backbone of this Anne Tyler lastest novel. Rebecca is lonely,virtuous,caring woman
with a complex family tree consists of 4 daughters,7 grand children and numerous in-laws,ex-,step- . It's not easy to keep
track and topped up with several unique names. The
best parts about "Back When We Were Grownups" are the opening lines, the flashbacks of Rebecca, the picnic,her final realisation
about how lucky and blissful she really is and the funny and many witty moments of this book and not forgetting the ending
with the home video fully justify the case and a happy ending. Once again Anne came up with a superb business idea with "The Open Arms". Unique and like "Rent-A-Back" from "Patchwork
Planet" totally brilliant and cool businsess sense. There
are several quirky and funny moments too esp. Beck's meeting with her childhood sweetheart,Will. Her regrets not paying half
the dinner check and pouring out her woes to a old lover,etc...
Poppy and his birthday speech is great. I quote "There
is no true life...your true life is the one you end up with, whatever it may be." Through these words sumed up the moral of
the story. This book do have several dwelling parts
but all in all it's a great novel and not forgetting it'll make a great mother's day gift or a great birthday gift too.
"Celestial Navigation"
is about Jeremy,he's an agoraphobic,introvert,he's a pathetic soul who never leave his house and he's lonely. But after his
mother died,he sort of forced to communicate with people because he has to let out his empty rooms in his house. He even met
a woman.....
Anne focus a lot on Jeremy's thoughts. I think it's intriguing.
Once again Anne Tyler proved her ability to depict situation and envision. Her creation always filled with enchanting factors
and she had a way to show empathy towards them through words. This novel is different, it showed how special is human relationship and the importance of understanding, about
adjusting to changes and how sometimes some things just cannot be change.
A Patchwork Planet
I'm impressed with Anne's conscientious writing style. Empathic description of human's feeling and behaviours...
It make you feel for the characters especially Barnaby. He is so pathetic but so real. Barnaby is an average low achiever.
He has an indifferent prospective of Life. But there's something sparking about him. I think it's a great achievement for
a female writer to voice out a man's woe and thoughts so vividly. "A Patchwork Planet" shines in depicting the genuineness
of Barnaby. This book is different. I think it's filled with sincerity and sensibility.
