Tyler, Anne. The Accidental Tourist. New York: Random House. 1985. Print
They were supposed to stay at the beach a week, but neither of them had the heart for it and they decided to come back early.
Description:
Sometimes, like everyone else, I get into a slump with my reading. So many books I've picked up to peruse recently simply didn't cut it for some reason. Book after book I put down after the first page or, if convinced by a respected friend to continue reading a particular gem, put down after a bit more time... say, about a chapter. Discouraging.
So what did I do? Well, I fell back on a proven solution: give another reading to old favorites that you haven't read in years. Books that you've laughed over, bit your nails during, or simply wallowed in the wonderful writing of a captivating story.
Thus it was in a time of desperation that I searched my bookcase and came up with Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist from 1984. A real oldie, so ancient that a Hollywood movie had been made of the story, distributed, and quietly forgotten except for Prime Video.
And it was just what the doctor ordered for me.
It's really a simple story beautifully told, with uniquely quirky characters simply interacting with each other. That's it. No danger, no murders, no real comic situations. Just interesting people dealing with the world's personal challenges in what most of us would consider unusual ways. And of course, an unlikely romantic plotline.
Take the main character, Macon Leary, a writer of travel books for businessmen. His books are not ordinary guides, but are written for people who must travel for business but hate being away from American comforts, foods, lodgings, etc. Macon reluctantly visits major cities around the world to review hotels, restaurants, air travel, packing, and other necessities which offer amenities to foreign visits almost like staying home.
He admittedly has his own peculiarities, such as washing his clothes during his nightly shower and sewing his sheets together into a sack-like bag to prevent untucking. At the beginning of the book, his wife has just left him in part due to these quirks and also the devastating trauma their family has recently experienced which neither Macon or Sarah can deal with.
Macon moves in with his two adult brothers and sister, all equally eccentric in their techniques to manage daily life, from an unusual method of preparing potatoes for meals to their made-up card game that no one outside the Leary family can comprehend.
Then Muriel enters this world. She's a thrift store clothes-wearing, flamboyant, non-stop talking dog trainer who takes a shine to Macon while working with his dog. There is a relationship possibility there, but Macon is hesitant to become too involved, secretly hoping his wife Sarah will someday come to her senses and return to him and his carefully planned life. And then the story unfolds.
That's it. A simple tale, interesting characters, clever writing and unexpected plot turns. The perfect book. I cannot believe how much I enjoyed this wonderful book and can only hope that others like me, struggling to find a great, heartwarming and heartbreaking read, will turn to The Accidental Tourist. It will restore your faith that captivating books are out there despite your recent run of bad luck with unsatisfying works.
So what did I do? Well, I fell back on a proven solution: give another reading to old favorites that you haven't read in years. Books that you've laughed over, bit your nails during, or simply wallowed in the wonderful writing of a captivating story.
Thus it was in a time of desperation that I searched my bookcase and came up with Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist from 1984. A real oldie, so ancient that a Hollywood movie had been made of the story, distributed, and quietly forgotten except for Prime Video.
And it was just what the doctor ordered for me.
It's really a simple story beautifully told, with uniquely quirky characters simply interacting with each other. That's it. No danger, no murders, no real comic situations. Just interesting people dealing with the world's personal challenges in what most of us would consider unusual ways. And of course, an unlikely romantic plotline.
Take the main character, Macon Leary, a writer of travel books for businessmen. His books are not ordinary guides, but are written for people who must travel for business but hate being away from American comforts, foods, lodgings, etc. Macon reluctantly visits major cities around the world to review hotels, restaurants, air travel, packing, and other necessities which offer amenities to foreign visits almost like staying home.
He admittedly has his own peculiarities, such as washing his clothes during his nightly shower and sewing his sheets together into a sack-like bag to prevent untucking. At the beginning of the book, his wife has just left him in part due to these quirks and also the devastating trauma their family has recently experienced which neither Macon or Sarah can deal with.
Macon moves in with his two adult brothers and sister, all equally eccentric in their techniques to manage daily life, from an unusual method of preparing potatoes for meals to their made-up card game that no one outside the Leary family can comprehend.
Then Muriel enters this world. She's a thrift store clothes-wearing, flamboyant, non-stop talking dog trainer who takes a shine to Macon while working with his dog. There is a relationship possibility there, but Macon is hesitant to become too involved, secretly hoping his wife Sarah will someday come to her senses and return to him and his carefully planned life. And then the story unfolds.
That's it. A simple tale, interesting characters, clever writing and unexpected plot turns. The perfect book. I cannot believe how much I enjoyed this wonderful book and can only hope that others like me, struggling to find a great, heartwarming and heartbreaking read, will turn to The Accidental Tourist. It will restore your faith that captivating books are out there despite your recent run of bad luck with unsatisfying works.
____________________
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Simsion, Graeme.The Rosie Project.
Here's another guaranteed spirit-boosting book. A highly quirky geneticist, Don Tillman, decides to create a 100-question test to help winnow women as potential wife material. Rosie Jarmen, a grad student who meets none of Tillman's requirements, somehow is mistaken for a future mate candidate and an unusual relationship develops that is as unpredictable as it is funny. Highly recommended (previously reviewed here)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add a comment or book recommendation.