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abbeyhar103's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like the main character seemed fairly autistic, but the author didn't mean for it to be that way. On the whole, this was well written in some ways, but I just couldn't get into the plot line, didn't find it or character motivation believable.
janpringle's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mgnshr's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bupdaddy's review against another edition
3.0
Hmm...I like Anne Tyler a lot, but I never know what to say about her books.
She writes well.
Yeah. She writes well. It's so fluid and easy, but works. Her imagery just flows, without being all, "hey, look at me! I'm imagery!" Wonderful ear for dialogue.
Goodreads thinks "dialogue" is not a word.
She writes well.
Yeah. She writes well. It's so fluid and easy, but works. Her imagery just flows, without being all, "hey, look at me! I'm imagery!" Wonderful ear for dialogue.
Goodreads thinks "dialogue" is not a word.
gregpreads's review against another edition
4.0
3.8*. Anne Tyler can do no wrong in my eyes. Her tales of small town America and the dysfunction of everyday life is perfect. This for me was more of a struggle than her others. The writing seemed a little disconnected at times. But saying that, it's still Tyler.
bianca89279's review against another edition
3.0
Written in 1972, The Clock Winder follows the Emersons, with the matriarch, Pamela Emerson, as the catalyst for the novel. One day, while moving furniture by herself, she's helped by Elizabeth who was walking by. Elizabeth ends up taking residence in her huge house, in exchange for doing odd jobs around the house and yard and company.
Mrs Emerson is feeling lonely, especially since all her seven kids have left home and she's had recently lost her husband.
Elizabeth is an unusual young woman - she doesn't care for appearances and doesn't conform to society's expectations. It's 1959, the expectations to conform are many.
Slowly, Elizabeth gets to meet most of the Emerson children. A couple of the Emerson young men take a liking to Elizabeth, who's ambivalent about relationships.
All Tyler's novels are about ordinary people and their ordinary lives and petty grievances. This one was no exception.
I didn't think this was very well put together, a bit jumpy at times. Most annoyingly, I found Elizabeth elusive, I never quite understood what made her tick.
There weren't many memorable moments, I probably will forget what it was about pretty soon.
Mrs Emerson is feeling lonely, especially since all her seven kids have left home and she's had recently lost her husband.
Elizabeth is an unusual young woman - she doesn't care for appearances and doesn't conform to society's expectations. It's 1959, the expectations to conform are many.
Slowly, Elizabeth gets to meet most of the Emerson children. A couple of the Emerson young men take a liking to Elizabeth, who's ambivalent about relationships.
All Tyler's novels are about ordinary people and their ordinary lives and petty grievances. This one was no exception.
I didn't think this was very well put together, a bit jumpy at times. Most annoyingly, I found Elizabeth elusive, I never quite understood what made her tick.
There weren't many memorable moments, I probably will forget what it was about pretty soon.
sleightoffeet's review against another edition
4.0
This is a beautiful book, but the ending kind of confused me. The rest of the book was so good, though, that it still got 4 stars.
Elizabeth Abbott is a wanderer looking for work, and Pamela Emerson is a lonely widow, who's kids never stay long. Pamela hires Elizabeth to work as her handyman, and the family realizes they can't live without her meanwhile Elizabeth feels the burdens of all the family's problems and realizes, she must get away to live.
As always, no one does characters like Ann Tyler. She is one of my book club's member's favorite author, so we always try to include at least one of her books a year. The relationships that get formed between the characters are so compelling, you feel like you are a part of it.
The ending was kind of confusing. Characters that I really didn't remember getting mentioned came back into play, and Elizabeth's relationship was confusing as to whom she was now with. Still worth the read. Wonderful book!
Elizabeth Abbott is a wanderer looking for work, and Pamela Emerson is a lonely widow, who's kids never stay long. Pamela hires Elizabeth to work as her handyman, and the family realizes they can't live without her meanwhile Elizabeth feels the burdens of all the family's problems and realizes, she must get away to live.
As always, no one does characters like Ann Tyler. She is one of my book club's member's favorite author, so we always try to include at least one of her books a year. The relationships that get formed between the characters are so compelling, you feel like you are a part of it.
The ending was kind of confusing. Characters that I really didn't remember getting mentioned came back into play, and Elizabeth's relationship was confusing as to whom she was now with. Still worth the read. Wonderful book!
obscuredbyclouds's review against another edition
2.0
I don't know what it is about this one. It could have been me/the timing, but the novel just never really came together for me. Half way in my partner asked me whether I liked it and I gave him a shrug and said I didn't even know what it was about yet. It's Anne Tyler, so of course it's about a family, and most of the characters are eccentric in one way or another. It's not that there's nothing happening in this story - there's death and plenty of love - but the narrative is so opaque you're relying entirely on the characters. And they are all so flimsy and unlikable. At one poin the more or less main character Elizabeth says that she had to get away from the Emerson family because they drive her crazy, and that is how I felt about them too. But also about Elizabeth.
It's not necessarily a bad book. I actually found it entertaining enough and more or less engrossing but it left me with a "huh? that's it?" feeling. Anne Tyler herself apparently said she's a little ashamed of the novel. It's where she started writing family sagas set in Baltimore, and some of her trademark great elements are burried in there, but it's still quite muddled. I'd only recommend it to Tyler completetists.
The Tin Can Tree (1965) - 4/5
A Slipping-Down Life (1970) 3/5
The Clock Winder (1972) - 2/5
Celestial Navigation (1974) - 4/5
Earthly Possessions (1977) - 4/5
Morgan's Passing (1980) - 4/5
The Accidental Tourist (1985) - 3/5
Breathing Lessons (1988) - 4/5
Saint Maybe (1991) - 4/5
Ladder of Years (1995) - 4/5
A Patchwork Planet (1998) - 4/5
Back When We Were Grownups (2001) - 3/5
The Amateur Marriage (2004) - 3/5
Digging to America (2006) - 4/5
The Beginner’s Goodbye (2012) - 3/5
A Spool of Blue Thread (2015) - 5/5
Vinegar Girl (2016) - 2/5
Clock Dance (2018) 3/5
Redhead by the Side of the Road (2020) - 3/5
It's not necessarily a bad book. I actually found it entertaining enough and more or less engrossing but it left me with a "huh? that's it?" feeling. Anne Tyler herself apparently said she's a little ashamed of the novel. It's where she started writing family sagas set in Baltimore, and some of her trademark great elements are burried in there, but it's still quite muddled. I'd only recommend it to Tyler completetists.
The Tin Can Tree (1965) - 4/5
A Slipping-Down Life (1970) 3/5
The Clock Winder (1972) - 2/5
Celestial Navigation (1974) - 4/5
Earthly Possessions (1977) - 4/5
Morgan's Passing (1980) - 4/5
The Accidental Tourist (1985) - 3/5
Breathing Lessons (1988) - 4/5
Saint Maybe (1991) - 4/5
Ladder of Years (1995) - 4/5
A Patchwork Planet (1998) - 4/5
Back When We Were Grownups (2001) - 3/5
The Amateur Marriage (2004) - 3/5
Digging to America (2006) - 4/5
The Beginner’s Goodbye (2012) - 3/5
A Spool of Blue Thread (2015) - 5/5
Vinegar Girl (2016) - 2/5
Clock Dance (2018) 3/5
Redhead by the Side of the Road (2020) - 3/5
nursenell's review against another edition
I haven't read Anne Taylor before. Friends said this book wasn't as good as her others so I will try another of her books. I found the characters in this story odd but likeable but I just couldn't get into the book.