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lgiery's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Immersive. Visceral.
Spanning from 1959 to 2020, "French Braid" tells the story of a single family (over four generations), exploring its complexities. It's the first Anne Tyler book I've read. Now I plan to read them all.
Spanning from 1959 to 2020, "French Braid" tells the story of a single family (over four generations), exploring its complexities. It's the first Anne Tyler book I've read. Now I plan to read them all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty
becca_thegrimreader's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Anne Tyler tells the story of the Garrett family spanning from 1959 to present day. Spanning several decades generations of one family we get a glimpse into their life. We learn of their ambitions, dreams, and regrets as we travel through different points of view, some more interesting than others. My favourite chapter was probably Candle’s story. It was nice to read as she grew closer to her grandmother Mercy, explored her art and herself.
I think one of the main strengths of this book is how accurate the family dynamics are depicted. There is love, resentment, anger, jealousy, strain, and sadness. The interactions between them all is very true to life, from their phone calls to check what someone else knows, to planning what to bring to the family dinner. I think many will find some of this familiar, and it did make me smile.
I don’t think this book would be everyone’s cup of tea, there isn’t a lot of drama. I enjoyed how we visited different characters, but I was left wondering what happened to them once we left their point of view. I wanted to know what happened with the young couple at the beginning, did Candle pursue art, or why David didn’t stay in contact with his family? Yet, the glimpses of these characters throughout the book is familiar and is like getting to meet a friend again.
I think one of the main strengths of this book is how accurate the family dynamics are depicted. There is love, resentment, anger, jealousy, strain, and sadness. The interactions between them all is very true to life, from their phone calls to check what someone else knows, to planning what to bring to the family dinner. I think many will find some of this familiar, and it did make me smile.
I don’t think this book would be everyone’s cup of tea, there isn’t a lot of drama. I enjoyed how we visited different characters, but I was left wondering what happened to them once we left their point of view. I wanted to know what happened with the young couple at the beginning, did Candle pursue art, or why David didn’t stay in contact with his family? Yet, the glimpses of these characters throughout the book is familiar and is like getting to meet a friend again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Death
albon's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer
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