I've been a fan of Tyler's since I picked up The Accidental Tourist, some time back in the 1980's. She writes terrifically believable quirky characters and always explores relationships in ways no one else does. She is particularly good at exploring family dynamics and is the queen of casual asides and writing that sounds exactly the way people actually speak. French Braid has all of that and yet, I'm sorry to say, this one just didn't work for me.

Perhaps because right off the bat I became exasperated with Mercy who might rightly be considered a terrible mother. She seems not in the least concerned that her 15-year-old daughter spends their entire vacation with a 21-year-old man nor with what her 7-year-old son is doing, trusting that others will watch over him. She relies on her other daughter to actually get the family fed, to put meals on the table. Still, she seemed very hurt when David went off to college and never really kept in touch much after that.

She is a prime example of "some people shouldn't be mothers." No sooner have the children flown the coop than she begins the slow process of moving out of the family home. Certainly Mercy would have felt, in the 1950's, that she must wed and have children, even though she was clearly a woman who never should have done either. Today she might have still felt that pressure but it would be so much more acceptable for her to live her life the way she wanted.

The relationships between the children worked the best for me. Even though I am blessed to have three children who get along incredibly well, despite their differences, I know that is rare. The two sisters are so different, and were treated so differently growing up; it's understandable that they would bicker and have to tread carefully around each other. But also believable that when something happens in the family, they reach out to each other. A baby brother, who one sister has largely ignored and the other felt the weight of raising, continues to be an enigma to the family with whom he's never fit in.

The publisher's summary says that this book is full of heartbreak and hilarity. The only heartbreak I felt was for Robin, who spent the rest of his life after Mercy left, pretending to his children that she hadn't; he was left in limbo. As to hilarity, I didn't find it here which was a disappointment because I used to make my husband listen to me read him funny bits of Tyler's books. I'm not sure what I wanted from this book; I just know that I didn't get it.

Now, as always, this is just my opinion. And it seems that others enjoyed this much more. Check out Ron Charles', of the Washington Post, review. Or Jennifer Haigh's review in the New York Times. They both seem to have found the Anne Tyler that I always loved in this book. I wish I had.

3 distant stars
“Oh, what makes a family not work?”

French Braid follows a Philadelphia family of five from 1959 through the beginning of the pandemic. Even when the Garretts got together, it never seemed to work. I remain distanced from the characters because they are distant from each other, each doing their own thing. Once the three children started having children (and sometimes different spouses), I found it hard to keep track of who each was, as they all seemed blasé. “They looked so scattered, and so lonesome.” I understand Tyler’s point of making the reader feel the characters loneliness, but without much of a plot and little character growth, I felt lost – and grateful for my own kind, loving family.

About three-quarters of the way through the book, some nicer family memories and kindnesses appear. (That seemed a very long time.) A granddaughter used to wear French braids. ”Two skeins of hair high up near her temples, very skinny and tight, and then join in with two thicker braids lower down.” After the braids were undone, the hair remained in ripples. “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.”

The wife of youngest son, David seems a wise woman. In a discussion with her husband, she remarks that “Families love each other!” David said his father didn’t like him. She points out he was a good son. “This is what families do for each other – hide a few uncomfortable truths, allow a few self-deceptions. Little kindnesses.” “And little cruelties,” he replied. French Braid is not a feel-good, happy-family book. I desperately wanted more than occasional 'little kindnesses.'

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like how Anne Tyler writes; I rarely like the people she writes about. This book is about depressing people living depressing lives. Or dissatisfied people living dissatisfying lives. I can hardly believe I read the whole thing. This would normally be a dnf for me.

A meandering tale of a family and their evolution through the decades. It was well written, but this one was a miss for me.

Anne Tyler weaves a marvelous multi-generational story that takes place in her beloved Baltimore.
Revolving around the Garrett family who take one vacation as a family in 1959 and after don't leave home much. The matriarch, Mercy, longs to be a painter. She has devoted herself to her family but once the children grow-up she pursues her dreams.
Great character development and compelling story.

Discussed on episode 152 of the Book Cougars podcast:
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode152

This was an interesting novel providing insight into one family’s history, starting with a family vacation in the summer of 1959. Each character is a member of the family, but has a very individual perspective. The book follows the family through decades and we see how their early interactions have an effect on their relationships over time. It’s difficult to say more in a book review without providing spoilers.

I will say that I was on board with Mercy and her decision to be more independent and be treated less like a servant until the chapter showing her treatment of the cat who basically asked nothing of her. After that point I had a difficult time identifying.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but often found it frustrating. Which was probably the point – family relationships can be the most frustrating and fraught of all.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A simple book about the Garrett family. A deep dive into the lives of the family through the years, children and grandchildren. Like most of Tyler's books this has very little plot, rather just the character exploration and what it means to be a family. For me, the book fizzled out at the end without a clear conclusion. I had problems relaing to any of the characters or thier situations.

I really really want to like Ann Tyler books. And I keep trying them, and then remembering why I really, really don’t like them.
The idea of “slice of life” and multigenerational family relationships and dynamics stories seem appealing in theory, but in reality you have to actually like the characters for this to work. And … I just don’t.
Tyler’s stories just meander without a lot of purpose. What could be a stroll down memory lane is more like a trudge through a muddy path.
I am an avid reader and usually finish a book in a few days. This one took months because I kept putting it down and not being interested enough to pick it back up.

Another classic Ann Tyler examining the intricacies of family. Perfect, charming, sad, touching.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinion are my own.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this titile via Netgalley. I wanted to like this, it sounded interesting and fun. Unfortunately, it was neither. I found the characters to be unlikable and uninteresting. I did not enjoy the read.

This is definitely not an easy book to recommend, but my literary fiction readers have been pleased by it.

This is the first Anne Tyler book I’ve read and it’s fantastic - I’m a new fan. An easy to read and delightful story about a family that’s twisted like a “French braid”. They all have their flaws but it makes up for a family that can really “braid”:together and untwist into a crinkly mess!

I received an egalley of this book from
Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As you probably know, Anne Tyler is a great writer of the human condition. This book is no exception. It’s extremely character driven and there is nearly no plot. The story is told through glimpses of the lives of three generations of the Garrett family. Between these vignettes many years will pass, and it’s told from multiple points of view. I really enjoyed reading this and it passed quickly. However, it was difficult to connect with most of the characters and some were plain unlikable. I don’t have much of a problem with flawed characters, but it did take me out of the pure enjoyment of the book. I really did enjoy the themes of family and showing a family that was rather detached.

Just saying her name gives me a thrill, so adding two extra words - ‘Anne Tyler’s new novel’ - makes me positively giddy. What’s not to love about falling for a family you don’t know and doesn’t really exist until you learn about them, when they become real and important to you. When you invest in an Anne Tyler novel there are high expectations and Tyler exceeds them every time.

This latest book by Anne Tyler isn't her best. It is, however, a look at characters as they deal with the pain and pleasures of life. Reading it feels a little like getting to know the new neighbors as life unfolds. I found this to be a comforting, but not compelling read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Thank you Net Galley.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I could not get into the story and as a result, did not finish so I won't be leaving a full review.

You can hand me any book that Anne Tyler wrote and I am 100% in. This is the story of one family spanning almost 70 years in Baltimore, and is so simple but offers a glimpse of the inner workings of one of the imperfect groups of people, you may ever read about.

We meet Mercy and Robin raising their children on a family vacation. There are first loves, heartbreaks, and of course sunburns. Over the next chapters we watch this family get older, and eventually Mercy and Robin are empty nesters and move into an unconventional marriage.

Their children get married, have kids, and all go through their own struggles, and it is as simple as that. There is not a lot to this story, but it does not make it any less wonderful. Tyler writes with so much charm and detail, that you feel you really know this family.

This is a book that leaves you happy, I was completely satisfied and sometimes that is exactly what you need in your life.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always love an Anne Tyler and this one was no different. The thing that always amazes me is that Tyler's stories never have much excitement. They're just about the day to day, mundane things that we all do and go through. And yet, you're enthralled and engaged and invested. The multigenerational aspect is always relatable, as well.

Nobody can write about family quite like Anne Tyler. This is a beautiful story which she wraps up quite nicely at the end. I recommend it to anybody who loves stories of multi-generational families.

Anne Tyler never fails to brilliantly weave family dynamics into her realistic stories. Mercy Garret feels her last chance to fulfill her dream of being a painter is slipping away. She rents a studio apartment nearby to fulfill her dream and to take a final stab at independence while hiding the move from her children. Tyler’s story follows the Garrets—Mercy, her husband, Robing, children Alice, Lily, and David in a story of evolving family relationships spanning over seventy years.