![]() ![]() While nothing extraordinary happens to any of them, perhaps that is the point – that in every small life and for each individual, the ordinary is extraordinary. Tyler has great skill in revealing personality, and writing in a way that makes you want to know more. It is a small pleasure to read the lives of these children as they grow up, experience their own adult difficulties, and become parents themselves. In particular, I enjoyed reading about the family’s first ever holiday to a lake where their individual personalities became starkly revealed. Not far into the book, I am quite attached to little David and his older sister Alice, while frustrated by the flighty Lily. The years pass with small, intimate changes, which Tyler marks with her appealingly conversational style of writing. In her 24th novel, Tyler once again unravels the tangled threads of family life. Small tensions arise before the book rewinds to the ‘50s, when Mercy and Robin are bringing up two daughters and a younger son. Set in Baltimore, the story begins with a trip by Mercy and Robin’s granddaughter, who is meeting her boyfriend’s family. It could be a criticism to say that the two were very similar in their stories about family relationships, an ageing matriarch and her diverse progeny, but seeing it was a relaxing read I was after, French Braid hit the spot. ![]() Having recently read and enjoyed A Spool of Blue Thread by Tyler, I thought I’d give her latest a go. ![]() If you want a comforting family saga, it’s hard to go past Anne Tyler. ![]()
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