Clock Dance (2018)

I've only read one other Anne Tyler book (Breathing Lessons) and that's been ages ago. I really enjoyed it, so I'm not sure why I've never read any of her others. My tastes in books and her writing style and subject matter are spot on. Dysfunctional families, relationships, timid characters trying to find their voice - set in small town America - wow, it's like I'm reading about my own life. :) Seriously, I thoroughly enjoyed Clock Dance and cheered at the end. If you're looking for a good, quick read this is a good one.

Note to NC readers - the author grew up in Raleigh, NC and went to Duke. Nice to have that connection of growing up in a small town, although the one I grew up in makes Raleigh look like NYC! ( )

Anne Tyler gets 5 stars all the time from me. This one was particularly funny and frustrating which is what she does to show a growth in her characters. Her characters are memorable and she paints detailed portraits that seem so familiar. Her books are like returning to an old friend who has new stories. ( )

A nice character study of an older lady finding her self but the characters seemed to lack depth and complexity. ( )

3.5. I love the story, but it felt unfinished in many ways. I get that the title/theme "clock dance" - time flying was part of it. Willa, the main character talks about her version of a clock dance: "If Willa were to invent a clock dance, it wouldn't look like the one the three little girls had shown her. No, hers would feature a woman racing across the stage from left to right, all the while madly whirling so that the audience saw only a spinning blur of color before she vanished in the wings, pouf! Just like that. Gone." p.274 The story advances in 10 and 20 year increments from Willa's damaged childhood with a erratic mother and an enabling father, to a challenged marriage to which she subverted her personal dreams, to middle-age with regrets, but also redemption. Willa has been randomly phoned to care for her adult son's ex-girlfriend, Denise and her preteen daughter Cheryl and though Willa has never met them, she and her husband Peter answer the call to help and fly from their home in AZ to Baltimore. Willa takes to the job more willingly and open-mindedly than peevish Peter, but she relishes being needed and being able to help. She fits into the neighborhood nicely, befriending all the usual Tyler-type misfits that make up a make-shift family. Her son, Sean, the link to this group, has moved on, and that doesn't include her, so Willa finds her niche and enjoys the dynamic. Meanwhile, Peter who is not so open-hearted, flies back to AZ on his own and they become a long-distance couple if not estranged. Willa needs to stand on her own feet at last and make choices for herself and the ending is a little obscure to this end. There are also unresolved issues with her sister that could've been developed. Overall, the book felt like it skimmed along the surface, touching down here and there but never going for depth. ( )

Not fair of course but I gave this audiobook 10 minutes. I don't like this style of narration, cute and folksy, and the story didn't get off to a propitious start.