If Morning Ever Comes: A Novel (edition 1996)

St. Barts 2013 #7 - Enjoyable read of this, Tyler's first novel. She certainly has away of creating vivid quirky households of people you almost feel you've met in your life. A lot of material here hitting close to home, with the broken home with Dad having another woman, along with those years of very necessary things going unspoken and the subtle toll that can take on the family. Rather an amazing job of a 22-year-old woman capturing Ben Joe's character sense....nicely done. How does it all ultimately turn out? I'm sure we all would have different opinion, but I am glad for the chance to be with Joe Ben on his last trip home. ( )

Anne Tyler writes the most interesting and complex character-driven fiction. Ben Joe is a 25 year old at Columbia who is the only boy in a family of seven and feels responsible for the lives of the others. When he returns home to find out why his eldest sister has left her husband, we find out the "rest of the story." A rich and lovely read. ( )

Ben Joe Hawkes is a worrier. He has been raised in a family of women and during a phone call with his mother, he learns that one of his sisters has taken her baby and left her husband. Ben Joe's worry for his sister propels him home again; away from law school and stability to the confusion of childhood memories and unforseen love.

I enjoyed this book - Ms Tyler's first. In my opinion, it was a little light on plot but very well-written. I give it an A! ( )

A lukewarm early offering by a gifted novelist. The story concerns a young man trying to leave behind his home of six sisters, but I suggest you skip it altogether in favor of one of Tyler’s later, and much better, offerings. ( )

Ben Joe gets a call from his mom and learns his older sister has left her husband. Ben Joe leaves college and heads home to help the family. Anne Tyler slowly and masterfully flips Ben Joe's family over onto its rough underbelly. A complex picture of a family. ( )