Through every family run memories which bind it together - despite everything. The Tulls of Baltimore are no exception. Abandoned by her salesman husband, Pearl is left to bring up her three children alone - Cody, a flawed devil, Ezra, a flawed saint, and Jenny, errant and passionate. Now as Pearl lies dying, stiffly encased in her pride and solitude, the past is unlocked and with it, secrets. (19980911)
Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant
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"Excellently done; the minutiae of domestic landscapes, the lunatic irrationality of family quarrels, the torments of sibling rivalry" (Sunday Telegraph )
"Funny, heart-hammering, wise...superb entertainment" (New York Times Book Review )
"A terrific writer... She's changed my perception on life" (Anna Chancellor )
"A classic of contemporary Americana... variously funny and horrifying and finally, quietly, terribly moving" (Los Angeles Times )
"A book that should join those few that every literate person will have to read" (Boston Globe )
"Funny, heart-hammering, wise...superb entertainment" (New York Times Book Review )
"A terrific writer... She's changed my perception on life" (Anna Chancellor )
"A classic of contemporary Americana... variously funny and horrifying and finally, quietly, terribly moving" (Los Angeles Times )
"A book that should join those few that every literate person will have to read" (Boston Globe )
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A classic novel from one of America's greatest living novelists.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Pearl Tull is dying. As she slips into unconciousness she thinks about her struggle to raise her two sons, Cody and Ezra and her daughter Jenny after her husband walked out on her when they were very young. Now grown up, her children, however, see their childhood quite differently. As family events are told from their varying viewpoints, a complex story of hurt, jealousy, resentment and disappointment arises.
I have never yet read an Ann Tyler novel that disappoints and this is no exception. In her easy style she brilliantly exposes the reality beneath the outer skin. Her characters are so real, you can almost touch them. Sometimes you want to hug them; at other times you want to wring their necks!
Was Pearl a good mother? The answer, as in all Ann Tyler's novels, is yes and no. She did what she thought was best in the circumstances. And is this family any happier or more damaged than any other? The answer again is more complex than any other novel I have read. But this is not a heavy read. It is witty, funny, but above all, true. Wonderful.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A travelling salesman announces to his wife that he is not coming home. Ever. She then proceeds to raise their three children with ferocious energy, suppressing her own fading dreams in the hope that the family she creates will be the central joy in her life. Clever and unfailingly stubborn by nature, she is a fascinating character - one moment lovable and caring, the next a formidable tyrant. This book is a small epic tracing the devlopment through two generations of a troubled small town American family. Tyler's characters are alive and portrayed with remarkable sensitivity. Very moving.
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a delicate loving piece of fiction. What is harder in life than to try to understand the perspective of the other people in our family? Anne Tyler gives us an intimate look at each of the family member's thoughts and from this we draw a large picture of a complex set of family relations. Where else does a family join together but the dinner table? It is a spot of joyous reunions and a catalyst for causing severe fractures, but it is a place where every person in the family ultimately returns. By placing this at the center of her tale she is able to jump of on all the character's many stories. This novel makes you reconsider the point of view of people in your family you might have given up on. Your sympathy always goes with Ezra, forever trying to hold the family together. But you also learn to see the perspective of the other members through hearing small poignant details of their lives from Pearl's apple apple apple to the devastating reunion and confrontation with the missing father at the end. Their actions aren't just quirky details, but strong philosophies by which they live and rich points of difference that cause friction in their relations. This is handled with tremendous sympathy and understanding by the author. Anyone who has had strained relations with members of their family will be able to relate to this book and be wildly entertained by its twists and turns.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Totally absorbing
Ann Tyler's insights into the dynamics of a broken family and the interactions between the siblings are amazing. Her characters are so real and completely believable. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Mrs. M. Lewis
5.0 out of 5 stars
AnneTyler writes about subtle and often conflicting family...
Slightly quirky story line and some odd characters but ,as always , she holds your attention and your sympathies too
Published 14 days ago by Mrs. Carol A. M. Page
5.0 out of 5 stars
A favourite
I am an Anne Tyler fan. This is one of my favourites. I bought this for my grand daughter. It is a wonderfully observed picture of family life and dynamics.
Published 28 days ago by LES FERRY-ROBERTS
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ann Tyler does it again
Typically quirky Ann Tyler. Good easy reading with some excellent characters (and some annoying ones)!
A fine novel highly recommended.
A fine novel highly recommended.
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. A. Smedley
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best of Anne Tyler so far
Really enjoyed this read, it is for me the best of Anne Tyler I have read so far.
The characters are so meticulously pictured that you' think they'd be part of one's own... Read more
The characters are so meticulously pictured that you' think they'd be part of one's own... Read more
Published 1 month ago by claude Vergez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dinner at the homesick restaurant
Interesting read, quirky tale, real page turner, was not disappointed by Anne Tyler yet again, well recommended hence 5 stars
Published 1 month ago by Nicocaran
2.0 out of 5 stars
What was the point?
I have just finished reading Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. It is the first Anne Tyler book I have read and I won't be reading another for a while. Read more
Published 3 months ago by clairerice
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable
An enjoyable read with many interesting insights. Would definately recommened it not just as a holdiay read. Well thought through plot
Published 4 months ago by SA Kenya
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not one of her best
Not one of her best books. Although well written, I found the story a little depressing and some of the characters irritating.
Published 4 months ago by Barbara B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ezra Tull
It never ceases to amaze me but when I read an Anne Tyler book I feel I am reading non-fiction. I enjoyed this book. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Viva Verdi
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