As with all Tyler novels, The Clock Winder is full of quirky, odd and lovable characters. While there is not much action in her stories, the writing is so well done and the characters so fully developed, by the end of her novels, you always feel like a part of the family. Such is the case with The Clock Winder.

When the novel opens, Mrs. Emerson is a recent widow, who seems to aimlessly go about her days, always keeping up her image and trying to stay in tune with her grown children's lives. Never meaning harm, Mrs. Emerson seems to stress her children out, and doesn't seem to understand how she is affecting them. When she fires her lifelong handyman, she stumbles by chance upon young Elizabeth and before she knows it, Elizabeth is tangled up in the lives of the Emerson family.

The rest of the novel details how Elizabeth is affected by the family, and they by her. Tyler's writing is so poignant, while not much is really happening, so much is actually happening. This is a book that Tyler fans won't be disappointed in~

The Clock Winder, is one of Anne Tyler's best. I have fallen in love with all the quirky characters who inhabit her books.

I am particularly moved by Elizabeth Abbot, in this story, who enters as a stranger on the periphery and is metamorphosed into the essential core of the Emerson family.

Though each of the characters displays an array of idiosyncracies, some charming and others downright sinister, Elizabeth the "Handyman" reveals the beauty of simply being the best version of yourself on the planet!

This is lovely, rich material and a delight to read. Be warned: Ms. Tyler is addictive, you will never be able to read just one of her novels!

Anne Tyler's "The Clock Winder" is the story of Elizabeth Abbott, a sort of aimless 20-year old girl taking a year off from college. When Elizabeth wanders into the lives of the Emerson family, she becomes, as Mrs. Emerson so tellingly describes things early in the book, "the center of the asterisk."

Elizabeth is trying to earn money to go back to college for her senior year--even though "my grades were rotten"--and on her way to interview for a long-term babysitting job, she ends up helping Pamela Emerson move some porch furniture. Mrs. Emerson asks her to stay on as a handyman, to replace the one she fired that morning, and Elizabeth cheerfully agrees as long as she can "live in." This innocent beginning to the story belies the complexities and emotional connections that are made and broken in the rest of the book.

Without giving away too much of the plot to those who've never had the pleasure of reading it, it's safe to say that Elizabeth's presence has an emotional impact on several of Mrs. Emerson's sons--one of whom feels strongly enough about her that he does something terrible. This is the event which finally completes Elizabeth's long metamorphosis from determinedly carefree, irresponsible girl to full-grown woman--a woman who understands, finally, the effect that one person can have on another without even meaning to.

The writing is superb and the plot develops organically, fully, and with a resolution which makes perfect sense. Anne Tyler was in full control of her considerable gifts back in 1972 when she wrote this, and aren't we lucky that she was!

I read 1-2 Anne Tyler books a year. The same themes repeat - feeling disconnected or dissatisfied with life but eventually learning to love what you make of what life has given you. I loved the descriptions of the various "tenants" coming in and out of the home. I can always picture Ms.Tyler's people and places.

Several years ago I read my first Anne Tyler book, Ladder of Years, and became a devoted fan of this author's books. Catching up on some earlier titles,I have just finished another one of her books, Earthly Possessions. And once again this author has captivated me and tugged at my heartstrings.

Earthly Possessions focuses on two of Tyler's most endearing characters, Charlotte Emory and Jake. Charlotte is at a bank one day when Jake bungles a robbery. Holding Charlotte as his hostage and with 200 $1 bills in his pocket from the robbery, he steals a car and the two set off to find Jake's pregnant girlfriend somewhere in Florida. What may appear as a horrific kidnapping to others in the bank, provides Charolotte with an exciting adventure, once she knows she won't be harmed in anyway. Unfortunately Charlotte has never set foot outside of her small hometown and was at the bank to withdraw her life savings in order to run away from her husband. As Charlotte and Jake travel South, with the police searching for them, Charlotte reflects on her life and earthly posessions till the ending which is thought provoking and poignant.

The end of the book and some other parts are reminiscent of some cental themes which Tyler seems to explore in many of her books. But the author relying on tried and true themes never seems to matter to me when I read Anne Tyler as once again she introduces me to quirky and memorable characters who stay with me long after I've finished the book

This was the first Anne Tyler book I read, and I liked it so much I have gone on to read them all--some, several times.

Tyler really only has one theme: Families--you can't live with them, and you can't escape them.

This book has that theme, and it treats it humorously and sadly and beautifully.

It starts with a bang--a failed bank robbery and hostage situation. This is an unusual scene for Tyler, but it quickly goes back to her usual territory: the maddening minutiae of everyday life.

As always the characters are quirky and fun.

The chapters alternate between the present and the past, so all the elements of the picture gradually come together.

It isn't really a love story; but none of Tyler's books are love stories--unless you count, being in love with being.

To anyone who hasn't tried Tyler, I would recommend this book. It avoids the schmaltziness of "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" and even "Accidental Tourist."

Throughout this slow-moving work, a small group of pathetic losers circle each other but never connect. No one ever achieves understanding -- of themselves or of the others in their lives -- and no one experiences any passion. Joy, anger, desire, all are shallow and fleeting.

The only thing these otherwise colorless characters feel deeply is their fear. None of the denizens of this Baltimore boardinghouse ever learn to overcome their reticence and express themselves.

Even Jeremy, the artist who lacks the tools to navigate his way through life, works in a vacuum, unaware of his surroundings, his thoughts and his own feeings.

Although this book has touches of humor, and is well-written, it is ultimately unsatisfying. Tyler has done much, much better work -- try the 'Accidental Tourist' instead and see how funny and moving she can be.

The synopsis and book review for this book are incorrect. Jeremy's mother is already dead at the opening of the book which begins with his sister fretting because Jeremy does not perform his responsibilities as the son of a recently departed widow.

Jeremy's sister does not move in with him. She merely stays at the house for the duration of the funeral. Jeremy's boarders do not "bring home babies" because he is the father of those babies.

Many of the other reviews posted by readers focus on how miserable the characters are. But an underlying theme seems to be the role of the artist in our society. Jeremy's mental process of artistic creation is very unique,and in contrast to what most people believe "normal" should be.

Readers shouldn't dismiss the characters because they seem pathetic. Instead, they should read between the lines to see the struggles that are taking place inside the characters as they try to define their lives in terms of social relationships and artistic vision.

I recommend this book to anyone who makes art or who wants to know how the process of making art is at odds with the rules society expects people to follow.

Though the story is quiet, with little or no action, Tyler has some of the sharpest and deepest inights into human behavior and thoughts that I have ever read. Each chapter is written in the voice of a different character, and each character is absolutely complete, unique and so real. The story is of people getting by, finding their way through their lives, and the writing is magical. Each character, though troubled, is easy to identify with in their own ways. The result is a touching, detailed, and extremely truthful book.

For my honors English 11 class, I picked Ann Tyler as my American author for summer reading. I was referred to her for her comic and lyric way of writing, and I was not disappointed. Searching for Caleb was the first book I read this summer and I found the characters and plot enjoyable. I was shocked to see that the husband and wife main characters were, in fact, first cousins, however, I was happy to see they had each other. Duncan and Justine were the black sheep of the very controlling and traditional Peck family. Its amazing that these two individuals came out so differently than most of the greedy and blind people in the family. The Pecks had gone through a lot in there time, the family's trouble dates as far back as the early 1900s. I found it to be an entertaining novel that kept my interest and made me excited about reading more of Anne Tyler's works.

This was not my absolute favorite Tyler book, but it is still better than most of what is out there! I was so glad to find one of her books that I had not read. I also enjoyed reading this early Tyler book to be able to see her growth as a writer in the last 25 or more years.

The characters in "Searching for Caleb" are typical Tyler: quirky, odd, flawed, and appealingly annoying. Most of them are what someone would describe as a "character", someone unusual.

Justine, Duncan, and Daniel Peck are so finely and realistically drawn by this talented author that one wonders where they have gone when the book is finished. Tyler makes them so real...I found myself wanting to kick Justine and Duncan in the seat and telling them to get their acts together and end their fly-by-night life for the sake of their daughter.

I think it is the mark of a great author when s/he gets a reader to feel this involved in a book, even if the feelings are ones of frustration, or even of anger, at the characters' actions.

Anne Tyler is my favorite living author and one of less than a handful who produce books that I must rush out and buy immediately. In hardback, at full price - and I HATE paying full price! Novels like this are what made me fall in love with Anne Tyler. I do not understand other comments from readers. Apparently they want fictional characters to be inspirationally motivating role models that will save the world and enlighten us all. Well, sorry, but people are not like that in real life, either. They are exotic and boring and delightful and monstrously annoying, all at the same time, As are the Pecks. The story works brilliantly. While we are wondering if Caleb Peck will be found, we're learning about "black sheep" Justine and Duncan, how they met and married. Justine's story about the cousin who was such a bad influence on her, and what happened to him, is amusing, with a terrific ending line. I found all the Pecks delightful. I found neither Justine nor Duncan "weak" or "unpleasant," but flawed, and delightfully so. Perhaps other readers were made nervous by Justine's rootlessness; I don't know. I DO know that I have enjoyed all Tyler's books, and yet I constantly return to the Pecks - I love them! Anne Tyler has a great gift - that cannot be denied. Good writing like this is so hard to find, and needs to be treasured. I highly recommend this book - it's a gem!

Given Anne Tyler's gift for exploring the inner natures of her characters, and the opening line of the novel ("Once upon a time, there was a woman who discovered that she had turned into the wrong person.") you naturally expect this novel to shine with insight and catharsis. All sorts of intriguing questions come to mind. If she is the wrong person, who should she be? What is wrong with the person she is? What happened? And of course, what will she do about it? Unfortunately, most of these questions never really get answered. The main character that has had this major insight (53-year old Rebecca Davitch) never gets beyond the vague realization that her decision to marry Joe Davitch rather than her childhood sweetheart Will Allenby changed the way her life unfolded. No big revelation there. Most readers will have figured this out for themselves long ago. What the book promises, and doesn't deliver, is a paring away of the years of role playing, the sharpening of focus that comes when someone finally chooses him or herself over the needs and expectations of others.

Tyler spends hundreds of pages wandering through Rebecca's past, without any real revelations surfacing. In addition, Rebecca is suddenly seized with the desire to find and re-establish a relationship with the childhood sweetheart she dumped. Things become even more muddled when she suddenly decides that the childhood sweetheart, whom she seems to have fallen in love with again and who has graciously forgiven her, really isn't the man for her after all. In a sudden reversal of feeling (in one paragraph she is floating happily about the house and introducing him to her family, and the next can't stand the guy) she announces to him that this relationship really won't work. The poor guy, who has just spent hours at a family dinner, meekly walks away saying, "Oh, okay I guess." There is no mention made or thought given to how this second rejection must have affected the man. He simply walks out of the story and is never heard from again. In a final, puzzling reversal, Rebecca begins to think that marrying her husband had been a smart move after all. What is Tyler saying here? Has Rebecca discovered that she turned into the right person after all? The book closes without any real resolution or change, leaving the reader dissatisfied and annoyed with Rebecca for being vague and indecisive.

Several people have defended the book, saying that Rebecca is a "real" character. There are thousands of women struggling to find themselves once their partners pass away and major family obligations subside. I have no doubt that this is true, but we don't read books simply to see our lives reflected in print. We read them to gain understanding and insight, and in the past Tyler could be counted on to deliver both. Things happen physically and psychologically in most Tyler books (though they don't always resolve), but this novel fails to deliver. In fact, I would say it falls flat. All I could think when I reached the last page was, "is that it?! Now what?"

..."whatever it may be," says Poppy. That, I believe is the moral of the story, and a worthy moral it is indeed.

I'm a devoted reader, willing to take great leaps of faith because I've found that they occasionally pay off. With Anne Tyler, that is not usually even a gamble, but a sure bet. This time, though, I didn't get the payoff. It's a shame, I think. There was so much potential here. The characters were ripe for development but fell flat. Why, for instance is Patch so consistently contentious? I sort of "got" Min Foo's desertion thing but what about Biddy? For all the insight into Biddy and her contribution to the story, she could have as easily been absent. I understood Beck's guilt about Will, but whence all the longing for the vastly unsympathetic one? I know the family interaction is the thing, so why not more on the interaction between Beck and Zeb? Now there was a line worthy of development!

I'm exactly Beck's age and have had my own crises, mid-life and otherwise, full of questions, regrets, and longing for different choices that should have been made years ago. Haven't most of us been there? But Poppy says it best: "There is no true life. Your true life is the one you end up with, whatever it may be." If it no longer fits, you've got more choices to make.

A sacrilege, these comments. Yes, indeedy, but I keep wishing I'd re-read Accidental Tourist or Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.

Reading this book kicked off a two-week reading binge of every Anne Tyler book I could find in the local library. I'd tried to read The Accidental Tourist when I was in my twenties, and dismissed it as dry. Back When We Were Grownups, however, bursts with the juice of messy real-life characters in messy real-life situations. The lure of the road not taken pales beside Rebecca's noisy crowded life, and the humor and perspective she brings to her observations more than compensate for the longing she feels for her younger (true?) self.

I was so absorbed in the story I didn't have time to evaluate the questions Tyler raises of how identity is formed and what the meaning of one's life is when one is peering through the eyes of a stranger. In retrospect, however, these questions, how they are raised and how they are answered, linger in my mind in a satisfying echo to what was the most satisfying read I've had in a long time.

I'm impressed by the amount of information and the number of topics they packed into this book, but visually it is a bit too "busy" for my adult taste. This is an Usborne trademark, though, and the kids enjoy it, so I won't criticize the book on that point.

The editors' choice to present world history in a purely chronological layout forces the reader to make too many mental jumps: the book is literally all over the map. There's no foundational civilization or idea from which the book proceeds, so the presentation of history using this format ends up being a chaotic hodge-podge rather than a coherent study. I prefer studying the history of the major civilizations in large chunks. The Usborne book is an excellent reference, though, which I still refer to even though I no longer use it as my "core" history text.

Like the anonymous reviewer of July 12, 2000, I too purchased this book for my home school after reading Wise and Bauer's "The Well-Trained Mind" and I was also disappointed by the many inaccuracies concerning the Catholic Church. I'll mention another one that the 7/12/2000 reviewer didn't: the book claims that after one of the many quarrels between Pope Gregory VII and Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, the Pope "kept Henry IV waiting in the snow outside Canossa Castle for three days before he would forgive him." Henry was, in fact, doing voluntary penance in the snow, but the book's interpretation makes the Pope look bad, and for no good reason that I can see.

The editors of the book seem to go out of their way to present Catholics and Catholicism in the worst possible light. The Spanish missionaries in the New World are accused of trying to force the natives to the Catholic faith and burning alive anyone who refused. The coverage of the conflicts between European Protestants and Catholics clearly makes the Catholics seem like the perpretrators of all the violence and murder, when in fact both parties committed atrocities against the other. The coverage of the Spanish Inquisition is all too typical.

With small children in the early grades these controversial topics don't even need to be addressed, so you could just skip this stuff, but Catholic households who keep this book around may want to go through it and point out the errors. Accurate histories sympathetic to Catholicism do exist: Fr. Philip Fulong's "The Old World and America" and "Pioneers and Patriots" for the middle grades and Anne Carroll's "Christ the King, Lord of History" and "Christ and the Americas" for older students.

I purchased this book on the recommendation of Jesse Wise and Susan Wise Bauer, authors of "The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home." I am using it as the basic history text for my 1st and 2nd grader covering the beginnings of civilization all the way to the beginning of the 1900's.

The book is well organized into 1-2 page spreads that cover a brief time period or subject relating to a time period, which makes nice divisions for daily or weekly history lessons. For larger subject areas such as the Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations, there are several 2-page spreads covering more detailed areas of life and culture. The book begins with a 2-page spread called "Digging up History" then continues with early settlers, earliest cities, then major civilizations and empires. The page layouts are "Usbourne style," meaning there are many illustrations per page with captions about a paragraph long accompanying them. The illustrations are well done in that they give a good idea of what life was probably like during each time of history.

Each spread usually has a caption entitled "How We Know," which tells specific archeological evidences for the specific cultures. There are also small time charts on several spreads giving key dates for that specific culture. There are two large time charts in the book, the first covers First Civilizations to the Fall of Rome, the second continues on from there to 1914. Each chart covers 9 major geographical areas and gives a basic overview of what was happening in each.

This book is an excellent general overview. It is a good starting point, but for a more in-depth study needs to be supplemented with additional books that go into more detail.

I bought the book as part of our obsession with the Usborne books in general. I ghighly recommend this general book. The illustrations are well done and drive the period covered into a beautiful image. As a trained historian, I enjoyed its accuracy. My children have elarned history well from this book. I even use it with my low level high school students at times.

I first read "Ladder of Years" when it was originally published seven years ago and did not care for it at all. I was and am used to Tyler writing about quirky characters in improbable situations but I thought that this was a bit too much.

Re-reading the book just a few weeks ago, I have to say that my opinion has not changed much and I see that many reviewers here agree with me.

I could understand Delia's desire to get away from the family that took advantage of her, but her method/implementation was just too off-the-wall for me, even for a Tyler character. I just cannot imagine a mother deserting her children like Delia did. Husband - yes, kids - no. I could not help comparing her to Nan in "Pull of the Moon" by Elizabeth Berg. Nan also left home with no warning, but her actions certainly were more judicious, reasonable, and understandable.

I also found the "affair" with the young man whom Delia met in the grocery store to be really out of place. It seemed as though it was pasted on after the book was written.

I did feel sympathy for Delia at the beginning. She went from being a daughter to being a wife at age 17 and never left her father's home--her husband just moved in. It seemed as though everyone walked all over her and she had no idea of how to stop this trend, so her solution was to just quit. She was defeated and had no idea of how to change her life.

The ending was disappointing. I had hoped for some kind of epiphany or revelation....maybe even some passion. But the story just sort of dribbled off into the distance with no discernably definitive resolution.

It really pains me to give only 3 stars to an Anne Tyler book because I think all her others have been 5 stars for me. She is one of my favorite authors.

A recent high-school graduate recommended this book to me, saying she enjoyed it, but "someone my age would probably relate to it better." (I'm 27. How middle-aged I've suddenly become.) After reading the first descriptions of Delia's humdrum and unappreciated housewife-ly existence, I certainly hoped that I didn't relate to this book too well. But as Tyler wove Delia's nascent personality into the lives of other characters, the story revealed the chiseled-in flaws that people as human as Delia can never quite sand out. Yep, the ending was unsettling. It leaves plenty of unanswered questions--but since when does life have definite endings? Ladder of Years is a fun-to-read, tough-to-think-about story. That is, at least, in my middle-age opinion.

Delia feels intensely the diametrically opposed emotions many of us have as we reach the midpoint of our lives. Middle age is a time of retrospection-we wonder if the choices we made were good ones. We question our choice of spouse, our choice of career, our future without children in the house, our achievements (or lack thereof), even our very purpose in life. Delia acts on her doubts-pushed along by a grossly inattentive husband and acrimonious children. Without her unpleasant home life, Delia might have stayed forever, never knowing the answers to her questions. Tyler provides all of us going through the pangs of middle age with an alter ego through whom we experience what we might never actually do ourselves. She demonstrates her great talent by creating a sympathetic character in Delia. We feel for Delia, even though, in leaving her family, she commits an act generally condemned by society. As other readers have expressed, at one time or another everyone with a spouse and children has felt like walking away. However, Delia doesn't abandon her family, she is emotionally shoved out the door.

Having read other works by Anne Tyler, a typically morvelous author, I am extremely let down by the quality of this novel. The main character is eccentric, but not in a remotely charming way. The reader stuggles to turn the pages, only slightly interested and very frustrated with the bumbling mid-life-crisis of a central character. There is the occasional gem of a poingnant, fascinating thought or two, but these are scattered throughout pages of grey. Anne Tyler is a lovely author, and I do recomend that you look into other novels of hers if you are interested, you will not be disappointed (A Pathwork Planet and The Accidental Tourist are both delightful). This novel is obviously just a dud amid Anne Tyler's strong repertoire.

It appears that a number of the reviewers have, like I did the first time I read the book, missed the point. Morgan is not a hero; he was never meant to be. He's a man going through a mid-life crisis who does some interesting things with his life but ultimately regrets some of the choices he's made. As always, Tyler creates eccentric characters and says an awful lot about life and how difficult it is, tempering her sometimes sad messages with a lot of humor.

Many of the reviews here are harsh with the title character and the choices he makes. I think that actually highlights why I like Anne Tyler's books so much. The people in her books are like people I know - they have many different sides, they are confused, they sometimes believe two totally opposite things simultaneously. Anne Tyler teaches me that life is long, that we often drift into situations over the course of years but that we have years left to change them. There's a timeless quality to her stories that I cherish. Morgan's Passing is an enjoyable book with engaging, eccentric characters who have an underlying core with which many people can identify. It does not offer black and white contrasts, which, in fiction as well as in real life, is a good thing.

Anne Tyler has written a great book about normalcy. Maggie Moran is a pitiful character, for whom I felt incredibe sadness. The lengths to which she goes to make the world as she believes it should be are painful and heartbreaking. If only she put as much energy into learning how to live in a world that is not "perfect," she might be able to reach the level of happiness that it seems she seeks.

Tyler's subtle transition of viewpoint between Maggie and her husband, Ira, offers insight on how two people, united in marriage can live in the same world for decades, yet see completely different things.

And in a way this book is frightening. Tyler illustrates the ease with which you can close your eyes and wake up 25 years later, wondering "How exactly is it that I got here?" and "How did my life become so common?" While there is little in the book that grabs the reader, its subtlety is admirable especially given its ability to evoke emotions in the reader- including that awful feeling that you can experience when regret happens upon you.

I've read Breathing Lessons twice, and even saw the Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie. I thought it was truly heartfelt and very real. In response to what the others had to say about it, it's simply the story of an aging woman. She's getting used to all the changes that were taking place in her life. Please remember that Maggie didn't grow up in a time when there was such a thing as a single mother. I think it's hard for Maggie to understand how Fiona's mind works. You have to understand that Maggie is just concerned about her son--remember her plan is to patch things up between Fiona and her son. The husband of Maggie's closest friend also passes away. It's startling for Maggie to go to that funeral and see how all the people she used to know have changed. I think the meandering plot line is symbolic of Maggie's personality. Not everyone is going to like it, but at least give it a chance. It's so funny! (Obviously this book wasn't written to impress teenagers! They need to stick to Sweet Valley High or Nancy Drew Mysteries)

I enjoyed Breathing Leassons very much. It is a simple story about a day in the life of Maggie Moran. Being the kind of woman Maggie is, set that her picture of the world is the only way of looking at things, you know that this day is surely not that different from any other.

People may find Maggie an annoying character, but that is part of the charm of the book. That at the end of the day this woman who may not be the ideal still goes home to one man, and a family who may not agree with her, but love her just the same.

If you are expecting a high action book, or something that will change your life, you will be disapointed. But if you are interested in a book that just might give you an insite so someone you have in your life (I think we all know a person like Maggie) and remind you that what is important is who you love not who they are, then you will enjoy Breathing Lessons.

I didn't think this novel lived up to the strength of Tyler's other publications. It concerns the aftermath of a little girl's accidental death and the effect of the death on the people who live in the same house -- her family and neighbors. While the prose and characterization, as always, are strong, the story isn't that compelling. It just seems to amble along to no particular spot in particular.

I am a huge Anne Tyler fan, so I was disappointed that Tin Can Tree wasn't up the the caliber of Accidental Tourist (my favorite Tyler novel) or Breathing Lessons. But it one of her first, and the signs of her ability are there. The story of Janie Rose and how her parents cope with her death is compelling, but the problem is the treatment of it is somehow superficial. The author is so intent on showing me life in small town America that she leaves the novel's core family, the Pike's inaccessible. All the relationships were superficial. The characters of James, and Ansell in particular, took up far too much space, especially since their story never went anywhere. In short, this book had alot of great elements that did not up to a novel worthy of Tyler's talent

My expectations for this book were very low, which might be why I found it so good. I had heard that this was her worst novel. but having read 12 of the other 13, I had to read this one. It lacks the complexities of plot and character of her later novels, but the simplicity is not a weakness. It is a gentle story of unexceptional people in a sleepy little town where nothing ever happens - apart from the odd accidental death - but Tyler pulls the reader in through the front doors and makes us care. Joan and James are probably too similar to several other early Tyler characters, but the author keeps our interest up. These people might be dull to the outside world, but Tyler shows us the spark of rebellion flickering deep inside - hinting at the one big decisive act of their lives (this usually involves running away from a big famlily - it happens in almost all of Tyler's books!). If you are not a big Tyler fan you won't like this book, but if you are, ignore the critics and treat yourself!