Breathing Lessons: A Novel
by Anne Tyler
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Book Summary Information
Author: Anne TylerEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-11-01
ISBN: 0345485572
Number of pages: 339
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of Breathing Lessons: A Novel
Book Review: One of my favorite books
Summary: 5 Stars
This entire novel takes place in just one day (with a lot of flashbacks). I won't go into the whole story here because you can get that elsewhere, but let me just say that the characters are well-developed and the structure (one day in the life of) works really well here. It is poignant and funny at the same time.
Summary of Breathing Lessons: A Novel
Maggie and Ira Moran have been married for twenty-eight years?and it shows: in their quarrels, in their routines, in their ability to tolerate with affection each other?s eccentricities. Maggie, a kooky, lovable meddler and an irrepressible optimist, wants nothing more than to fix her son?s broken marriage. Ira is infuriatingly practical, a man ?who should have married Ann Landers.? And what begins as a day trip to a funeral becomes an adventure in the unexpected. As Maggie and Ira navigate the riotous twists and turns, they intersect with an assorted cast of eccentrics?and rediscover the magic of the road called life and the joy of having somebody next to you to share the ride . . . bumps and all.Maggie Moran's mission is to connect and unite people, whether they want to be united or not. Maggie is a meddler and as she and her husband, Ira, drive 90 miles to the funeral of an old friend, Ira contemplates his wasted life and the traffic, while Maggie hatches a plant to reunite her son Jesse with his long-estranged wife and baby. As Ira explains, "She thinks the people she loves are better than they really are, and so then she starts changing things around to suit her view of them." Though everyone criticizes her for being "ordinary," Maggie's ability to see the beauty and potential in others ultimately proves that she is the only one fighting the resignation they all fear. The book captured the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1989.
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