Tuesday, October 11, 2016

BACK WHEN WE WERE GROWNUPS by Anne Tyler

Finished Mo 10/10/16 Columbus Day

This is a quality paperback that I purchased on We 12/17/03 at the Target on Bell Road- must have been a Sun City visit. And, I never recorded when I finished it for the first time, but there are some notes on the flyleaf.

key passages- p. 188, p. 251

NOTES FROM THE SECOND READ-

Rebecca, 53 years old and a widow for many years, begins to feel that she is leading a life that she didn't choose. Maybe if she had followed a different path she would have become the person that she was meant to be. The novel is kind of a journey to her self acceptance.

The Four Daughters- Minerva/Bridget/Patricia/Elinore

Min Foo- (Minerva), Rebecca's natural child by Joe. Min Foo has had three husbands and is presently married to a middle eastern man and they have a new baby. She's already feeling uncomfortable in the marriage.

Biddy- Rebecca's stepdaughter. Her husband died early in her marriage and she has lived for many years with Troy, her dead husband's gay brother, Troy. They are raising Dixon. Biddy is a caterer and an adventurous foodie.

Patch- Rebecca's stepdaughter.  Athletic and married to Jeep who is a gym teacher.

No No- Rebecca's stepdaughter. Barry is her fiance and they marry in the beginning of the book. Peter is Barry's son and one of the most interesting characters in the novel. He is struggling to find friends, but is very smart, yet shy. No No feels she is clairvoyant.

Poppy- is Joe's 99 year old uncle. He lives with Rebecca and celebrates his 100th birthday near the end of the book. He was widowed many years ago and always remembers his wife, Joyce.

Zeb is Joe's younger brother and has always been attracted to Rebecca. At the end of the book Anne Tyler says that in the future he will most likely ask Rebecca to marry him. He is a cardiologist.

Joe was 13 years older than Rebecca when they first met.  She was happily involved with Will Allenby, but always felt that something was missing from that relationship. It seemed 'preordained' and not her true path, but a big theme of the novel is how she tries to reach out to Will and 'try again'. It's a failure. Will is now a professor of physics at Macadam College. This is where they both were in college.

The Open Arms is the row house and the spiritual home of  Davitches.

I loved the book and I've never really been disappointed with anything Anne Tyler.

The author's page at wikipedia-
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Tyler

The novel at wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Back_When_We_Were_Grownups



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