4.5 stars. Many people think that no one write about families as Anne Tyler does . . . and I fully agree! I have enjoyed oh so many of her novels, and this latest one -- the story of the Garrett family -- did not disappoint. No twists and turns in the plot, no outlandish occurrences along the way, but just writing and a wonderful instropective look into the individual characters that make up the Garrett family as they proceed through life. Novels such as this one are great examples of superb American literature.

Another absolutely fabulous book by the wonderful Anne Tyler. She spins an mesmerizing multi generational family tale as only she can!

French Braid is a detailed, rich, compassionate portrayal of an extended family throughout the years, and each segment is beautifully crafted. But there's a problem with the novel, which I'll address at the end.

Starting in the 1950s, (except for flash-forward prologue chapter at the beginning), we see a family of five on their last trip to a lake house. Each character in the family is unique and well-drawn. The family is lightly dysfunctional, in a way that resonates with real life.

One strength of Tyler's writing is her ability to depict characters and their actions as ambiguous; they're so nuanced, both good and bad. For example, Mercy is the perfect representation of a 1950s housewife who isn't a natural at it. When her youngest child goes to college she moves down the street to a rental apartment over someone's garage and lives a self-centered life there, imagining herself to be an artist. Who wouldn't want to run away in such a fashion? But what obligation does she owe to her husband, whose life is incomplete without her? Is that reason enough for her to come back home? These questions weren't stated. Tyler doesn't do that. She simply depicts a situation, and the reader is free to pick up on it, or not.

So we go on through fifty years of family growth and permutations, and it's a really colorful, rich portrait, but -- and this is my problem with the book -- there's no story. It's all character and theme.

Anne Tyler is a masterful writer, but French Braid doesn't go anywhere. The theme, that you're always a part of your family, is interesting. In fact, the first chapter/prologue demonstrates how a young member of the family is already showing signs of repeating her grandmother Mercy's personality. There are other examples of this, and one of the older characters muses on it, how grandchildren can have personality quirks just like a certain elder, without ever having been in the same room with them. Etc. But observations don't make a novel, so I can only give this three stars, regrettably. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read the ARC.

No one can write about family better than Anne Tyler! This is the compelling story of the Garrett family and how their one and only family vacation changed the course of their lives, how the ripples and crimps imprinted by this closest of relationships remain there forever.

I received an arc of this wonderful new novel from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

French Braid, Anne Tyler’s 24th novel, showcases splendidly what readers love about her writing. Tyler has a genius for keeping us enthralled about the lives of ordinary folks, and she does it beautifully in this book. The book captures memorably the small but crucial insights of life, like David ordering an inflatable pool from Amazon in anticipation of a visit from his grandson or making homemade masks during the COVID pandemic. Her characters are believable and sympathetic, even when they do things that are not very nice, like giving a cat to an animal shelter after promising to take care of it. I could relate to what they did and felt even when I did not agree with it. They all have their own personalities. Lily is unpredictable and rebellious, while her sister Alice is serious and responsible. It is not surprising to read when a new baby is named after grandfather Robin, but it is fun to learn that young Robin is a girl!
Also on display is Tyler’s artistry at painting a setting and an era. Being from Baltimore and close to Tyler's age, I love and can attest to her accuracy. She recaptures tiny little trademarks of life in the years in which the book is set, like the Ivy League buckles on the back of khaki slacks in 1959 or salmon loaf made from canned salmon. The institutions and culture of Baltimore in the appropriate years are spot on as well, although for some reason she seems to have renamed the Maryland Institute College of Art the LaSalle School.
These factors are enjoyable purely as character studies in well-drawn settings, but readers who are looking for a solid plot may be disappointed. The book opens in 2010, when Serena and her boyfriend James are returning from lunch at which Serena met James’ parents for the first time. Serena sees a man in the train station who she thinks might be her cousin Nicholas and who, through James’ intervention, she discovers is, indeed, her cousin. James is surprised that Serena’s family did not stay more closely in touch, and as the opening chapter closes, Serena ponders about just what does make a family “work.”. The next chapter is set in 1959, and each chapter then takes us through subsequent years of the Garrett family up to the present, through the big events of their lives and the small ones. We see them all go off in their own directions, not because of some climactic event but like a French braid that has been bound tightly but then undone, feeling the ripples left from their contacts with each other. There is not a big climax that creates a satisfying ending, but it is real life, and Anne Tyler shows us what real families are like as few others can.
I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher.

French Braid by Anna Tyler gave me a look into the life of a Baltimore family; with each family members generational gaps, ambition or lack there of, and the emotional impact each has on the other.
But what will it take to bring the family together?

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

I first read Anne Tyler in my high school English class. When I saw she had a new book, I couldn’t wait to read it. French Braid is a family drama detailing the lives of the Garrett family and their matriarch, Mercy.

I liked Mercy’s character. She was bold and unapologetic, but I felt sad for her husband, Robin. Overall, I found the book entertaining but sometimes found all the family members names were so basic so I found it hard to keep them all straight. In addition to Mercy’s husband Robin, there was Robin the girl and Robin the boy. I understand this often happens in families but it was a lot to keep track of and I don’t really like to think too hard when I’m reading.

It’s a story about family relationships parents,children, grandchildren and all of their woven interconnectedness.

Pick this up if you like a simple read about family dynamics.

No one can tell the story of a family like Anne Tyler. What a gift to read another of her novels. This anovel is about a family and the ties that bind and the events that get in the way - the unspoken familiarity. Tyler does such a great job of describing the family conversation AFTER someone has left the room - the comments and looks and reactions. The title is based on one paragraph that is lovely and made me tear up a bit in its simplicity and relate-ability. This one is just quiet delight and one you should read. Heartfelt thanks to Knopf for the advanced copy. What a gift.

I love Anne Tyler’s books. And I was so disappointed in reading her latest book. I didn’t like any of the characters, and I thought the book was dull. There was no ‘pull’ to keep on reading. I did finish the book, and I was glad I didn’t have to spend any more time ploughing through it.

Unlike many reviewers, I have no desire to share the nuts and bolts of a book in a review; only my opinion.
I've read most, if not all of Anne Tyler's books. As with many, I didn't so much read this one as consume it. I did find the chronological gaps dismaying, but I suspect that was because I would have liked to know what was going on in everyone's lives during those years. Tyler reveals families and relationships in their most human aspects. Sometimes I'm amused, sometimes I weep a bit. But there you have it. That is what it is like to be human and to have families and relationships

I turned the last page and immediately opened my laptop with tears still in my eyes. This one is an absolute winner and a must read. Get your hands on it immediately.

Anne Tyler is known for her vivid portrayal of family, and I have always found that she truly captures the essence of what being a family means. French Braid is no different. I ended my read feeling like I truly knew these characters; they mattered to me whether I personally cared for them or not. Just like a real family in real life. Well done, Anne Tyler.

Somehow in such a short book, Tyler manages to tell the story of a family over generations – from the 50’s straight through to the present. We see their highs and lows, their goodness, their flaws, their mistakes and victories, their grievances and acceptance of one another.

And there is love. Imperfect, complicated love.

French Braid is for anyone who looks back longingly for what once was and with nostalgia for the family they remember.

I cried at the end. So sweet.

P.S. Call your mom.

My thanks to Knopf Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Another beautifully written story about the complexities of people and family. Anne Tyler’s writing is so descriptive that you really feel who her characters are and what they are going through. It’s really quite magical. Nothing extraordinary happens in the plot, but you still want to be there with this family and understand the connections between the generations. I was between 4 and 5 stars for this one, and I am going to round down just because I have the highest expectations for her books based on past experience!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I have been a Tyler fan for more decades than I care to admit. I look forward to every new title she releases. Over the decades I have loved and devoured some of her titles, muddled through others, found yet others just ok.
This one was a struggle for me. While I always admire Tyler's style, I just did not see much of a plot here. And most of th characters did not invite rooting for.
3 stars only because I greatly respect Tyler's style and addressing family issues.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars
French Braid by Anne Tyler
This is a masterful book. It is rich in details and character. I had a very hard time putting this book down! This lovely tale spans from the 1950's to the hell of the last few Covid years. Tyler weaves a tale of family at the best, worst and everything in between. A must read.

Thank you NetGalley, Anne Tyler and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the ARC of French Braid. This is my personal review.
I was in the middle of packing boxes getting ready to move when I decided to read just a few pages of this book. I found myself so lost in the pages I read until the very last word was read.
This is a story of the Garrett family. It follows the family and how each member makes up a part of a family no matter what happens to each one.
The melding of the separate lives each family member leads comes back to connect to make a family what a family should be no matter the path the each took. The book brought me to tears, made me chuckle and all the entire time I felt like I was with this family taking the journey that makes a family a family.

Anne Tyler delivers another poignant, irregular family story covering decades from the 50's to present day Covid pandemic times presenting unlikable, appealing and off-center characters as they live life in American style on the East Coast centered in her home base, Baltimore. Many family challenges are examined and presented movingly by this gifted writer.
Thanks to NetGalley for preview copy of this book I so enjoyed as I have appreciated all of her books.

This ended up being a charming, heart warming, brought me to tears a few times kind of book. I struggled with it a little, wondering what the point was. It did come together with characters that i grew to care about. It covered 60 years of a family and all their stories. Though as a side note, what she had Mercy do with the cat, just seemed wrong, or the point was too vague, was the cat symbolic for her husband, the cat wasn't physically hurt but it left me with a bad feeling

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
French Braid by Anne Tyler was a fun-fest of literary fiction. Anne writes a great family story, and this one is a character-driven novel by a bunch of “characters.” We start with 1950’s parents, two daughters (polar opposites), and one son who is, at the best of times, an odd-duck. Mercy, the mother, is not equipped to raise and nurture children, but “Lawd, have mercy,” she tries. Her husband isn’t much better. So, you end up with three feral children who have little in common (except their clueless parents) and have to raise themselves. As we advance 60 years, the kids are now parents and behave just as wild and wooly as when they were younger, but what goes around comes around. In French Braid, we realize it's hard to gain distance from family. The past becomes a part of the present and moves on through generations. Sometimes, for better and sometimes not. Ms. Tyler compares it to a French braid that, when in place, holds all the little pieces together but, when loosened, starts to come undone. Families are all different, and we all have unique lifestyles, but It’s what makes people so gosh darn interesting. Anne Tyler does not disappoint. #annetyler #FrenchBraid @netgally #netgalley #knopfpublishing #literaryfiction #characterdrive #ARC #Pub.DateMarch22 @aaknopf
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Thank you Netgalley and Knopf Publishing for the opportunity to read this book which was witty, charming and absolutely entertaining
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The Butterfly Effect suggests the slightest, most inconspicuous event can change the course of history.

Anne Tyler's "French Braid" covers generations of the Garrett family from Baltimore. The family consists of wonderfully realized characters, but there always seems to be a fog between them... they are never quite able to completely bond with one another. We see this at the onset as we find them on vacation at a lake and it is noted that passersby could not even detect that the family members knew each other.

My two favorite characters are the mother and father, Mercy and Robin. Robin loves Mercy with every bit of his heart-- and is pretty clueless as to what makes her tick. "He never asked her why (she loves him); he was deeply afraid that if she reflected too deeply, she would realize her mistake." Mercy has been drifting away from him for years; no, nothing as calamitous as a divorce or public separation. She finds a nearby office / apartment / studio to do the painting she's longed to explore her whole life. She gradually spends more and more time there, using her work as a cover to spend nights apart. Meanwhile, Robin exists in absolute denial that anything has changed.

There is also David, the son everybody loves and can not understand why he distances himself from the family. Despite all the family dysfunction, David eventually realizes "that's how families work, too. You think you're free of them, but you're never really free; the ripples are crimped in forever." If you try looking for some big bang, some Hitchcockian MacGuffin to show how the relationships have landed where they have-- well, we will not find that in Anne Tyler's world. We discover the smallest pushes have nudged family dynamics here to this point.

We live in the age of sound-bites, of edited action scenes, of instant gratification. Every 007 movie opens with that splashy "grab their attention" sequence. It is nice to step back, breathe out slowly, and allow Anne Tyler to put her real-life compositions on exhibit. Thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and Edelweiss for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #FrenchBraid #KnopfDoubleday

A fine rendering & exploration of family dynamics.
Quirky cast of members populates this original but ordinary family.
Interesting pacing as story progresses—unpredictable which nicely matches the narration.
Nice significance of the book's title.

With great appreciation to NetGalley & Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC!