Thank you so much to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. This review is of my own free will. I love a lot of Anne Tyler's books, but this one I just could not get into. I got to 40% and had to DNF. I kept going thinking it may get better but it just didn't. When I would put it down I just didn't want to pick it back up. I thought the characters were 2 dimensional and wooden, especially Robin & Mercy, the parents. I am sure there is an audience out there for this book, but it was a miss for me. I am giving this 1 star because she is a great writer, her use of language is good and at least worth one star. Again thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

The Garrett Family as told through a few generations, beginning in 1959 through 2020.

In the summer of 1959, Mercy and Robin Garrett take their 3 children, Alice, Lily, and David, on their one and only vacation. It is here, where we see our first glimpse of their dysfunctional family dynamics. Mercy paints all day and ignores her children. Robin, whose belief in the school of hard knocks has an everlasting impact on his son David. As they grow up, we see how some of their relationships with each other stay the same, and how some of their relationships with others evolve.

Anne Tyler is a masterful storyteller and is brilliant at delving into familial fiction, here, however, I was left wanting a bit simply because the Garrett Family didn't draw me in. While this wasn't my favorite of Anne Tyler's novels, I remain a fan and look forward to her next novel.

Thank you to Knopf Publishing Group for the arc via NetGalley.

This is the first Anne Tyler book I’ve read and I had no idea she was so prolific! This was absolutely my kind of book. I love family dramas and especially those that span generations. This was told through a series of vignettes from family members from 3 (or maybe even 4) generations. A short, quiet story taking place over a long span of years. All in all, it’s a family who loves one another despite some dysfunction and stressed relationships. I definitely saw parts of my own extended family reflected here and I am sure most families will see something they relate to. I felt like I wanted just a **little** more from the ending but once I sat with it a bit I am satisfied with it.

Tyler has the ability to dissect relationships among members of a family and make them intimately real. She uses her insightful vision to throw light on the complexities between parents, children and siblings. In this case, it’s the Garrett family who are under scrutiny. They squabble, have their own aspirations and are driven by their personal needs. It’s a family showing its rifts, disagreements and friction; all of which lends the story authenticity. But through the years as they drift apart, they are still tethered to one another. Tyler presents an unvarnished look at a fractured family as they navigate adulthood and changes in their own parents’ lives. Lovers of Tyler’s books and of interpersonal stories will be delighted with this latest offering.

I usually like Ann Tyler book because she portrays real people in ordinary circumstances and really delves into their psyches over a 70 odd year time span. I was disappointed in this book for several reasons.
This was a typical family and the author certainly developed the family dynamics, but it was so sad and it lacked drama. She described the dissolution of the family over time although there was a serious lack of communication throughout the novel never changed.
Each family member had different desires and dreams (as is typical of families) but no one spoke of them. I was especially disappointed in the way that Mercy moved out of her home and isolated herself in her studio. She seemed self-centered to me and uncaring, and she never communicated her unhappiness to Robin or her family.
We have a little glimpse into the lives and dreams of the children, but they too, fail to relate to one another or their parents. The book seems more like a series of vignettes over the years that describe events in the family's lives that influence their course in life (but very little on the impact of the other family members).
Ann Tyler brings in the occasional family gathering but they are not joyous events with people who respect each other, but consist of stilted conversations and actions - a little sadness.
The ending was too treacly for my taste-no resolution, no judgement, just an ending.

I've been a fan of Tyler's since I picked up The Accidental Tourist, some time back in the 1980's. She writes terrifically believable quirky characters and always explores relationships in ways no one else does. She is particularly good at exploring family dynamics and is the queen of casual asides and writing that sounds exactly the way people actually speak. French Braid has all of that and yet, I'm sorry to say, this one just didn't work for me.

Perhaps because right off the bat I became exasperated with Mercy who might rightly be considered a terrible mother. She seems not in the least concerned that her 15-year-old daughter spends their entire vacation with a 21-year-old man nor with what her 7-year-old son is doing, trusting that others will watch over him. She relies on her other daughter to actually get the family fed, to put meals on the table. Still, she seemed very hurt when David went off to college and never really kept in touch much after that.

She is a prime example of "some people shouldn't be mothers." No sooner have the children flown the coop than she begins the slow process of moving out of the family home. Certainly Mercy would have felt, in the 1950's, that she must wed and have children, even though she was clearly a woman who never should have done either. Today she might have still felt that pressure but it would be so much more acceptable for her to live her life the way she wanted.

The relationships between the children worked the best for me. Even though I am blessed to have three children who get along incredibly well, despite their differences, I know that is rare. The two sisters are so different, and were treated so differently growing up; it's understandable that they would bicker and have to tread carefully around each other. But also believable that when something happens in the family, they reach out to each other. A baby brother, who one sister has largely ignored and the other felt the weight of raising, continues to be an enigma to the family with whom he's never fit in.

The publisher's summary says that this book is full of heartbreak and hilarity. The only heartbreak I felt was for Robin, who spent the rest of his life after Mercy left, pretending to his children that she hadn't; he was left in limbo. As to hilarity, I didn't find it here which was a disappointment because I used to make my husband listen to me read him funny bits of Tyler's books. I'm not sure what I wanted from this book; I just know that I didn't get it.

Now, as always, this is just my opinion. And it seems that others enjoyed this much more. Check out Ron Charles', of the Washington Post, review. Or Jennifer Haigh's review in the New York Times. They both seem to have found the Anne Tyler that I always loved in this book. I wish I had.

3 distant stars
“Oh, what makes a family not work?”

French Braid follows a Philadelphia family of five from 1959 through the beginning of the pandemic. Even when the Garretts got together, it never seemed to work. I remain distanced from the characters because they are distant from each other, each doing their own thing. Once the three children started having children (and sometimes different spouses), I found it hard to keep track of who each was, as they all seemed blasé. “They looked so scattered, and so lonesome.” I understand Tyler’s point of making the reader feel the characters loneliness, but without much of a plot and little character growth, I felt lost – and grateful for my own kind, loving family.

About three-quarters of the way through the book, some nicer family memories and kindnesses appear. (That seemed a very long time.) A granddaughter used to wear French braids. ”Two skeins of hair high up near her temples, very skinny and tight, and then join in with two thicker braids lower down.” After the braids were undone, the hair remained in ripples. “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.”

The wife of youngest son, David seems a wise woman. In a discussion with her husband, she remarks that “Families love each other!” David said his father didn’t like him. She points out he was a good son. “This is what families do for each other – hide a few uncomfortable truths, allow a few self-deceptions. Little kindnesses.” “And little cruelties,” he replied. French Braid is not a feel-good, happy-family book. I desperately wanted more than occasional 'little kindnesses.'

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I like how Anne Tyler writes; I rarely like the people she writes about. This book is about depressing people living depressing lives. Or dissatisfied people living dissatisfying lives. I can hardly believe I read the whole thing. This would normally be a dnf for me.

A meandering tale of a family and their evolution through the decades. It was well written, but this one was a miss for me.

Anne Tyler weaves a marvelous multi-generational story that takes place in her beloved Baltimore.
Revolving around the Garrett family who take one vacation as a family in 1959 and after don't leave home much. The matriarch, Mercy, longs to be a painter. She has devoted herself to her family but once the children grow-up she pursues her dreams.
Great character development and compelling story.

Discussed on episode 152 of the Book Cougars podcast:
https://www.bookcougars.com/blog-1/2022/episode152

This was an interesting novel providing insight into one family’s history, starting with a family vacation in the summer of 1959. Each character is a member of the family, but has a very individual perspective. The book follows the family through decades and we see how their early interactions have an effect on their relationships over time. It’s difficult to say more in a book review without providing spoilers.

I will say that I was on board with Mercy and her decision to be more independent and be treated less like a servant until the chapter showing her treatment of the cat who basically asked nothing of her. After that point I had a difficult time identifying.

Overall I enjoyed the book, but often found it frustrating. Which was probably the point – family relationships can be the most frustrating and fraught of all.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A simple book about the Garrett family. A deep dive into the lives of the family through the years, children and grandchildren. Like most of Tyler's books this has very little plot, rather just the character exploration and what it means to be a family. For me, the book fizzled out at the end without a clear conclusion. I had problems relaing to any of the characters or thier situations.

I really really want to like Ann Tyler books. And I keep trying them, and then remembering why I really, really don’t like them.
The idea of “slice of life” and multigenerational family relationships and dynamics stories seem appealing in theory, but in reality you have to actually like the characters for this to work. And … I just don’t.
Tyler’s stories just meander without a lot of purpose. What could be a stroll down memory lane is more like a trudge through a muddy path.
I am an avid reader and usually finish a book in a few days. This one took months because I kept putting it down and not being interested enough to pick it back up.

Another classic Ann Tyler examining the intricacies of family. Perfect, charming, sad, touching.

ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, but the opinion are my own.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this titile via Netgalley. I wanted to like this, it sounded interesting and fun. Unfortunately, it was neither. I found the characters to be unlikable and uninteresting. I did not enjoy the read.

This is definitely not an easy book to recommend, but my literary fiction readers have been pleased by it.

This is the first Anne Tyler book I’ve read and it’s fantastic - I’m a new fan. An easy to read and delightful story about a family that’s twisted like a “French braid”. They all have their flaws but it makes up for a family that can really “braid”:together and untwist into a crinkly mess!

I received an egalley of this book from
Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As you probably know, Anne Tyler is a great writer of the human condition. This book is no exception. It’s extremely character driven and there is nearly no plot. The story is told through glimpses of the lives of three generations of the Garrett family. Between these vignettes many years will pass, and it’s told from multiple points of view. I really enjoyed reading this and it passed quickly. However, it was difficult to connect with most of the characters and some were plain unlikable. I don’t have much of a problem with flawed characters, but it did take me out of the pure enjoyment of the book. I really did enjoy the themes of family and showing a family that was rather detached.

Just saying her name gives me a thrill, so adding two extra words - ‘Anne Tyler’s new novel’ - makes me positively giddy. What’s not to love about falling for a family you don’t know and doesn’t really exist until you learn about them, when they become real and important to you. When you invest in an Anne Tyler novel there are high expectations and Tyler exceeds them every time.

This latest book by Anne Tyler isn't her best. It is, however, a look at characters as they deal with the pain and pleasures of life. Reading it feels a little like getting to know the new neighbors as life unfolds. I found this to be a comforting, but not compelling read.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Thank you Net Galley.