Clock Dance

whole nother story which wouldn t interest you, I don t suppose, but anyhow, I figured I d be stuck with Cheryl for just a couple of hours, right? Since a bullet in the leg didn t sound all that serious. But then lo and behold, Denise had to have an operation, so a couple of hours turns into overnight and then this morning she calls and tells me they re keeping her in the hospital for who-knows-how-much-longer.  

Oh, dear . . .  

And I m a working woman! I work at the PNC Bank! I was already dressed in my outfit when she called. Besides which, I am not used to dealing with children. This has been just about the longest day of my life, I tell you.

Willa had known that Denise was a single mother, although she d forgotten how old the child was and she had only a vague recollection that the father was long gone, whatever that was supposed to mean. Helplessly, she said, Well . . . that does sound like a problem.

Plus also there is Airplane who I think I might be allergic to.

Excuse me?

So I go over to Denise s house and check the numbers on the list above her phone doctors and veterinarian and whatnot thinking I will call Sean if I have to although everybody knows Denise wouldn t even let him back in the house that time to pack his things, and what do I see but where she s written Sean s mom so

believable characters that Anne Tyler is a genius at creating . . . Captivating . . . A delight.   Greensboro News & Record (NC)

If you want to understand the everyday life of Americans, read Anne Tyler . . . There is no one better at taking the ordinary person the one we don t even notice in the supermarket queue and showing us what lies beneath . . . Clock Dance is a marvelous frog-leap of a book . . . Sequel please!   The Times (UK)

A joy to read . . . These characters come to life off the page.   Baltimore Magazine
 
Anne Tyler's Baltimore has become a sort of urban Yoknapatawpha.   Charles McGrath, New York Times
 
If Anne Tyler isn t the best writer in the world, who is?"  Jane Garvey, Woman s Hour, BBC Radio 4

Tenderly devastating . . . Affecting . . . A quiet but sharply feminist statement.   Entertainment Weekly

Anne Tyler is one of America s very best living novelists and one of the world s most loved . . . Her stories about family life beautifully written, forensically insightful, sometimes laugh out loud funny are cherished by all ages . . . She sheds light on the secret bits of yourself, the parts no one knows about, and her skill is writing compassionately about our so-called ordinary lives with an apparent effortlessness that conceals great art.   The Times Magazine (UK)

In Tyler s effortless, uncluttered prose, the novel beautifully explores an older woman s search for meaning and agency in her life. Christian Science Monitor
 
Clock Dance, rife with the hurts and joys of living, is far more than merely very good . . . For readers Anne Tyler is a life force; for writers she is simply the best.   Irish Times

A smart, touching exploration of altruism and the nature of a meaningful life. Daily Mail (UK)

Stellar . . . A bittersweet, hope-filled look at two quirky families that have broken apart and are trying to find their way back to one another.   Publishers Weekly (starred, boxed)

Brilliant, charming, and book-club-ready . . . Tyler s bedazzling yet fathoms-deep feel-good novel is wrought with nimble humor, intricate understanding of emotions and family, place and community and bounteous pleasure in quirkiness, discovery, and renewal.   Booklist (starred)

Clock Dance brims with the qualities that have brought Tyler legions of fans and high critical acclaim. Characters pulse with lifelikeness. The tone flickers between humorous relish and sardonic shrewdness. Dialogue crackles with authenticity . . . Warmly appealing.   The Sunday Times (UK)

Tyler does not disappoint. Her characters are distinctly drawn and their stories layered . . . The result is a compelling look at the need for relevance, being offered a second chance, and deciding whether to take it. Highly recommended.   Library Journal, (starred)
 
Written with brilliantly deceptive ease . . . So absorbing . . . Tyler s Baltimore is universal, like Trollope s Barchester, or Flaubert s Normandy . . . Even though she performs narrative cartwheels that would lead other novelists to be praised as experimental, she does it with such ease that it seems closer to life than to art.   The Mail on Sunday (UK)
 
Tyler s characteristic warmth and affection for her characters are engaging as ever.   Kirkus Reviews

Tyler s novels are as generous as they are perceptive . . . She has a keen eye and an alert ear, sympathy for her characters, an awareness of both life s comedy and its tragedy.   The Scotsman
 
Perfectly executed . . . Precise, unpretentious, and centred on credible characters to whom Tyler never condescends.   The Spectator (UK)
 
Beautifully observed . . . Anne Tyler is renowned for her wry humour, great ear for dialogue, and microscopic observations of human interactions. Clock Dance is no exception.   Sunday Express (UK)