A Patchwork Planet"Barnaby Gaitlin is a loser - just short of thirty, he's the black sheep of a philanthropic Baltimore family. Once upon a time, he had a home, a loving wife, a little family of his own; now he has an ex-wife, a 9-year old daughter with attitude, a Corvette Sting Ray that's a collector's item but unreliable, and he works as hired muscle for Rent-a-Back, doing heavy chores for old folks. He has an almost pathological curiosity about other people's lives, which has got him into serious trouble in the past, and a hopeless charm which attracts the kind of angelic woman who wants to save him from himself. Tyler's observation is more acute, more delicious than ever; her humour slyer and more irresistible; her characters so vividly realised that you feel you've known this quirky collection for ever. With perfect pitch and poise, humour and humanity, Anne Tyler chronicles, better than any writer today, the sublime and the ridiculous of everyday living, the foibles and frailties of the ordinary human heart. |
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Accidental Tourist Alford angel Anne Tyler anyhow asked attic Aunt Grace Barnaby Beeton birthday Breathing Lessons called car coat Cartwright Christmas clients coat Crock-Pot Dibble dinner door dress eighty-seven hundred eyes face father feel felt flour front Gaitlin gave girl glanced Glynn Gram guess hair hands Hardesty head heard hung jacket Jeff kids kind kitchen knew laughed living look Martine Maud money clip mother Natalie Natalie's never Nick Hornby night noticed okay once Opal Opal's parents PATCHWORK PLANET Penn Station Philly picked Pop-Pop Ray Oakley Rent-a-Back Roddy Doyle seat seemed smile someone Sophia told sound started stood stopped Sunday Telegraph sure talking tell Thanks there's thing thought took train truck turned Twinform waiting walked watch wearing What's Wicky window woman wondered