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Look Inside | Reading Guide
Reading Guide
Jan 25, 2011 | ISBN 9780345516596 Buy
Jan 05, 2010 | ISBN 9780307273338 Buy
Jan 05, 2010 | 544 Minutes Buy
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Available from:
Jan 25, 2011 | ISBN 9780345516596
Jan 05, 2010 | ISBN 9780307273338
Jan 05, 2010 | ISBN 9780739384787
544 Minutes
Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anne Tyler brings us “a gripping, page-turner of a novel” (Houston Chronicle) that is an “offbeat delight” (O: The Oprah Magazine).Liam Pennywell, who set out to be a philosopher and ended up teaching fifth grade, never much liked the job at that run-down private school, so early retirement doesn’t bother him. But he is troubled by his inability to remember anything about the first night that he moved into his new and spare condominium on the outskirts of Baltimore. All he knows when he wakes up the next day in the hospital is that his head is sore and bandaged. His effort to recover the moments of his life that have been stolen from him leads him on an unexpected detour. What he needs is someone who can do the remembering for him. What he gets is . . . well, something quite different.
Liam Pennywell, who set out to be a philosopher and ended up teaching fifth grade, never much liked the job at that run-down private school, so early retirement doesn’t bother him. But he is troubled by his inability to remember anything about the first night that he moved into his new and spare condominium on the outskirts of Baltimore. All he knows when he wakes up the next day in the hospital is that his head is sore and bandaged. His effort to recover the moments of his life that have been stolen from him leads him on an unexpected detour. What he needs is someone who can do the remembering for him. What he gets is . . . well, something quite different.
From the incomparable Anne Tyler, a wise, gently humorous, and deeply compassionate novel about a schoolteacher, who has been forced to retire at sixty-one, coming to terms with the final phase of his life.Liam Pennywell, who set out to be a philosopher and ended up teaching fifth grade, never much liked the job at that run-down private school, so early retirement doesn’t bother him. But he is troubled by his inability to remember anything about the first night that he moved into his new, spare, and efficient condominium on the outskirts of Baltimore. All he knows when he wakes up the next day in the hospital is that his head is sore and bandaged.His effort to recover the moments of his life that have been stolen from him leads him on an unexpected detour. What he needs is someone who can do the remembering for him. What he gets is—well, something quite different.We all know a Liam. In fact, there may be a little of Liam in each of us. Which is why Anne Tyler’s lovely novel resonates so deeply.
ANNE TYLER was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the author of more than twenty novels. Her twentieth novel, A Spool of Blue Thread, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2015…. More about Anne Tyler
“Gracefully written tragicomedy . . . seasoned with poetic images [and] gentle humor.”—USA Today“An arresting premise [that] pays off in unexpected ways . . . Tyler’s writing is as lovely and transparent as ever.”—The Boston Globe“Tyler’s most profound strengths lie in her ability to make her stories resonate with readers. . . . With self-assurance and her trademark empathy, Tyler makes the commonplace uncommonly rich and the ordinary extraordinarily touching.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch“A gripping, page-turner of a novel [that] radiates with life.”—Houston Chronicle “[Tyler] reminds us of the infinite reach of our humanity.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune “[A] sensitive, witty story.”—The Washington Post “[An] offbeat delight.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
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