Cheap Earthly Possessions (Book) (ANNE TYLER) Price

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Customer Reviews of Earthly Possessions

OMG!! What a great book!!
WOW! one of the best books ever written! I have read other anne tyler books and this one is totally my favorite! I would recommend it to anyone that likes a down-to-earth realistic book. It entails few but distinct characters and they all have their strong and weak points. It clearly shows tyler's ability to relate meaningful characters to real-life situations and turmoil!! READ THIS ONE!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!

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always fresh
This was the first Anne Tyler book I read, and I liked it so much I have gone on to read them all--some, several times.

Tyler really only has one theme: Families--you can't live with them, and you can't escape them.

This book has that theme, and it treats it humorously and sadly and beautifully.

It starts with a bang--a failed bank robbery and hostage situation. This is an unusual scene for Tyler, but it quickly goes back to her usual territory: the maddening minutiae of everyday life.

As always the characters are quirky and fun.

The chapters alternate between the present and the past, so all the elements of the picture gradually come together.

It isn't really a love story; but none of Tyler's books are love stories--unless you count, being in love with being.

To anyone who hasn't tried Tyler, I would recommend this book. It avoids the schmaltziness of "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" and even "Accidental Tourist."

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Not her best, but still not bad....
This is my fourth Anne Tyler novel, and although I liked it a bit better than The Tin Can Tree, it is still not on par with Breathing Lessons or The Accidental Tourist. I somewhat liked the character of Charlotte, but she wasn't as sympathetic to me as other Tyler heroines. I could, however, relate to her dissatisfaction with life - I just wished she'd do more, be more proactive, and not complain so much. That said, Tyler give a clear glimpse into her family life, which made it possible to comprehend how she'd become the person she was, even if I found her hard to put up with in long doses. I was interested in her marriage and family life. Wat I wasn't interested in was the subplot with Jake, the bank robber. This angle to the novel was so far fetched that it kept me from fully embracing the story. If Jake and his girlfriend were more well rounded characters, I might've cared more about that subplot. In general, I found that the book should've been longer. The fact that the book was so short made it difficult for Tyler to fully explore the differing points of view of the various characters, which she does to full effect in Breathing Lessons. In short, this is a good, not great book. If you've never read Tyler's work before, I wouldn't start with this book - I doubt you'll fully grasp the level of her talent. This book is more for hardcore Tyler fans who, like me, are determined to read all her books, just on principle.