Customer Reviews: Read 71 more reviews...
 Touching and wise September 20, 2008
The Accidental Tourist is a wonderful novel. It is beautifully written and very wise and sensitive. The characters are ordinary people and the plot is full of everyday occurences, and yet I was turning the pages as if I was reading a nail biting thriller.
I'm always hearing that good writers should 'show and not tell', and Anne Tyler does this to perfection. The first chapter alone is a masterclass in how to create an original and moving marriage break-up scene. At the beginning of the novel, we find out that Macon and Sarah's son has died. In other books there would have been endless pages about the death and flashbacks to the family before the tragedy, but Tyler manages to convey the parents's terrible loss without going down this rather tired route. As the book progresses, Macon and Sarah separate, and then Macon meets Muriel, an unusual dog trainer who seems determined to work her way into his life.
All of the characters seem like living, breathing people - with good and bad points. Macon, the main character, is an excellent invention. Being an introvert myself, I felt like I could understand much of his motivation and attitude towards life. I also grew to admire Muriel a great deal and the physical descriptions of her - her frizzy hair and clothes ('I look like the Wrath of God') - were particularly good. I was glad the author didn't go down the stereotypical route of having her be tremendously good looking. And yet, the tension was there the whole time about whether Macon would return to his wife, if she would have him back. The novel made me care deeply for all the characters, and I was utterly torn as to what I thought Macon should do.
Overall, I highly recommend this book. The author has a very compassionate way of writing about people, but not so that they come across as cloying or too good to be true. The humour and kindness in the book is matched by tragedy and sadness. I also thought the ending was beautiful - it had me in tears and gave me a lot to think about. Real life is full of complications and grey areas and misunderstandings and it is wonderful that Anne Tyler has managed to capture this on paper.
 Stogy person learns how to have fun. May 1, 2008
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
I'd never read anything by Anne Tyler before, and I was pleasantly affected by her writing. Her characters, however odd and unfamiliar, really seem to come alive. I didn't identify well with them, but I really came to know them and understand the reasons for their actions.
However, I felt that the conclusion was a little rushed. The first half of the book taking place in Macon's family home, then the second act, if you will, his relationship with Muriel, then the third section where he moves home with Sarah, then goes to Paris....just wasn't as well-developed. The choices Macon makes at the end seem to come out of nowhere. Like, all of a sudden he's back at home and it just wasn't described. There's a flash back later, but it feels like just that. A flash back. Then, just when you think it's going to be over and he and Sarah have both grown enough to be together, he inexplicably chooses Muriel. I just didn't really understand. I found Muriel eccentric and fun, at first, and was really pleased with her and her influence on Macon. Then she got all pushy and annoying, which I felt was a device for getting the reader prepared for Macon to return to Sarah. Then, Muriel follows Macon to Paris, and I was like, "Hello, stalker?" And that just shouldn't work. You shouldn't leave your wife for your stalker. Which, really, is what she was. Macon just goes along with it, even from the beginning.
I liked Alexander (Muriel's son), though, and am glad for his sake that Macon will return to his life.
IMHO February 22, 2008
I did not like the ending for this book. It was rather abrupt.
The characters in this novel were well drawn and pulled you into their world. I wanted to find out what was going to happen to them in the end rather than what was going to happen next, though. This was not a thriller suspense novel so maybe that was appropriate. It worked to keep the pages turning for me (smile).
I liked the ways that Tyler worded things in the book (ie: "But he held his peace and watched Garner walk out. There was something pitiable about the two sharp cords that ran down the back of Garner's neck, cupping a little ditch of mapped brown skin between them.") She definitely has a way with words. I could not only see what Macon saw with this passage but I could feel what Macon felt as he watched Garner walk away.
I will probably choose another Anne Tyler novel to read (or two). It was not a bad read; I did enjoy it for the most part. As I mentioned before, I was not crazy about the ending.
Brilliant Writer December 6, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What a wonderful book. Thank you Anne Tyler for creating such unforgettable characters and filling this book with wit, creativity and enormous heart. I just absolutely loved it.
Tourist review October 22, 2007
This is good reading, low key, entertaining. If you are looking for sex, crime, thrill a minute, it is not for you. It is for the person who just wants to relax with a good book.
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