Patron Picks: The Amateur Marriage

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler

I was randomly strolling through the adult fiction section of the library while the grandchildren were enjoying meeting with the Miners baseball players (a wonderful activity provided by the children’s department of the library for the summer reading program) and gravitated toward authors I have enjoyed in the past. I was first introduced to Anne Tyler many years ago when the Raleigh County book discussion group read Back When We Were Grownups and have loved her since that time. She is one of those “go to” authors when you are just not sure what you really want to read. Browsing through the selection of Tyler’s books, I was caught by the title The Amateur Marriage and decided to check it out and enjoy some summer reading. What a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable read!

If you are or have been married and have children and grandchildren, you will definitely relate to the superb writing of Anne Tyler and her excellent character development of the Anton family. The book spans three generations and fifty years and will make you smile, laugh aloud and cry (make sure you have tissues nearby) and then ponder the complexities of life and the consequences of decisions. If you are currently single, this is an excellent book for you to think about your future and the choices you will make, especially involving love and marriage.

Here is a gem from the book that will hopefully entice you to read the book:

“When I’m trying to get to know somebody, I ask about their house dream…I believe that almost everyone dreams now and then about the house they’re living in. They dream that one day they climb a set of stairs they hadn’t noticed before or open a door that wasn’t there before, and presto! They find a whole new room! An undiscovered room that they never knew existed! Have you ever dreamed that dream? …And here’s what I’ve observed: half of the people think, Isn’t this wonderful! Someplace new to explore! And the other half thinks, Just what I need: another maintenance problem. This room has not been tendered in years and now I can see daylight through the ceiling…Would you look at that room as a gift, or a burden?”

Happy reading!

Recommended by Beckley library patron, Shari Jones

Advertisements