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Book Review of Ladder of Years

Ladder of Years
Ladder of Years
Author: Anne Tyler
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
2JsmomJCJK avatar reviewed Another Bad Ending on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2


Wow....second novel in a row that I have read and the endings make no sense. This one was at the point of culmination when the story ended. The resolution, which was NOT inevitable but certainly the most likely, occurred. But why? It's as if the author had this book "almost done & stashed way away" for a long time and the publisher was pressing for a manuscript so Ms. Tyler picked it up, wrote about 1200 words, and called it done. Good grief. The tone changed that abruptly.

Another irritation in the book -- "anyhow." The phraseology caught my attention early b/c it's a dialect phraseology. The more common usage is "anyway." Well, "anyhow" appeared all the time. Enough of the anyhow. It was not infrequently used.

The actual story kept me reading until the last 30 pages when I got bored. Delia, the main character, lost whatever luster she had by that time. Different circumstances, but I separated from my family at about the same age, so I thought I could relate. But I don't think Delia ever gained any insight into herself in this book. She just breathed air on a daily basis....

But I did finish reading the book. Had to give Delia that chance to tell her story. Not sure why...