(If you’re planning on reading this book, and want to be surprised at the end, don’t read any further.)

Pauline and Michael married young and impulsively. They spent the rest of their lives regretting their choice, and reveling in their unhappiness. Eventually, they divorce. Pauline dies alone, and only then does Michael realize that he still loves and misses her.

This book was so sad, and initially, I was really disappointed in the direction that it took. If you read everything but the last page, you will have a sour view of marriage and committment. But once you read the last page, you realize that Michael is sorry for the way things turned out, and wishes that he had done things differently with Pauline. I ended the book feeling sad for Michael and Pauline, and with a new resolve to treasure my own marriage, which I guess is what Tyler intended to teach all along.

Sarah’s father died the year before she began high school. Now, as she tries to fit in at school, make friends and get along with her mom, Sarah misses him terribly. But as she talks about her loss with family and friends, she discovers that her father wasn’t really the person that she thought she knew. This was a fairly average book about a girl growing up and discovering what is really important.

I’m not sure how I feel about this book or about the author. While it is a good suspenseful read, the author tends to wander into too much detail at times. If you’ve ever read Michael Crichton, you know that he often gives waytoo much scientific detail. King does the same when she relays information about the cult leaders and why they act the way they do. So while I liked the overall plot, I found myself skimming a lot, and I probably won’t try another book by this author.

This sequel to Farm Team and Striking Out was pretty good, but not as good as most of Weaver’s books. It had much more of a “happy ending, everything works out” feel to it, which isn’t typical of Weaver at all.

I’m so glad that I stumbled onto Anne Tyler. I’m really enjoying her books–this one, about an uncle who becomes a father to his nieces and nephew, is my favorite to date. Some things I enjoy about Tyler’s writing:
-She begins by telling the story from one character’s perspective. Just when you’ve gotten comfortable with that character, she starts telling the story from another character’s point of view. It’s hard to get used to at first, but now I really like it.
-She writes about ordinary people and ordinary events, but makes it interesting. There are no big mysteries, no crimes to solve, no major plot twists, no big surprises. But somehow, once I’ve started one of her books, I can’t put it down.
-At the end of her books, there are no big changes or dramatic endings. But somehow, you feel that her characters have learned and grown, and are better off than they were at the beginning.