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Book Summary and Reviews of The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

The Accidental Tourist

by Anne Tyler

  • Readers' Rating (5):
  • Published:
  • Aug 1985, 112 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author—an irresistible novel exploring the slippery alchemy of attracting opposites, and the struggle to rebuild one's life after unspeakable tragedy

Travel writer Macon Leary hates travel, adventure, surprises, and anything outside of his routine. Immobilized by grief, Macon is becoming increasingly prickly and alone, anchored by his solitude and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts. Then he meets Muriel, an eccentric dog trainer too optimistic to let Macon disappear into himself. Despite Macon's best efforts to remain insulated, Muriel up-ends his solitary, systemized life, catapulting him into the center of a messy, beautiful love story he never imagined. A fresh and timeless tale of unexpected bliss, The Accidental Tourist showcases Tyler's talents for making characters—and their relationships—feel both real and magical.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Poignant ... funny ... The Accidental Tourist is one of her best... . [Tyler] has never been stronger." —The New York Times

"Tyler has given us an endlessly diverting book whose strength gathers gradually to become a genuinely thrilling one." —Los Angeles Times

"A delight ... a graceful comic novel about getting through life." —The Wall Street Journal

This information about The Accidental Tourist was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her bestselling novels include Breathing Lessons, The Accidental Tourist, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Ladder of Years, Back When We Were Grownups, A Patchwork Planet, The Amateur Marriage, Digging to America, A Spool of Blue Thread, Vinegar Girl and Clock Dance.

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