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Noah's Compass (2010)

by Anne Tyler(Favorite Author)

3.13 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0307272400 (ISBN13: 9780307272409)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Knopf

review 1: My second Anne Tyler novel, and much weaker than Saint Maybe. There are good ideas here, but they seem to go unexplored. Pennywell begins retirement? That's interesting. Until he's hit on the head and can't remember the incident, which is also interesting. Until that's no longer a factor as he falls in love with someone...etc, etc. Tyler has a good deal of humor that makes up for some of the book's dullness, but Noah's Compass struck me as hastily written.
review 2: All in all, this book felt very unremarkable throughout – Liam, the protagonist, is unremarkable, his daughters are unremarkable and all of his faded romances are quite unremarkable. His life really has been a song of the mediocre and middle ground.Early to midway through the book you feel that th... moreere is some hope for Liam, you feel that his life might be changing as he begins to take risks and edge over to the cusp of living. As he instigates a new romance you feel like congratulating him for the dare, applauding him for having taken the plunge and for having putting himself ‘out there’.This is what this book is about I guess, it concentrates itself on the metaphorical acceptability of life as it is and on taking those small baby steps towards larger freedoms – even if all can be potentially resultant in shame, failure or temporary unhappiness.There is no doubt that Tyler’s writing is delicate and knowing. Whilst this book hardly provides a story of drama or action, there is a nice ripple ebbing beneath the surface. Tyler really concentrates herself on people and characterisation. It’s as if she really knows that humans want and yearn for something ‘more’, always feeling the draw of a bigger picture that can hardly ever be achieved.It’s quite sad that in the book Liam never really feels the passion he aches to feel and instead becomes submissive to life. It’s happier however that Tyler is able to make her characters able to appreciate contentment and some of her message seems to be about the importance and acceptance of all that suffices.It’s a sure thing that some of a book’s potential audience will want more than what could be described as some fluffy middle ground. Some will find the lack of action is most annoying or boring. Lovers of character may even find a special place in their heart for the undramatic underdog of Liam.Me? Well, whilst I found the book likeable although plain, I almost floundered towards the end. My three star rating justifies a likeable opinion towards the book and an acceptance of a writer who knows her craft. If the book and story had continued into any more gasping pages though, my opinion would be far less generous.It suffices and that’s all I really want to say about this book. less

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