A Patchwork Planet

by Anne Tyler

Book Overview

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author tells the story of a lovable loser who's trying to get his life in order. Barnaby Gaitlin has been... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037540256X
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 287 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.3" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

We can’t take it with us when we die...

A young man whom comes from affluence is humbled to work with the elderly. He is a laborer who cares for each one of them. This was a good read with human lessons to be learned from. Thank You, Anne Tyler for sharing A Patchwork Planet with all of us. Your writing is GREAT!

I am a man you can trust

This is the sentence that Tyler uses to begin and end her wonderfully sensitive novel about Barnaby Gatlin, a man who considers himself a "loser". Throughout the course of the novel, we realize that Barnaby is really no such thing. He is a gentle, kind man who is still being punsihed at age 30 by his family and by himself for a series of mistakes he made as a teenager.Barnaby is a 30-year-old divorcee with a daughter he cannot relate to, no money, and a dead-end job at Rent-a-Back, an errand-running and odd-job service for senior citizens. He is the son of wealthy philanthropists, who never let him forget that the series of break-ins and petty thefts he committed as a teenager cost them $8700 and the respect of the neighborhood. When Barnaby encounters Sofia on a train, he is captivated by her ability not to peek in a mysterious package she is supposed to deliever to a stranger. Believing her to be a guardian angel, he meets her and begins working for her aunt. He later becomes romantically involved with her. What drives this novel's plot is Sofia's aunt's accusation that Barnaby stole money from her, and Sofia's response to the accusations.What I loved about this story was Tyler's inquiry into why society characterizes some people as losers. True, Barnaby lacks material possessions and has made mistakes in his past. However, Barnaby's gentleness with his Rent-A-Back customers and his grandparents are wonderfully philanthropic. Meanwhile, his mother, the "true" philanthropist, is a petty, unforgiving person who seems truly unhappy. Tyler's exploration into the loneliness and indignities of old age are also compassionate and insightful.The first and last sentence relate to Barnaby's ability to trust himself, and forgive himself for the transgressions of his youth. Barnaby is an incredibly likable protagonist and Tyler's characterization of Barnaby's mother, girlfriend, and childhood best friend are both hilarious and poignant. One of the best books I have read this year.

Tyler writes about Everyman

Anne Tyler's gift for characterization is never more in evidence than in the narrator of this novel. Barnaby Gaitlin is the black sheep of a wealthy Baltimore family, divorced, working a menial job, struggling to maintain a semblance of respectability and good relations with his ex-wife and nine-year-old daughter. A chance encounter on a train to Philadelphia brings him together with Sophia, a calm, competent woman with whom Barnaby finds love and a chance at happiness. But life is never as simple as it seems...As with many of Tyler's books, what seems at first to be a collection of inconsequential and even trivial events gathers a surprising cumulative force, due to the profusion of funny and moving observations about life, death, love and family along the way. The strength and emotional power of Patchwork Planet lies as much in the incidental encounters with Barnaby's clientele (he works for a service called Rent-a-Back, performing odd jobs for elderly and disabled folk) as with those nominally closer to him. By the end the reader is totally wrapped up in Barnaby's emotional odyssey, rooting for him to win through to happiness, which at the last he seems on the verge of attaining, though not in the way one might have expected. A Patchwork Planet will speak to anyone who has felt overwhelmed by the small daily battles of existence, unloved by loved ones, and insecure about his/her place and purpose in life; in other words, just about anyone.

Another delightful Anne Tyler Story.

I have read and loved every one of Anne Tyler's 14 novels and A Patchwork Planet did not disappoint. Each of Ms. Tyler's books are about a different quirky Baltimore family and the main character is usually a flawed individual who grows through the story and overcomes some of their past problems. I will admit in looking back at the 14 titles, I can't always recall which book is about which quirky character, but they are all quite delightful reads. Barnaby Gaitlin is trying to overcome his past bad behavior, but his parents, brother, former best friend, ex-wife and even his young daughter always expect the worst and can't see that he is changing and becoming a responsible adult. His boss, co-workers and clients from Rent-a-Back seem to be the only ones who see his true potential and goodness. If you have liked Anne Tyler in the past, this is a must read book. If you haven't read her before, this is a worthy starting point.

Best book read last year

I have read most of Anne tyler's books and I must say this is one of the better ones although I love all of her books. Barnaby, the maincharacter, takes you more or less by the hand and leads you through part of his life in such a realistic way that you can't put the book down. Some passages are very touching, others really funny, and all is very real. I got part in this story and really wanted Barnaby to 'win'. His ways are very convincing. The whole story is very convincing! The way Anne Tyler presents her characters in this book is so realistic, so recognizable. You want the book to go on and on after it stops. I can't wait for Anne Tyler's next!

Tyler touches something deep within me (once again)

I've had this book since it came out, but, oddly enough, just got around to reading it. I'm so thankful that I did. Anne Tyler has that magical gift of being able to make me feel something every time I read her work. Barnaby is a person, in a long line of people she has created, who has such extraordinary things to say, and such a simply truthful way of saying them. I always find Tyler's characters to be incredibly engaging - likeable in an honest, wrinkled sort of way. And I always find myself deeply touched by their lives, and the oh so human way they live them. Barnaby, of course, is no exception. He's struggling with something we all struggle with - what gives our lives meaning? And I think Tyler has answered that question beautifully.