Earthly Possessions

by Anne Tyler

Book Overview

From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Breathing Lessons--Charlotte Emory has always lived a quiet, conventional life in Clarion, Maryland. She lives as simply as possible, and one day decides to simplify everything and leave her husband.

Her last trip to the bank throws Charlotte's life into an entirely different direction when a restless young man in a nylon jacket takes her hostage during the robbery--and...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394411471
• ISBN13: 9780394411477
• Release Date: March 1977
• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Length: 197 Pages
• Weight: 0.99 lbs.

Customer Reviews

always fresh

This was the first Anne Tyler book I read, and I liked it so much I have gone on to read them all--some, several times.Tyler really only has one theme: Families--you can't live with them, and you can't escape them.This book has that theme, and it treats it humorously and sadly and beautifully.It starts with a bang--a failed bank robbery and hostage situation. This is an unusual scene for Tyler, but it quickly goes back to her usual territory: the maddening minutiae of everyday life.As always the characters are quirky and fun.The chapters alternate between the present and the past, so all the elements of the picture gradually come together.It isn't really a love story; but none of Tyler's books are love stories--unless you count, being in love with being.To anyone who hasn't tried Tyler, I would recommend this book. It avoids the schmaltziness of "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" and even "Accidental Tourist."

OMG!! What a great book!!

WOW! one of the best books ever written! I have read other anne tyler books and this one is totally my favorite! I would recommend it to anyone that likes a down-to-earth realistic book. It entails few but distinct characters and they all have their strong and weak points. It clearly shows tyler's ability to relate meaningful characters to real-life situations and turmoil!! READ THIS ONE!! YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT!

A wonderful if unexpected journey!

Several years ago I read my first Anne Tyler book, Ladder of Years, and became a devoted fan of this author's books. Catching up on some earlier titles,I have just finished another one of her books, Earthly Possessions. And once again this author has captivated me and tugged at my heartstrings.Earthly Possessions focuses on two of Tyler's most endearing characters, Charlotte Emory and Jake. Charlotte is at a bank one day when Jake bungles a robbery. Holding Charlotte as his hostage and with 200 $1 bills in his pocket from the robbery, he steals a car and the two set off to find Jake's pregnant girlfriend somewhere in Florida. What may appear as a horrific kidnapping to others in the bank, provides Charolotte with an exciting adventure, once she knows she won't be harmed in anyway. Unfortunately Charlotte has never set foot outside of her small hometown and was at the bank to withdraw her life savings in order to run away from her husband. As Charlotte and Jake travel South, with the police searching for them, Charlotte reflects on her life and earthly posessions till the ending which is thought provoking and poignant.The end of the book and some other parts are reminiscent of some cental themes which Tyler seems to explore in many of her books. But the author relying on tried and true themes never seems to matter to me when I read Anne Tyler as once again she introduces me to quirky and memorable characters who stay with me long after I've finished the book

Best Tyler I've read so far

I have read only a few of Tyler's books, but this one is my favourite so far. Like Breathing Lessons, she creates some imaginative characters that are somehow not quite in sync with the rest of the world -- or at least not "my" world. With each chapter flipping back to the past and then to the present, bizarre events happening throughout, by the end of the novel the characters aren't so strange anymore. Our female lead gets taken hostage by a not-so-seasoned bank robber at the same time she has decided to leave her husband. This story tells of their journey away from ties that bind, albeit different trials and tribulations. An easy read but a tale you won't soon forget