Anne Tyler has been one of my favorite writers for the last 30 years. I don't think it's because I grew up a few neighborhoods away from her; I think it's because she's talented, tender, and wise. "The Tin Can Tree" is her second novel and will celebrate it's 50th anniversary next year. It's the story of several families and individuals 'trapped' in a small town in any state in the country, living their daily lives, wanting something better, but not really knowing how to grasp it. Almost sounds like a Springsteen song and, in this case, covers many of the themes found in his lyrics. I would have given the book 4 stars except for its slow start. It took a while for her to establish the characters and to provide enough information to care about them. About halfway through the book, the conflicts become more inflated, although they are certainly not of grandiose proportions. Most interesting to me is the young Simon, who has just lost his little sister in a farming accident and wants to run away from home because his grieving mother is paying little attention to him. In essence, he wants to run away to see if she even notices. While Simon does not appear in most of the book, he is the most compelling character, with some very humorous observations about life and his community. What makes Tyler interesting in all of her novels is that nearly all of her characters also have a very deeply felt point of view about life. Then there is Joan, the young woman who also packs her bags to leave town but finds that she is, for some reason, drawn back to her dull existence among even duller people. The lyrics "we got to get out while we're young" come to mind as Joan settles back and realizes she's not going anywhere.I've often felt that a network like HBO could serve itself well by buying the rights to all of Ms. Tyler's books and giving them the wider audience that they deserve in the most unabashed way.
I have a weird relationship with Anne Tyler. I met her when I was nineteen. I was camping in Tennessee and she kept me company, and as she did so I began to discover that I really wanted to write. I have loved her since then, always, and am quick to mention that The Accidental Tourist is one of my favourite books. She is strange though. Possibly in a way that I can't quite express. While reading her other books (I have not gotten through all of them yet - not even all of hers that I own) I find myself wondering "why did you write this?" I cannot help but be curious about her motivations. What happened? What tiny little occurrence set you running off to tell this story? With the Tin Can Tree, you slip into the aftermath of the death of a child. It is a story filled with awkward conversations. It is strange, and yet readable. Relatable even if you cannot possibly relate. Anne Tyler baffles me. I can only imagine that she might have the true powers of an empath. She seems to understand things that she could not possibly have experienced - at least not all of them, though I imagine perhaps some. Her books seem to be just this though: a series of conversations that are so real you cannot stop yourself from hearing every word that she says. You get to the end and you think, "well not much happened in that story, everyone just sat around talking...." and then you go on to wonder how on earth her method works. Because it does work. And yet you can't imagine ever pulling it off yourself.
What do You think about The Tin Can Tree (1996)?
I like this book. This was my second book I read of Anne Tyler, the first being "If Morning will ever comes," I like "The Tin Can Tree" better. The plot of this book kept my interest,though there was sadness and not much of a plot, more like going through everyday life. I like Anne Tyler books there different from other books I've read before, it's the way she writes that make me feel like I know the characters in her book,like I'm right there with them. If feel like I am just in another life for a while when I reading her books,I am always sad when it ends.
—Kellie
Il punto di forza dei romanzi di Anne Tyler non è mai la trama. E questo non fa eccezione: non succede praticamente niente. L'autrice racconta di come i vari personaggi interagiscono fra loro, affrontando la realtà e riprendosi dopo la morte della piccola Janie Rose, di soli sei anni. Tutto qui.Ma lo fa in un modo talmente delicato e "umano" che non si può non sentirsi vicini a questi personaggi così teneri, realistici e buffi nella loro quotidianità, nel loro imbarazzo, con le loro piccole manie e debolezze.Non è un brutto romanzo, ma nemmeno uno di quelli che mi sono piaciuti di più di quest'autrice, così brava a raccontare il nulla.
—Thais
This was a strong early novel for Anne Tyler. It moved verrrry slowly, and the resolution kind of went over my head or was tacked on and artificial. However, the characters were interesting, and the story kept me engaged.I have real problems with the character of Ansel -- was he chronically ill? Dying? A drunk? Selfish? Caring? A hypochondriac or a drunken hypochondriac? The answers to those questions never became clear to me. I don't really know, but as a chronically ill person, I was saddened to see yet another character who could have been a "gypsy-in-the-parlor" (a manipulative con man/woman who feigns illness to his/her own advantage). We've got far too many of those in books and movies already. I'm sure there was something to the fact that Ansel's (as in Ansel Adams?) brother was a photographer and that he spent hours looking at the photographs his brother took, but it was too arcane for me to dope out. Tyler's humanity and fondness for each of her characters comes through -- even in this early work.
—Candace
