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Back When We Were Grown-ups

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Back When We Were Grown-ups

By: Anne Tyler
Narrated by: Blair Brown
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About this listen

 One morning, Rebecca wakes up and realises she has turned into the wrong person. Is she really this joyous and outgoing organiser of parties, the put-upon heart of her dead husband's extended family? What happened to her quiet and serious nineteen-year-old self, and what would have happened if she'd married her college sweetheart? Can someone ever recover the person they've left behind? Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

Beautifully observed... Effortlessly brilliant
Like all great writers, Tyler creates her own world...she is that rare being: a writer so good that she lets you forget it. If you're one of the few who's yet to discover her, don't waste any more time: this ranks among her best
Superb... Beautifully conceived, masterfully executed... Out of the emotional confusions spawned by dislocated, dysfunctional families, Anne Tyler has produced - yet again - a scintillating comedy of manners
Her touch, whether comic, wry or tragic, is as subtle as goose down... An insight bordering on genius... Tyler, of the fresh, almost conversational prose, sharp dialogue and all too much human truth, really is one of the wisest and most perceptive observers crafting fiction as life
One of her very best
All stars
Most relevant
Quite a lot of characters to keep up with but as far as the main character, Rebecca, is concerned, we know her so well and she provokes not just sympathy but an empathy, especially if you are a mature female reader.

There is always a profound sadness lurking beneath the humour and although this was not my favourite Tyler so far, I did thoroughly enjoy the family dramas and typical quirky personalities that Anne Tyler always presents us with.

I didn't realise that Anne Tyler had written this novel in memory of her husband, who apparently died in 1997. I wish I had known this on reading it, as it makes even more sense to me now.

Another great read from Anne Tyler

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easy read and some decent characterisation but it does not add to the sum of knowledge and experience

Inconsequential

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This was the first Anne Tyler book I read; I loved her style and characterisation and have since read every book, most of them many times, and this one is still one of my favourites. Recommend reading it before listening.

One of the best Anne Tyler books

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