Ladder of Years - Hardcover

Tyler, Anne

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067086112X ISBN 13: 9780670861125

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1995

Synopsis

2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by Barbara Barrie

"UTTERLY COMPELLING . . . WONDERFULLY SATISFYING . . . VIRTUALLY FLAWLESS."
--Chicago Tribune

Anne Tyler tells the story of a forty-year-old woman, the mother of three almost grown children, who, on a sudden impulse, walks away from her marriage, hitches a ride into the unknown, and settles in a strange new town to invent a new life.

What propels Delia Grinstead, the wife of a Baltimore physician, as she is spending another rainy vacation with husband, children, and assorted relatives?  Is it old hurts and humiliations that surface this particular summer?  The feeling that she has become expendable?  The memory, perhaps, of that angular young man in the supermarket who asked her to pose as his girlfriend when he runs into his ex-wife?  Or is it simply the lure of the local repairman's beautifully self-sufficient van, sailing off, unencumbered?  Whatever, Delia takes off, wearing only her swimsuit and her husband's beach robe, and doesn't stop until she is suddenly captivated by a quiet little tree-lined town.  There she halts the van, hopes off, finds a room to rent, and settles in.  So begins her new, impersonal life as Ms. Grinstead.  But inevitable, the world crowds in.  New friends, new responsibilities accumulate - from a stray cat who craves a hone to a sad, deserted husband, and his little boy who need her to fill a hole in their lives.

Once again, Anne Tyler dazzles us with her magic.
"TYLER DETAILS DELIA'S ADVENTURE WITH GREAT SKILL. . . . As so often in her earlier fiction, [she] creates distinct characters caught in poignantly funny situations. . . . Tyler writes with a clarity that makes the commonplace seem fresh and the pathetic touching."
--The New York Times

About this title

From the Publisher

Every now and then I'm in the mood for an Anne Tyler novel. Luckily, she is prolific author, so I can usually satiate myself when I need to. Anne Tyler's books are sublime mix of sadness and humor. She writes about everyday problems that everyday people have, and yet there is magic in these stories. She writes about things that many people may fantasize about doing, but would actually never have the nerve to do. For instance, in LADDER OF YEARS, her protagonist simply walks away from her overgrown family one day. She feels that her family doesn't really need her, and so one day while at the beach she goes for a walk and just keeps going. As the story unfolds, you feel sorry for the family somewhat, but you can't help but hope that Delia will make it on her own. She has taken such a bold, brave step, you want to see how far she can go.

If you like this book, you'd also like DINNER AT THE HOMESICK RESTAURANT, THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST, and SAINT MAYBE.

-- Jennifer Richards
Ballantine Books Publicity

About the Author

Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941, but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She graduated at nineteen from Duke University and went to do graduate work in Russian studies at Columbia University. Anne Tyler has written thirteen novels. Breathing Lessons was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. She and her husband, Taghi Modarressi, live in Baltimore, Maryland.

About the Reader
Barbara Barrie has appeared on Broadway in Torch Song Trilogy, California Suite, and The Prisoner of Second Avenue, among others.  Her film credits include The Passage, Private Benjamin, and Breaking Away.  Her television appearances include Scarlet, Law & Order, thirtysomething, Family Ties, and Barney Miller.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 067086112X
• ISBN 13: 9780670861125
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368