Anne Tyler, French Braid

Cecilia Donohue (Independent Scholar - North America)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Sofia Ahlberg (Uppsala University), Patrick Chura (University of Akron), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Birmingham Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 2022

Places

United States (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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French Braid

(2022), Anne Tyler’s twenty-fourth novel, revisits the subject matter her readers have come to expect: the multigenerational extended family whose members negotiate the reality of unraveling ties, individuals taking unexpected steps in search of self-fulfillment, opportunities for a second (and for one character in this book, a third) chance at happiness, and a dénouement of reconciliation for a surprising member of this novel’s ensemble.

While French Braid’s issues may be familiar to the author’s fans, their presentation differs somewhat here. Instead of Tyler’s usual laser-sharp focus on one particular protagonist, as in 1985’s The Accidental Tourist (Macon Leary), 1991’s Saint Maybe (Ian Bedloe), 1995’s Ladder of Years (Cordelia Grinstead), 1998’s A

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1965 words

Citation: Donohue, Cecilia. "French Braid". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 July 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40907, accessed 25 April 2024.]

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