Book summary

Anne Tyler's 15th novel takes us into the life of Rebecca and the noisy, rowdy, difficult members of the Davitch family. When Rebecca marries Joseph Davitch, she becomes the stepmother of his three kids, then has a daughter of her own. Her husband dies in a car crash, after which yet more Davitches come to live with her. Somehow, Rebecca--in the midst of her own troubles--holds it all together, but, she begins to suspect, at the cost of her own self. A New York Times Notable Book for 2001.

Media reviews

"[M]aybe there's something glorious to be said, after all, for companionship, common cause and sanctuary. And what there is to say, Anne Tyler has been saying for decades, with gravity and grace."