Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is her eighteenth novel. Her eleventh, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

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On Feb 25, 2014, CloggieDownunder said
Noah’s Compass is the eighteenth adult novel by American author, Anne Tyler. When sixty-year-old Liam Pennywell is retrenched from his job as a fifth-grade teacher, he decides to downsize his life, moving to a smaller apartment with less possessions; he even considers retiring altogether. But after going to sleep in his new bedroom, he wakens in a hospital bed with no memory of intervening events. His capable ex-wife Barbara and his three daughters (the rather bossy Xanthe, the born-again Christian Louise and seventeen-year-old Kitty) tell him to be grateful he can’t remember being mugged, can’t remember how he got his scalp wound or the bite on his hand. But the void in his recall nags at him, and in his neurologist’s waiting room he encounters Eunice, a woman whom he feels may hold the key to the recollection he seeks. And it seems that, unlike Xanthe, Louise and Kitty, who find him hopeless and obtuse and are infuriated by his policy of not arguing, Eunice looks up to him and seems to understand him. Whilst aware of her shortcomings - “plump and frizzy-haired and bespectacled, dumpily dressed, bizarrely jewelled, too young for him and too earnest” - might he, after being widowed, remarried and divorced, have finally have found someone to be happy with? And just to complicate life even further, Kitty comes to live with him for the summer vacation, something he’s not entirely sure how to cope with. And there’s Kitty’s boyfriend, Damian, who attracts the disapproval of Xanthe and Barbara. Tyler excels at making the reader really care about fairly ordinary people doing fairly ordinary things and having fairly ordinary events occur in their fairly ordinary lives. And just when the plot sounds somewhat predictable, Tyler throws in a major twist or two. Liam is a likeable character who admits “….I haven’t exactly covered myself in glory. I just….don’t seem to have the hang of things, somehow. It’s as if I’ve never been entirely present in my own life.” Through Liam’s thoughts, Tyler displays some wonderful imagery: “Damian had the posture of a consumptive – narrow, curved back and buckling knees. He resembled a walking comma.” and “Nobody would mistake him for anything but a cop. His white shirt was so crisp that it hurt to look at it, and the weight of his gun and his radio and his massive black leather belt would have sunk him like a stone if he had fallen into any water.” Many of the interactions between characters are laugh-out-loud moments, but Liam provides some gems of wisdom too: “He started laughing. He was laughing out of surprise as much as amusement, because he hadn’t remembered this himself until now and yet it had come back to him in perfect detail. Where from? he wondered. And how had he ever forgotten it in the first place? The trouble with discarding bad memories was that evidently the good ones went with them.” This novel is characteristically Anne Tyler: funny, moving, thought-provoking and, as always, quite brilliant.

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NOAH'S COMPASS
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NOAH'S COMPASS

by Tyler, Anne

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Used - Fine
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Fine
Edition
First Edition
Published
2009
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Hardcover
ISBN 10
0307272400
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NY: Knopf, 2009. First edition, first prnt. Inscribed by Tyler on the title page. " For Mitra, Greo, Taghi, and Dorri, with love, and with thanks for the cameo appearance on p. 256 - Anne Tyler." Fine condition in a Fine dustjacket with an archival cover. The inscriptees are Tyler's daughter, Mitra, and her family. A personal association copy… Read more about this item
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler Anne

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2010
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0099539586
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20x13x2cm. 2010. Broché. 288 pages.
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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2009
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Paperback
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Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. A small dent in rear board at top; slight edge wear to dj; solid binding; no internal markings; no remainder mark; not price clipped; not an ex-library book; no chips or tears. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book.
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Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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2010-01-05
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Knopf, 2010-01-05. Hardcover. Good. 104x18x152.
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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As New in As New dust jacket
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First Edition
Published
2010
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Hardcover
ISBN 10
0307272400
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[New York]: Knopf. As New in As New dust jacket. 2010. First Edition. Hardcover. Signed by Author; 0307272400 . SIGNED by Author As New First Edition. In a protective cover. Eighteenth novel by this Pulitzer Prize-winning author, about a newly retired school teacher who tries to come to terms with the last phase of his life.;… Read more about this item
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Noah's compass

Noah's compass

by Anne Tyler

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Published
2009
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Softcover
ISBN 10
0701184248
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Chatto & Windus, 2009. Edition Unstated. Softcover. Very Good Condition/No Dust Jacket. Size: Octavo (standard book size). 277 pages. Text body is clean, and free from previous owner annotation, underlining and highlighting. Binding is tight, covers and spine fully intact. No foxing in this copy. All edges clean, neat and free of foxing. Quantity Available:… Read more about this item
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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Paperback. Very Good.
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Noahs Compass: A Novel Audio CD – Unabridged, January 5, 2010 (Audiobook CD)

Noahs Compass: A Novel Audio CD – Unabridged, January 5, 2010 (Audiobook CD)

by anne-tyler

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2010-01-01
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CD
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0739384775
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Random House Audio, 2010-01-01. CD. New. 5x1x5. 8 CD Set. From the incomparable Anne Tyler, a wise, gently humorous, and deeply compassionate novel about a schoolteacher, who has been forced to retire at sixty-one, coming to terms with the final phase of his life.<br /><br/><br /><br/>Liam Pennywell, who set out to be a philosopher and ended up teaching… Read more about this item
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Noah's Compass

by Anne Tyler

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[ Edition: first ]
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0307272400
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[ Edition: first ]. Good Condition. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Ships Daily ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: NONE ] [ Writing: NONE ] Publisher: Knopf Pub Date: 1/5/2010 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 288
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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Used - Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket
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Stated First Edition. 1
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2009
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Hard Cover
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0307272400
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NY: Alfred A. Knopf. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket. 2009. Stated First Edition. 1. Hard Cover. 0307272400 . Quarter bound in publisher's light gray cloth over light green boards, bronze lettering on spine. . Spine is very slightly cocked, else pristine, unmarked, tight and clean. The unclipped dust jacket is very lightly… Read more about this item
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NOAH'S COMPASS
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NOAH'S COMPASS

by Tyler, Anne

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Fine
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First Edition
Published
2009
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Hardcover
ISBN 10
0307272400
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NY: Knopf, 2009. First edition, first prnt. Signed by Tyler on a tipped-in front free endpage. One of an unstated number of copies issued by the publisher for promotional purposes. Unread copy in Fine conmdition in a Fine dustjacket with an archival cover.. Signed by Author. First Edition. Hardcovers. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall.
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Noah's Compass [Signed By Author]

by Tyler, Anne

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2009
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NY: Alfred A Knopf, 2009. First Edition, First Printing; dj w/unclipped price; 277 clean, unmarked pages. Signed By Author. 1st. Hardcover. Near Fine/Near Fine. 8 vo.
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by Tyler, Anne

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0099539586
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Penguin Random House. Used - Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects.
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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Chatto & Windus, 2009-08-05. hardcover. Good/Very Good Jacket. 19 to 25 cm tall, Octavo, (8vo). Posted within 1 working day. 1st class tracked post to the UK, Airmail tracked worldwide. Robust recyclable packaging.
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Noah's Compass

by Anne Tyler

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0099539586
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Vintage. Paperback. Used; Good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there’s something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within… Read more about this item
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Noah's Compass

Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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2009
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Hardcover
ISBN 10
070118423x
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London: Chatto & Windus, 2009. Hardcover with unclipped dust jacket, first edition & first impression. Faint markings to page block foot, no other notable flaws. AD. First Edition, First Impression. Hardcover. Very Good. Used.
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Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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Used - Very Good
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Very Good
Edition
First Edition
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2010-01-05
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Hardcover
ISBN 10
0307272400
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Knopf, 2010-01-05. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. 1st printing of 1st edition. NOT ex-library. Bump to top edge. DJ protected in Mylar wraps but taped to boards. Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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Noah's Compass
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Noah's Compass

by Tyler, Anne

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Used - Fine
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fine
Edition
Stated First edition
Published
2010
Binding
Hardcover
ISBN 10
0307272400
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New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Stated First edition. Hardcover. Fine/fine. 277pp. 8vo. Signed by the author on a tipped-in sheet. Stated First Edition. Tight and unread with original price intact and no marks. About a school teacher forced to retire at 61. Brodart protected.
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Noah's Compass

by Anne Tyler

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Used - Good Condition
Edition
[ Edition: first ]
ISBN 10
0307272400
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Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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[ Edition: first ]. Good Condition. [ No Hassle 30 Day Returns ][ Ships Daily ] [ Underlining/Highlighting: NONE ] [ Writing: NONE ] Publisher: Knopf Pub Date: 1/5/2010 Binding: Hardcover Pages: 288
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Noah's Compass

by Anne Tyler

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Like new
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excellent
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Excellent
ISBN 10
0307272400
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Signed by Anne Tyler on the second blank page. Name only. Dust jacket is in excellent condition. Not price clipped. No markings or writing in text. No dog eared pages.
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$20.00