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"BALTIMORE WOMAN DISAPPEARS DURING FAMILY VACATION." The headlines are all the same: Beloved mother and wife Delia Grinstead was last seen strolling down the Delaware shore, wearing only a bathing suit and carrying a beach tote with five hundred dollars tucked inside. To the best of her family's knowledge, she has disappeared without a trace. But Delia didn't disappear. She ran. Exhausted with her routine and everyone else's plans for her, Delia needed an out, a chance to make a new life for herself and to become a different person. The new Delia can let go of all the hurt and resentment that left her stuck in her past. As she eagerly sheds the pieces of herself she no longer needs, Delia discovers feelings of passion and wonder she'd long since forgotten. The thrill of walking away from it all leads to a newfound sense of self and the feeling that she is, finally, the star of her own life story.… (more)
User reviews
Even if you can suspend your disbelief of that setup it's hard to really care about the protagonist, who seems to have selfishly traded one predictable life for the comfort of a different, but just as predictable, life. Tyler keeps the story moving along at a good pace, so I never felt like I wanted to give up on the book, but I can't say it was a very satisfying read. A so-so novel from a great novelist, Ladder is my least enjoyable of Tyler's books so far.
Then, she learns that working for others is difficult and takes a job as a nanny for a young boy and his divorced father. In effect, she trades one family for another. I won't spoil the ending for you, but I will propose that Delia had the potential to really grow in her journey - but she didn't. She missed her opportunity to become the woman she wanted to be.
I usually enjoy Anne Tyler's books because she develops her characters so beautifully. This is not the case in Ladder of Years. Overall, I was very disappointed with the story and character development. I felt no sense of attachment, usually losing my patience with Delia's simplemindedness. This is definitely not one of Tyler's best works.
An intriguing premise, and one I think a writer of Anne Tyler's calibre could have done more with.
I wouldn't call this book fantastic, but it's entertaining enough to pass the time on a beach blanket, in an airport, etc.
I can understand the complaints about the book, but I think her escape to a new life of the
In short order, Dee acquires a place to live, a job, and a small wardrobe. By the time her family finds her, Dee is well ensconced in her new life, and has no wish to return to her husband, her three children and her sisters. They are, of course, hurt and uncomprehending, but this is not their story. It is Dee's. She feels unloved by her husband, and unappreciated by everyone else.
When Dee had been gone over a year, she receives a wedding invitation from her daughter. When she returns to the family home, we begin to first learn about matters from the family's perspective.
For me, the most telling part of the book is in the beginning. Dee's family is unable to describe her accurately to the police. No wonder Dee just up and left them! This book is sad and perplexing. Who hasn't wanted to escape their life, but who actually does?
It's hard to imagine that this book could have been written by anyone but such a talented writer as the Pulitzer Prize winning Anne Tyler. And what does Ladder of Years mean? You'll have to read this for a very touching explanation.My only complaint is that, written 15 years ago, it does seem dated, and I keep wondering why the police don't just ping Dee's cell phone! Oh yeah-nobody in this story has one.
Delia Grinstead is a married mother of three with a
She sets up a new life for herself in a small town. Perhaps too conveniently, she finds a place to live and a job within moments of getting to this town.
The idea of running away, of starting from scratch is a romantic vision. Delia's main desire appears to be time alone and she does get that. But she also cannot fully escape into her new life.
Each person who reads this story will have to determine for themselves which of her choices they would select.
Someone who is feeling stuck in their current relationship may wish for one outcome while another who may not be in a relationship at all may choose the opposite. A man may foresee the final outcome while a woman may be disappointed or vice-versa.
Just as each well realized character lives their own lives alongside Delia, each reader envisions their own wish for the end. What would you do? What would I do? How would my family react? Would my friends support or denounce me?
The novel really makes readers think about possibilities, both for Delia and for themselves.
The premise seemed so intriguing. Delia is on a beach vacation with her family and with only $500 in her bag she decides to walk away and leave everything, including her three children and doctor husband Sam. Tired of being a doormat, she doesn't even bother to tell anyone she is taking off. A manhunt is launched but by the time they find her she has a new job, new place to live, and new friends. Eventually she becomes the house keeper/ nanny for a lonely father named Joel and his young son Noah. It seems that she may have even replaced her family as well. Eventually a family wedding crisis draws Delia back into her old life and she has to decide which life is really hers.
Although the book premise was strong there were elements that were ultimately frustrating to me. One problem is that the book ends abruptly and story lines are left dangling. Also at times this book had a very old fashioned feel. Even though it was written in the 90's, Delia is the stereotypical 50's housewife who marries young, pumps out a bunch of kids, and has no life ambition for herself. A lot of the expressions uttered by the characters had an old fashioned feel as well, hotdog! The town Delia runs off to and the characters she meets are one dimensional, small town Americana circa 1950. The time period issues left me a little confused as to whether the story was about a modern woman claiming her independence or a weak one looking for a new place to hide out now that her children are grown and ready to set out on their own lives. After reading the author discussion it seems that she meant to imply that Delia was not looking for a new family so much as she was looking for a redo so she could right past mistakes. Despite my qualms this book would ultimately make a good choice for reading groups as there is a lot to ponder about the family dynamics.
Delia is a wife and mother of three older children (high school and college). She's feeling very much underappreciated and wonders if she was ever really in love with her husband. She didn't go to college, married very young and missed the growing experience of being on her own. She was always dependent on someone, first her parents and then her husband.
Delia impulsively walks away from her family with $500 of her family's vacation money and starts a new life in a small town. She has new experiences such as finding a place to live, getting a job, making friends and living on her own. It wasn't always easy for her and she wonders if she had done the right thing. You'll have to read the book to find out what happens to Delia and the family she left. I asked myself if most women feel like Delia about just walking away from their situation. I am willing to bet they do but, before doing it, most realize the grass is not always greener.