The Clock Winder [Hardcover]

Anne Tyler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1972

A compassionate tale of a fragmented family on the verge of destruction and the free-spirited young woman who drifts into their lifes. 2 cassettes.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

A compassionate tale of a fragmented family on the verge of destruction and the free-spirited young woman who drifts into their lifes. 2 cassettes. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Born in Minneapolis in 1941, Anne Tyler lives in Baltimore where her novels are set. She is the Pulitzer-prize winning novels of Breathing Lessons and other bestselling novels, including The Accidental Tourist, Saint Maybe, Back When We Were Grownups and The Amateur Marriage. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 312 pages
• Publisher: Random House Inc (T); 1st edition (April 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394478983
• ISBN-13: 978-0394478982
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,132,954 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anne Tyler was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. This is her 17th novel. Her 11th, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988. A member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, she lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another delightful stroll in Tylerland, August 21, 1999

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clock Winder (1st Ballantine Books Trade Ed) (Paperback)

Anne Tyler's range of characters, locations and plots is very limited. She appears to have been rehashing the same few characters and crazy plots for thirty years. I can't think of any relationships in any of the books that was wholly convincing and I have been irritated by the start or end of virtually all the books, yet ...for some inexplicable reason I adore her novels. From any other writer I'd be annoyed by the lack of variety from book to book, but with Tyler I just sit there reading with a grin on my face, thrilled and delighted by this brave, brilliant novelist. I can't think of a better North American writer working today. The Clock Winder has the usual collection of improbable plot twists and oddball people - another large dysfunctional family shaken up by an outsider, in this case the divine Elizabeth (one of my favourite Tyler characters). Reading the first few pages transported me quickly back to Tylerland which is both a geographical region stretching from Maryland to North Carolina (capital city: Baltimore) and a region of the mind. This is one of the most enjoyable of Anne Tyler's many books.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A funny and satisfying read!, July 20, 1999

By 

E. Caldwell "E.Caldwell" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clock Winder (1st Ballantine Books Trade Ed) (Paperback)

The Clock Winder is one of Anne Tyler's funniest and most deeply felt novels. It is like an intricate puzzle that twists and turns you around - you never know where the characters will end up next. Definitely one of Tyler's best. A very satisfying read if you like her previous works or if you are just looking for a book that keeps the reader going.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Tyler, April 12, 2003

By 

Sandra Mitchell "Sandra Mitchell" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Clock Winder (1st Ballantine Books Trade Ed) (Paperback)

As with all Tyler novels, The Clock Winder is full of quirky, odd and lovable characters. While there is not much action in her stories, the writing is so well done and the characters so fully developed, by the end of her novels, you always feel like a part of the family. Such is the case with The Clock Winder.

When the novel opens, Mrs. Emerson is a recent widow, who seems to aimlessly go about her days, always keeping up her image and trying to stay in tune with her grown children's lives. Never meaning harm, Mrs. Emerson seems to stress her children out, and doesn't seem to understand how she is affecting them. When she fires her lifelong handyman, she stumbles by chance upon young Elizabeth and before she knows it, Elizabeth is tangled up in the lives of the Emerson family.

The rest of the novel details how Elizabeth is affected by the family, and they by her. Tyler's writing is so poignant, while not much is really happening, so much is actually happening. This is a book that Tyler fans won't be disappointed in~