Saint Maybe [Paperback]

Anne Tyler (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 27, 1996

9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list!

"A novel that attests once again to Ms. Tyler's enormous gifts as a writer."
--THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Captivating . . . . Compelling . . . . There is a kind of magic at work in this novel."
--THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD


In 1965, the happy Bedloe family is living an ideal, apple-pie existence in Baltimore.  Then, in the blink of an eye, a single tragic event occurs that will transform their lives forever--particularly that of seventeen-year-old Ian Bedloe, the youngest son, who blames himself for the sudden "accidental" death of his older brother.

Depressed and depleted, Ian is almost crushed under the weight of an unbearable, secret guilt.  Then one crisp January evening, he catches sight of a window with glowing yellow neon, the CHURCH OF THE SECOND CHANCE.  He enters and soon discovers that forgiveness must be earned, through a bit of sacrifice and a lot of love...


A New York Times Notable Book

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tyler makes things look so easy that she never gets enough credit, yet she portrays everyday Americans with such humor, grace and, ultimately, emotional force that her books are always deeply satisfying. In Saint Maybe her protagonist Ian Bedloe, stricken with guilt over the death of his older brother, raises three children unrelated to him by blood. He is strengthened in this Herculean task by the storefront Church of the Second Chance, to which he devotes himself with equal fervor. Someone once said all great writers are comic writers. Among living Americans, Tyler is exhibit A. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Although Tyler ( Breathing Lessons ; Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant ) is again writing about families--the way they cleave together in times of trouble and muddle through with stoic courage--her eminently satisfying new novel breaks her familiar mold, giving us ordinary, not eccentric characters who are shaped by disastrous events into quietly heroic behavior. The Bedloes are cheerful and count their blessings, even if they are far from rich and live on a slightly seedy street in Baltimore. But when 17-year-old Ian rashly informs his older brother Dan that the latter's wife was undoubtedly pregnant before their marriage, Dan commits suicide, and Ian is left with profound guilt--especially since Dan's wife dies soon after. Asking God's forgiveness, he receives spiritual guidance at the endearingly shabby Church of the Second Chance. He drops out of college, becomes a carpenter and helps his parents care for the three orphaned children; as the years pass, that burden falls primarily on Ian's shoulders. Wondering when God will signal that his atonement can end, Ian has an epiphany: "You could never call it a penance, to have to care for those three." Ian eventually does construct a life for himself, in one of Tyler's most appealing endings. The narrative also enjoys her whimsical humor (although the group role of the "foreigners" who live in the neighborhood verges on caricature). Since her characters' foibles never overwhelm their homespun simplicity, the reader is emotionally involved and touched as never before. 250,000 first printing; BOMC main selection; first serial to the New Yorker.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; First Edition edition (August 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449911608
• ISBN-13: 978-0449911600
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,964 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.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm good for about one of these every ten years July 3, 2006

By Glenn Yates

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I don't know how women can read books like this on a regular basis. I was sobbing like old yeller had been shot for about half the book. It may've been routine for the fairer sex, but for me it plumbed emotional depths and psychological pain I prefer to leave repressed. That said, it was more than just cathartic, it was a hopeful, warm, and even funny look at the simple-complex lives of a family, and at just how quickly life can change.

Without giving much away, a teenage boy feels compelled by a guilty conscience to become a guardian/father of some kids. I won't say whose, even though it occurs early in the book. The novel then follows the boy as he very quickly becomes a man, and a man so different from his peers that he quickly takes on almost alien qualities. The day by day payoff of such tragic sacrifice is the overriding strength of the story, and it is a payoff for the reader to watch not only his life, but the lives of his friends and family unfold. I never saw the movie made from the book; I hope it did it justice, because while it looks like about a million weepy romance novels, it reads like a modern classic.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Complex, compelling tale of a family thrust together by tragedy and some intense religion October 17, 2006

By David Evans VINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

A young man (Ian Bedloe) believes he has caused his brother to commit suicide, as a result of which his brother's wife also commits suicide. Weighed down by guilt, he encounters a little congregation, The Church of the Second Chance, which changes the whole trajectory of his life. If this book weren't by Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler, the plot summary might fool us into believing this is inspirational Christian fiction: it's not. Tyler shies away from simple conclusions: the church certainly transforms Ian's life, but the end result is complex and fascinating.

Although the first part of the book is from Ian's perspective, Tyler eventually shifts and tells the story from the viewpoint of various key characters. I missed Ian's perspective further on, but we receive a rounded view of this fascinating family (Ian, his girlfriend, his parents, his brother's children). As Ian's family seeks to deal with his intense, newfound religiosity, I was reminded of Nick Hornby's How To Be Good (although Saint Maybe is much better), which explores the question of what it means to be good, just as Tyler here explores what it means to be forgiven.

Tyler does a wonderful job of capturing family life, interpersonal relationships, and internal struggle. The book took too long to get to the first pivotal event (the suicides), but after that, I couldn't put it down. Jay Parini, in his New York Times review, concluded with these remarks: "In many ways [Saint Maybe] is Anne Tyler's most sophisticated work, a realistic chronicle that celebrates family life without erasing the pain and boredom that families almost necessarily inflict upon their members. Ian Bedloe, for his part, sits near the top of Ms. Tyler's fine list of heroes. Exactly how she makes us care so much about him remains a mystery to me. That is, perhaps, the mystery of art" ("The Accidental Convert," 25 August 1991). And in his review of Tyler's most recent novel, The Washington Post's Ron Charles claims Saint Maybe as his favorite Tyler novel (no small feat, given that there are 17) ("The Roads to Home," 30 April 2006).

This book would be an excellent read for a Book Club. After finishing it, I spent a long time discussing it with the friend who gave it to me.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Words Fail Me June 3, 2005

By Elizabeth Jennings

Format:Mass Market Paperback

This is my all-time favorite book from my all-time favorite author. The ending of this book will stay with me forever--it captures so eloquently the precious fragility of life, of relationships, of family.

If you're looking for action packed melodrama, look elsewhere. But if you're looking for insight into the day-to-day details of what it is to be human, you've hit the jackpot here.