Searching for Caleb (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

An early triumph from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Breathing Lessons and Saint Maybe. Duncan Peck is a restless man, constantly moving his family. His wife Justine is a fortune teller. Her grandfather is on a quest for the brother he lost in 1912. Soon, all three of them will journey back to the family's deepest roots. Previous publisher: Avon paperback.

From the Inside Flap

"Magic and true, dazzling and wise...It has an astounding confidence, depth and range...A wonderful, wonderful novel."

THE BOSTON GLOBE

Duncan Peck has a fascination for randomness and is always taking his family on the move. His wife, Justine, is a fortune teller who can't remember the past. Her grandfather, Daniel, longs to find the brother who walked out of his life in 1912, with nothing more than a fiddle in his hand. All three are taking journeys that lead back to the family's deepest roots...to a place where rebellion and acceptance have the haunting power to merge into one.... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 27, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449911748
• ISBN-13: 978-0449911747
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #113,225 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite Anne Tyler book, and that's saying something!, August 3, 2001

By	Rusty Kransky "Rusty Kransky" (Greenport, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anne Tyler is my favorite living author and one of less than a handful who produce books that I must rush out and buy immediately. In hardback, at full price - and I HATE paying full price! Novels like this are what made me fall in love with Anne Tyler. I do not understand other comments from readers. Apparently they want fictional characters to be inspirationally motivating role models that will save the world and enlighten us all. Well, sorry, but people are not like that in real life, either. They are exotic and boring and delightful and monstrously annoying, all at the same time, As are the Pecks. The story works brilliantly. While we are wondering if Caleb Peck will be found, we're learning about "black sheep" Justine and Duncan, how they met and married. Justine's story about the cousin who was such a bad influence on her, and what happened to him, is amusing, with a terrific ending line. I found all the Pecks delightful. I found neither Justine nor Duncan "weak" or "unpleasant," but flawed, and delightfully so. Perhaps other readers were made nervous by Justine's rootlessness; I don't know. I DO know that I have enjoyed all Tyler's books, and yet I constantly return to the Pecks - I love them! Anne Tyler has a great gift - that cannot be denied. Good writing like this is so hard to find, and needs to be treasured. I highly recommend this book - it's a gem!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Compelling Addition, February 26, 2001

By	E.C. (MI) - See all my reviews

Once again Anne Tyler outdoes herself with another intriguing novel, Searching For Caleb. The mix of irresistible details along with Tyler's ability to reach the irrational root of human nature absorbs and enchants the readers. Katha Pollitt, a reviewer of contemporary fiction, clearly states her opinion in a 1975 review, "Reading `Searching for Caleb,' one is constantly being startled by such moments: gestures, words, wrinkles of thought and feeling that are at once revelatory and exactly right." In Searching For Caleb, Anne Tyler creates and leads us to understand the Peck family of Baltimore. As a reserved, wealthy family, the Pecks are concerned with and only with the well being of their family, choosing to ignore the world outside of the secluded suburbia that several generations have called home. The presiding figure over the many generations is the aging grandfather, Daniel. Daniel's every thought is fixated on the mysterious disappearance of his musical brother, Caleb, which occurred over 60 years ago. Ironically, Daniel's grandson, Duncan, an untamed boy consumed by an infatuation with danger, also rebels against the Pecks. Justine, previously a fervent member of the Peck family and an amateur fortune-teller, marries her cousin, Duncan. The couple races through small New England towns and life trying to make a living with Duncan restlessly changing his profession and Justine's predictions. When Justine decides to join her grandfather, Daniel, in an effort to find his long, lost brother Caleb, she is also searching for much more. She is looking for an answer to love, life, and to the ever-changing directions of her unsettled husband, Duncan. Searching For Caleb is a "must-read" for any die-hard Anne Tyler enthusiasts. A twisting plot and an accelerated emotional roller coaster make this novel a classic and a compelling addition to Tyler's collection of heart-warming novels.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite from Anne Tyler, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

I have read everything from Anne Tyler, and this is without a doubt my favorite. Although I agree that Justine, Duncan, or any of the Pecks are hardly rolemodels, they are fascinating characters and not that hard to relate to - haven't you ever wondered what your life would have been like if you had run away every time you felt like it?

One additional thought on Anne Tyler's writing style: she's amazingly talented. I've never read anyone who is as capable of making you understand a character though details of converstation as is Anne Tyler. It's more than worth giving her a chance.