Morgan's Passing

Morgan's Passing by Anne Tyler

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

August 12, 2005

There's an easy way to tell the difference between a 3-star and 5-star book. A 5-star book you yearn to read all the time; a 3-star you can work on bit-by-bit, setting it aside for a few hours or a couple days, then pick it up again later. "Morgan's Passing" was definitely the latter.

The reason is while the characters are interesting, it takes the story a long time before it really begins to develop. In the meantime, as much as I enjoyed and was intrigued by Morgan, Emily, and the rest, there weren't any burning questions in my mind driving me onward. I kept plowing through little-by-little out of curiosity, to see where this all was going. I've come to expect that out of Anne Tyler books. If you've read many of her books, then I don't think you'll be disappointed. If this is your first time, I have to say it's worth reading but you have to be patient.

How this really differs from others I'd read--"Breathing Lessons", "Accidental Tourist", "Amateur Marriage"--is the male lead (Morgan) was not always stuffy and uptight as was the case in the others. Morgan's mischievious nature made for interesting reading, to make a dull, well-plowed subject more enjoyable. Other reviewers have vented their moral outrage about Morgan's lack of concern for his children and his wife, but I wasn't offended. I found it REAL. In real life we aren't all saints and sometimes we fall out of love with someone and in love with someone else. Real people are selfish and flawed. That's the beauty of the story and Tyler's books in general. They're about real people. If you want fairy tales, you can always book Emily and Morgan for a puppet show.

In the end, "Morgan's Passing" is slow but enjoyable reading. Fans of Tyler, already accustomed to this should certainly read it. Everyone else has to decide if they're equipped with enough patience.