The Beginner's Goodbye
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A middle-aged man, ripped apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances, in their house, on the roadway, in the market. Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron has spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, a plain,
… More »A middle-aged man, ripped apart by the death of his wife, is gradually restored by her frequent appearances, in their house, on the roadway, in the market. Crippled in his right arm and leg, Aaron has spent his childhood fending off a sister who wants to manage him. So when he meets Dorothy, a plain, outspoken, independent young woman, she is like a breath of fresh air. Unhesitatingly, he marries her, and they have a relatively happy, unremarkable marriage. But when a tree crashes into their house and Dorothy is killed, Aaron feels as though he has been erased forever. Only Dorothy's unexpected appearances from the dead help him to live in the moment and to find some peace. Gradually he discovers, as he works in the family's vanity publishing business, turning out titles that presume to guide beginners through the trials of life, that maybe for this beginner there is a way of saying goodbye.
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Add a Comment"Partially disabled by an illness in childhood, 36-year-old Aaron is fiercely independent, but when his pragmatic, slightly older wife Dorothy is killed by a tree that falls on their house, he is devastated. The house destroyed, he moves in with his overbearing sister and hides out in his office at the family's publishing company (known for publishing a series of instructional books, advice from which is scattered throughout the novel). It's not until Dorothy's ghost begins appearing that Aaron starts moving through the process of grieving - and starts truly understanding their marriage. Check out The Beginner's Goodbye for a sensitive portrayal of love and grief." May 2013 Fiction A to Z newsletter http://www.nextreads.com/Display2.aspx?SID=5acc8fc1-4e91-4ebe-906d-f8fc5e82a8e0&N=635711
Only Anne Tyler can make peripheral misfits compelling.
After a tree falls on a house & kills his wife, a man is visited by his deceased spouse.
This was a very sweet story. Highly recommend.
Anne Tyler never disappoints although this is not her best novel. The story follows the trail of grief to its natural resolution. Her characters are quirky as usual and yet we find something of ourselves that we can forgive by sharing this tale.
As a person who has experienced the death of a spouse, I found this novel to be eerily perceptive. Probably the best book I've read in the last 10 years.
If you liked Major Pettigrew -this is another story about genuine people
Lovely story! A nice easy read. Loved the characters!
This book keeps hitting you with surprising revelations about the characters, kept me interested. Touching - I keep thinking about it for days afterwards.
Classic Anne Tyler. Enjoyed this book thoroughly. Write some more, quickly, Anne!