Redhead By the Side of the Road
Tyler, AnneMicah Mortimer, a.k.a. the 'Tech Hermit', is a man with meticulous routines that propel him through his steady but uneventful life. It takes the prospect of his 'woman' friend Cassie's potential eviction from her accommodation to disturb his equilibrium. And just to further knock him off balance, a teenager turns up on his doorstep, suggesting that Micah is his father.
Tender, satisfying and finely tuned, this is an insightful story of the human condition enacted through its late-blooming protagonist.
Pages
178
178
Year
2020
2020
Reviews
13-09-2023
Anne Tyler's characters are perfectly formed, they are people we know. All of our group enjoyed this book, it is a classic Tyler - engrossing, believable, entertaining and amusing. The family house described as a 'circus' resonated with many of us.
13-09-2023
Not considered one of Anne Tyler's best! But the two large print copies brought delight to two of our members. Thank you.
08-08-2023
Oddly, this novel divided the group. Those who enjoy the gentle style, characterisation, and humour of Anne Tyler's novels really enjoyed reading about how Micah's constrained life is finally opened for him. They loved this book, even if it isn't one of Tyler's best. But others (most of the group) were impatient with the novel, found the characters unengaging and the story lacking in vitality and hard to remember after a few days. Someone compared it unfavourably with A Man Called Ove which makes an interesting comparison of theme and characterisation.
13-07-2023
A light read. Some didn't really relate to Micah, but after general discussion we appreciated him more.
05-07-2023
The Anne Tyler fans really enjoyed this, but some of the group were 'underwhelmed'. However, we had a good discussion and I think people appreciated the low key style of the writing.
09-03-2023
The author does have a talent for drawing our attention to what we normally consider trivial, commonplace, ordinary things and events in a way and in words that enable us to see even these small things (and ordinary people) have dignity, beauty, significance and worth. Her style of writing and her language are often surprising and very appropriate...Micah is no clever hero and he is not going to save the planet or become a millionaire or Prime Minister, but his life impacts in small but significant positive ways on the people he encounters every day.
28-11-2022
This book was disappointing in that the story never really went anywhere. It's an interesting tale about an unusual man who obviously has problems recognising how other people think, and work. Of course it was well-written because that's Anne Tyler. Not her best book.
28-09-2022
Overall the book was enjoyed by all readers. The questions created spirited discussion and resulted in acceptance of differing opinions on the characters and their motives.
22-08-2022
It seems to be an ordinary story about everyday life, but the author makes it interesting and moving.
04-08-2022
Group enjoyed this book - good discussion about the characters.
20-06-2022
Without exception, we all LOVED this book. One of the best book club books we have read in the last few years. We enjoyed the plot and development of the characters.
16-06-2022
Enjoyable and interesting to read.
05-05-2022
Everyone in the Club enjoyed this book. Anne Tyler is an excellent writer.
04-05-2022
Everyone in our group read and absolutely loved this book! So refreshing to have characters described so fully, and with such descriptive writing. Only one complaint - it wasn't long enough!!
02-05-2022
All enjoyed this, but felt it took a while to get into.
29-04-2022
Some of us loved the fact that the characters were so ordinary, and we loved the humour. Others were very ho-hum about the book.
07-03-2022
After the opening speaker describing the book as "dreary, and going nowhere", a VERY lively discussion ensued. Six of us, all with differing points of view, came from all directions! A wonderful book, made all the better for the Post Mortem!
28-02-2022
Our group was really divided in their response - 50% found it engaging and 50% felt 'depressed' by the main character, and didn't quite believe in his transformation! All agreed on the effective emotional style of the author - short, crisp, and deeply descriptive phrases. She invited you to delve into the main character (Micah) - either to rout for him or discard him!
15-09-2021
It was interesting in that it seemed a light easy read and there were many of us who liked Anne Tyler, but we discovered there was a lot to talk about. Micah, the tech hermit, proved to be an interesting psychological study. A gentle satisfying read.
06-08-2021
Found it very slow. Some didn't finish.
07-07-2021
We all loved this book!
14-04-2021
An easy read but Anne Tyler so cleverly tells a story of Micah, a man so set in his ways, "his routine is etched in stone". But Micah is content with order in his life. We enjoyed the amusing interactions he had with his customers, and his noisy, messy and outspoken sisters. There are so many funny and quirky moments in the book.