Clock Dance
By Anne Tyler
292 pages
This novel centers around Willa Drake. We see her in 1967 as a schoolgirl, in 1977 as a college co-ed trying to decide about marriage, in 1997 as a grieving widow, and then at 2017 at another crossroads in her life.
What did it make me think about?
This book looks at the seasons of your life. We clearly see Willa as a child, a young adult, a woman in midlife, and woman who longs for grandchildren. This story also emphasizes how our personalities may be set from a young age but if we open, we are never too old to change.
Should I read it?
This was really four short stories that all centered around Willa. We see how Willa is shaped by her childhood and thus becomes a certain type of mother. I really liked Willa so I would recommend this book. Anne Tyler is always so insightful and remains one of my favorite writers.
Quote-
“She wondered if her sons would keep in touch with her after they were gone. Would they remember their childhoods fondly, or were they storing up grudges against her? She had tried her best to be a good mother- which to her meant apredictablemother. She had promised herself that her children would never have to worry what sort of mood she was in; they would never peek into her bedroom in the morning to see how their day was going to go. She was the only woman she knew whose prime objective was to be taken for granted.”
