French Braid, by Anne Tyler

If literary fiction is your cup of tea, French Braid by Anne Tyler is brimming to the rim full of detail and characterization.

French Braid follows the disconnect between three generations of the Garrett family over a span of several decades. What starts as a chance encounter between two cousins (possibly???) in the present day, travels back in time to 1959 where we meet the patriarch & matriarch of the Garrett family and their three kids. We learn a lot about the family dynamics and how they shape and mold each of the characters through multiple POVs.

I personally prefer a story with an arc which this book did not have. No real plot, just a well written story about the life of a family through several decades. The characters, while well written, weren’t very likable. I found it hard to stay focused and it took me a little longer than normal to get through. It was right around the halfway mark when I started to feel invested in their lives. That said, I didn’t ever want to quit reading. I just wasn’t as excited to keep reading to see what happened next. For a relatively short book (258 pages), this one seemed really long.

It was truly a well written story, just not the kind of story I love.

3 out of 5 stars