The Beginner's Goodbye

This latest book by Anne Tyler ranks equal highest (with Daphne du Maurier's "Rebecca") amongst the audiobooks I've listened to so far.

My favourite charater was the main protagonist, Aaron. He showed his vulnerabilites, his weaknesses and strengths. He travelled his journey of grief and rediscovered the love he had for his wife, as well as discovering and finally accepting that their marriage was not a happy one.

The narrator was excellent. His voice complemented the character of Aaron well, and expressed the shifting moods of the story.

I wouldn't rename the book, as the title is intrinsically linked to the life of the main character Aaron, and his family business. The title forms another story strand within the book, where the family business publishes a wide selection of "The Beginner's ...." titles. Aaron as the main character, is unconsciously following the contents of such a book as he confronts the untimely death of his wife and his new life as a widower.

I first met Anne Tyler in "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" when this was a high school text for my daughter way back when, and it was followed closely by the very moving "The Accidental Tourist". Since then I have devoured Tyler's work, and more lately have had to do this via Audible because of some vision problems. Recently I have caught up with two of Tyler's early works prior to reading "The Beginner's Goodbye". I believe Tyler's maturity as a writer has peaked in this latest book, with her sensitive, but still quirky, approach to grief and relationships. And Kirby Heyborne as the narrator enhances this work as an audio book.

Anne Tyler's stories are consistently good ,these are the ones you re-read and pass around to friends.I have been a fan for many years Her characters are quirky and lovable .Her plots are all different and connect with parts of all of us. I just love it when they are made into movies. My favorite is "Back when we were Grown-ups "

As all of Anne Tyler"s Books the characters are so real and touch a deep part of us and who we are . I can connect with their feelings and failings.

Aaron...he gave his character such depth...he was an excellent narrator reminded me of the narrator for "Patchwork Planet" which I also loved. Kirby 's voice seemed perfect for the mood of the story. I would definitely listen to him again.

I Think The Title is perfect. It really made sense after reading the book.

Often times I read the book and listen to the Audio...listening to a GOOD narrator really enhances the story and brings out all the emotions and feelings the author is trying to convey in the text. Thank you Audible!!! I am a very satisfied customer.

Sometimes when two people tie the knot, they overdo it and the knot gets awfully complicated. Then a freak accident occurs, and one person is left behind to unravel the mess they made together. So it goes for Aaron and Dorothy, a couple whose marriage was built on misconceptions. Despite these misconceptions, they manage to piece together a life slathered with the glue of commitment and love. Lucky couples get a whole lifetime to fix what is wrong in their marriage. But when a tree falls onto their house and Dorothy is abruptly killed, Aaron is left to sort out the reality of what they had.

Anne Tyler has a written a beautiful book about a broken marriage. The language is simple and clean. In scenes with dialogue between Aaron and Dorothy, Tyler captures the reality of marital angst and, if we’re honest, even reminds us of our own marriages. Along with this reminder comes a poignant question: if your marriage ended tomorrow, would you be comfortable with where it stands? If the answer is “no,” Tyler quietly urges us to do the work now to fix it, before it’s too late.

Narrator Kirby Heyborne breathes life into Tyler’s narrative. He allows us to feel all the tension and bliss that married life can bring. At times the narration feels dated, thus surprising the reader when modern conveniences like the Apple store are mentioned. I’m not sure if this is a result of Heyborne’s narration or Tyler’s writing. Luckily, it is only a slight distraction from an otherwise flawless performance.

If you are married now, or once were, or ever hope to be, you must read The Beginner’s Goodbye. This intimate portrayal of one couple will give you perspective on what is really important in life.

This is just a wonderful story about couples and family. While telling ourselves that we treat them fairly with kindness and thoughtfulness we learn lessons along the way that we were not nearly as kind to them as we were ourselves.

This is a well written story about human nature. I enjoyed it a great deal, while complipating the story long after the final words in the book. It would be lovely if we could all see the bigger picture like many of the characters in this book fortunately got to see.

Yes. It's a gentle book, accepting of all its characters' quirks and gently read. I was sorry it ended.

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I had no idea what this book was. . . bought it on sale on a whim. . . and it turned out to be quite a nice experience. The story line draws you in quickly and because it is a short listen, a book you'll want to finish in one sitting if you can. No complaints here on the performance; but full disclosure is merited: after the first 30 minutes, I used Audible's 1.5 speed -- the narration was just as good a little faster in my view.

This is a moving story of a man coming to terms with his wife’s sudden death in the prime of their lives. Not only must he deal with his grief, but he must deal with his own remembering of their time together, and his conclusion that they really did not have a happy marriage. In the meantime, his sister, who has never married, meets someone and falls in love. A very sensitive portrayal of a man who has great difficulty letting his feelings be known, or in feeling those feelings himself. I highly recommend this book.

I am a huge fan of all books written by Anne Tyler, but this is the first one I've listened to versus read. While the experience is equally enjoyable in both modes, I think the nature of her stories are excellent ones to listen to. Yes, as critics have mentioned, her characters are always not quite what is considered 'normal', but they are not evil or mean spirited. And the characters in this novel are no exception. While this story may not have the depth in the plot line found in her earlier work, it fully holds the reader's/listener's attention. The narrator performed excellently, allowing me to picture each character as the story unfolded. I know I've really enjoyed listening to a book when I turn on my car and am sorry to discover I'm on to another book. I really liked 'The Beginner's Goodbye' and regret having finished it so quickly.

I did not read the print version (this is the only Anne Tyler book I have listened to in audio) but as a devoted fan of Ms. Tyler's writing, believe that either version could deliver the emotional effect commonly found in Ms. Tyler's books.

The protagonist Aaron Woolcott. The true sorrow and love he describes when speaking of his wife, in spite of all the imperfections in their relationship-and themselves-was beautiful and heart wrenching.

I loved the narration. Mr. Heyborne's reading brought me to tears.

The Beginner's Goodbye is a completely enjoyable, typical Tyler book. Aaron, the reserved, reclusive main character, loses his wife Dorothy in a freak accident when a tree crashes through their roof. The story unfolds when Aaron deals with his grief surrounded by slightly quirky family, co-workers, and neighbors. Dorothy appears to Aaron after her death, which begins to help him recover from his understandably crushing grief and loss. In one of the sadder aspects of the story, Aaron doesn't really seem to know and understand Dorothy well until after her death. The Hallmark ending was far too pat and predictable.

While this was a very pleasant read, it doesn't hold a candle to some of Tyler's best, like Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant and Breathing Lessons