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Breathing Lessons: A Novel Kindle Edition

3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 3,609 ratings

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Evoking Jane Austen, Emma Straub, and other masters of the literary marriage, Breathing Lessons celebrates the small miracles and magic of truly knowing someone.

Unfolding over the course of a single emotionally fraught day, this stunning novel encompasses a lifetime of dreams, regrets and reckonings—and is oftern regarded as Tyler's seminal work. Maggie and Ira Moran are on a road trip from Baltimore, Maryland to Deer Lick, Pennsylvania to attend the funeral of a friend. Along the way, they reflect on the state of their marriage, its trials and its triumphs—through their quarrels, their routines, and their ability to tolerate each other’s faults with patience and affection. Where Maggie is quirky, lovable and mischievous, Ira is practical, methodical and mired in reason. What begins as a day trip becomes a revelatory and unexpected journey, as Ira and Maggie rediscover the strength of their bond and the joy of having somebody with whom to share the ride, bumps and all.

“More powerful and moving than anything [Tyler] has done.” —
Los Angeles Times
Popular Highlights in this book

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Superb fiction: It shows us how to live.”Newsday

“A wonderful novel, glowing with the insight and compassion of an artist’s touch.”
—The Boston Globe

“Displays her extraordinary gifts in supreme harmony: exquisite narrative clarity, faultless comic timing, and the Tyler trademark of happy-sad characters inspiring a mid-American domestic drama that somehow slips the surly bonds of the quotidian to become timeless and universal.” —“The 100 Best Novels,” 
The Guardian

From the Inside Flap

2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by Jill Eikenberry

Breathing Lessons was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1988.

Breathing Lessons is the wonderfully moving and surprising story of Ira and Maggie Moran. She's impetuous, harum-scarum, easy-going; he's competent, patient, seemingly infallible. They've been married for 28 years. Now, as they drive from their home in Baltimore to the funeral of Maggie's best friend's husband, Anne Tyler shows us all there is to know about a marriage - the expectations, the disappointments, the way children can create storms in a family, the way a wife and husband can fall in love all over again, the way nothing really changes.

Anne Tyler's funny, unpredictable and endearing characterizations make Breathing Lessons a truly entertaining audio experience.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004GTLKLY
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage (February 9, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 9, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2004 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0345485572
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 3,609 ratings

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3,609 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable. They appreciate the author's writing style and language. The humor is praised as entertaining and well-integrated with the story. However, some readers found the plot dull and slow-paced, while others felt the characters were well-developed and convincingly portrayed. Opinions differ on the character development - some found them well-received and memorable, while others found them annoying or hard to like.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

43 customers mention "Readability"40 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it enjoyable, interesting, and great for vacation reading. The book is well-written and simple.

"An interesting book. A look at life. A look at how different people can see one thing and others see something completely differently." Read more

"...Anne Tyler does a very good job in showing four lives through the microscope of a single day; we see the repeating rhythms and patterns..." Read more

"Book arrived on time and in very good condition, as advertised. This is big because I had to send the same book back to another vendor...." Read more

"...The Accidental Tourist was a compulsive, riveting read - maybe Anne Tyler should treat herself to a holiday between books?!..." Read more

26 customers mention "Writing quality"23 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality of the book. They find it well-written, with a distinct rhythm and style. The dialogue is accurate, and the characters are engaging.

"I can see the appeal to some readers. The book is well written but to me Maggie was frustrating as a main character. I just didn’t like the story." Read more

"...It is well-written and I will try another of her books, but I'd skip this one." Read more

"This book is just that: well written and well edited. It is about as ho-hum as you can get. Not much else to say about it...." Read more

"...It is far from my normal Sci-Fi fare, but is rather well-written. I found it pretty interesting and a real case-study in (what?)..." Read more

25 customers mention "Insight"20 positive5 negative

Customers find the book insightful and relatable. They appreciate the author's understanding of relationships and her passionate embrace of life. While some found the plot lackluster, others found it engaging and engrossing.

"...was written over 30 years ago, the relationships and dynamics between people ring true...." Read more

"This book is one of those books that lets you see events, as a reader, through the eyes of different characters...." Read more

"...This is a great depiction of American life and a rather enjoyable road trip in the life of this particular couple." Read more

"...books when they first came out, but after a few books, the quirkiness simply got annoying, and morphed into "precious"...." Read more

17 customers mention "Humor"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book. They find the characters realistic and lovable. The story is described as entertaining, with a leisurely style that integrates both sad and humorous situations throughout. Readers find it an interesting look into a woman's personal struggles and an enjoyable road trip.

"...Tyler engages the reader by moving the plot forward in a leisurely style involving memories and integrating sad and humorous situations throughout..." Read more

"...This is a great depiction of American life and a rather enjoyable road trip in the life of this particular couple." Read more

"...Life has a way of confusing and confronting us as Maggie was. I chuckled and nodded and empathized with her, having lived some of those moments..." Read more

"...The humor kept me enjoying it...." Read more

26 customers mention "Character development"12 positive14 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters well-developed, unique, and convincingly portrayed. Others find the central character annoying and hard to like.

"...The book is well written but to me Maggie was frustrating as a main character. I just didn’t like the story." Read more

"...of those books that lets you see events, as a reader, through the eyes of different characters...." Read more

"...might not like this book - particularly as the central character can be kind of annoying...." Read more

"...The characters were oddly quirky enough to be real and engaging enough that it did not matter if they were...." Read more

5 customers mention "Sadness"2 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's sadness. Some find it touching and uplifting, while others say some moments are heartbreaking.

"...Though some moments are dismally sad, the hope comes from when Maggie and Ira are able to comfort one another, and recognize one another in spite..." Read more

"...I still found more to take away from this wonderful and heartbreaking journey of a marriage...." Read more

"This book, while good to read, left me sad for them, and for myself...." Read more

"...Funny and sad at the same time." Read more

45 customers mention "Plot"13 positive32 negative

Customers find the plot boring and depressing. They describe the main character as hapless and clueless. The book is described as tedious and slow-paced with no real purpose or point. Many feel the ending lacks closure.

"...Most of her escapades were just too predictable. It was hard to see her as a sympathetic character when all I could visualize was Edith Bunker!..." Read more

"...This is not a redemptive novel. To me it seems much more like a re-writing of "No Exit" than anything else." Read more

"...I gave the story 5 stars because I believe it was a wonderful story all about Maggie and how she perceived life and others...." Read more

"...I just don't get it. BORING!" Read more

4 customers mention "Pacing"0 positive4 negative

Customers find the book's pacing slow and hard to follow.

"...of Anne Tyler recently and enjoyed them immensely, but I found this one slow and hard going...." Read more

"Not quite sure it was my favorite of her work. It seemed a tad slow; a tad too deliberate. Not recommending." Read more

"First Half of book painfully slow and boring. Got better but pretty predictable. A bit disappointing." Read more

"Incredibly slow and kind of like visiting my parents, but not in a good way." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2013
    I am in the process of reading every Pulitzer Prize winning book of fiction from 1917 to the present. i am reading them in order. This book won the prize in 1989. Some books are magnificent, some not so much. I would put this book somewhere near the middle of the pack. It was an easy read, and the characters were interesting, the story was good, and I found the book enjoyable. If you are looking for an easy reading enjoyable book, this is the one.
    19 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2024
    An interesting book. A look at life. A look at how different people can see one thing and others see something completely differently.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2016
    We see the lives of Maggie and Ira Moran through the microscope of a day of travel. They start the day going to the funeral of Maggie's best friend's husband; later, they stop by the house of their ex-daughter-in-law where Maggie tries to reconnect Fiona with her son Jesse.

    Ira is quiet and practical: "He ought to have married Ann Landers, she thought... If he had married Ann Landers he'd have just the kind of hard-nosed, sensible wife he wanted. Sometimes, hearing his grunt of approval as he read one of Ann's snappy answers, Maggie felt an actual pang of jealousy." [p 32]. Maggie is a dreamer and an exaggerator: "And his wife! He loved her, but he couldn't stand how she refused to taker her own life seriously. She seemed to believe it was a sort of practice life, something she could afford to play around with as if they offered second and third chances to get it right. She was always making clumsy, impetuous ruses toward nowhere in particular - side trips, random detours." [p 126]

    Although they see the world differently and remember different aspects of their history together they love one another. Maggie will do most anything to (re-)connect people she loves - because she sees the inner person. But those other people may just take what she says as the factual truth. "'Shut up, Maggie. She had no business telling you that,' Ira said to Fiona. 'It's Maggie's weakness: She believes it's all right to alter people's lives. She thinks the people she loves are better than they really are, and so then she starts changing things around to suit her view of them.'" [p 266]

    The breakup of their son and his wife affects them both although Ira won't say so. "Her fingers felt the answer first. He was just as sad as Maggie was, and for just the same reasons. He was lonely and tired and lacking in hope and his son had not turned out well and his daughter didn't think much of him, and he still couldn't figure where he had gone wrong." [p 277]

    Although I didn't connect with this novel like the experts (it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1989] I can see its qualities. Anne Tyler does a very good job in showing four lives through the microscope of a single day; we see the repeating rhythms and patterns (for example fender benders) through remembrance and extended interior monologues. It's lovely to see how Ira and Maggie move forward together together despite their differences. If you are considering reading this, don't let my 3 stars dissuade you - the Pulitzer Prize folks know their business.

    Apropos of nothing, I found it interesting to read this so soon after reading The Corrections; that novel tells the story of aging parents mostly from the viewpoint of the adult children. This novel tells the story of a son and daughter-in-law from the perspective of the parents.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2024
    Although some aspects of the story seem dated because the novel was written over 30 years ago, the relationships and dynamics between people ring true. Anne Tyler engages the reader by moving the plot forward in a leisurely style involving memories and integrating sad and humorous situations throughout the story. I love this award winning book!
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2018
    This book is one of those books that lets you see events, as a reader, through the eyes of different characters. In this case, mostly through the eyes of a middle-aged woman (Maggie) who is an American middle-class wife and mother whose children are growing up. She is struggling to find her purpose, as time moves forward. Her children no longer need her constant involvement in their lives, and in fact, often would prefer that she be less meddlesome. She is faced with a void, an identity crisis. Maggie's husband is a practical, serious man, who can't understand her emotional and meddlesome nature. His values privacy and independence. Maggie and Ira know one another so well, and that's what I like about this book. Though some moments are dismally sad, the hope comes from when Maggie and Ira are able to comfort one another, and recognize one another in spite of their differences. I guess that's why Anne Tyler named it this way, it's meant to recognize the difficulties of relationships and marriages and circumstances that change with time.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2013
    I couldn't believe this story took place in just one day. It literally wore me out. I had read and liked several of Anne Tyler's books when they first came out, but after a few books, the quirkiness simply got annoying, and morphed into "precious".
    I'm reading this as part of a Pulitzer Prize library book club, and frankly it makes next month's selection, The Executioner's Song, look downright cheery. I gave it 2 stars because I know there were examples (none of which I can remember) of a very small comment or description that highlighted a much larger concept of human nature. But Maggie, pleeeeeeeeeeeeese, enough's enough! Most of her escapades were just too predictable. It was hard to see her as a sympathetic character when all I could visualize was Edith Bunker!
    I recognize that this book is almost 25 years old. Maybe Breathing Lessons, Anne Tyler, or me just haven't aged well.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2023
    I can see the appeal to some readers. The book is well written but to me Maggie was frustrating as a main character. I just didn’t like the story.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Edgar
    4.0 out of 5 stars 人生と一日
    Reviewed in Japan on October 19, 2022
    本書は1988年に出版され、ピュリツァー賞を受賞した小説である。だから興味を持ったわけではなくて、アン・タイラーに興味を持ったきっかけは、脚本家の山田太一が褒めていたからだった。日常の些細なことを描くのに長けた作家なのだろう、と思った。

    まさにそうだった。物語は、50歳前後の夫婦がある目的のためにドライブに出かける、いわばたったそれだけ。もちろん道中いろんなことがあり、たくさんの回想があり、帰ってからも少々ゴタゴタするのだが、これという大事件は起こらない。

    しかし一日のうちに、妻にとっての気づき、夫にとっての気づき、さまざまな気づきが描かれる。そしてその向こうに、忘れる(忘れたふりをする)ことで「今」を生きる人間臭さのようなものが立ち現れる。まさにブリージング・レッスン、生きることの呼吸法だろう。

    例えば、父親や障害を持つ姉のために人生を無駄にしたと考えていたアイラ(夫)が、本当の無駄は「こうした人間たちを支えていかなければならないことではなく、自分がいかに彼らを愛しているかに気づかなかったことだ」と気づく。「しかしその思いつきもいつのまにか薄れていき/アイラは、そのとき悟ったことを忘れてしまっていた」(P241~242)。これは、僕が本書の中で白眉と思った部分である。
  • P. Blundell
    4.0 out of 5 stars WELL WRITTEN AND LEAVES A LASTING IMPRESSION
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2016
    This book certainly kept my attention all the way through. It is a book about family relationships. It is unusual for me to read books on this subject and as a man I found myself siding with the husband who stoically had to put up with his wife's incredible meddling in the affairs of other family members. The wife is clearly well meaning but causes absolute mayhem within her family by trying to engineer other people's relationships to fit her 'perfect' view of how things should be. I think women would enjoy this book more than men but it is well written and thought provoking.
  • ADRIANA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful
    Reviewed in Italy on April 3, 2016
    Quite amazing this "a day in the life of..." story. Beautifully written, wise and thtoughy provoking... Probably more for the third and fourth generation reader
  • Always Reading
    2.0 out of 5 stars Why was this book so highly regarded?
    Reviewed in Australia on February 20, 2016
    In all honesty, it's been a while since I read this book. I don't even remember the storyline now.
    What I DO remember, is ploughing on valliantly to the end, hoping it would improve. It didn't. But most of all I remember just feeling really annoyed that I can never get the time back I wasted on reading this book!
    To make matters worse, a friend had sent me the actual book as a birthday present from England.
    Unfortunately the print was too small for my poor eyesight, so I purchased it as an ebook! I'll try to find someone to take the paperback off my hands.
  • Vanaja Shankar
    5.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all
    Reviewed in India on August 9, 2018
    What we need in life, we are not taught in schools. This book, through the eyes of Maggie shows us the difference between our dreams and reality. There are so many instances where like Maggie, I thought if only youngsters would listen to sane advice. We realise that we cannot influence others to change . The change has to come from within. You can't always protect them from failure. They need to experience failure to understand success. The book doesn't end the way I wanted but probably that is the beauty of this story.

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