Why read Breathing Lessons?

Book cover of Breathing Lessons

Book description

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…

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Literary fiction

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Breathing Lessons as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Patricia Marcantonio

Author

Maggie and Ira Moran's daylong trip to a funeral becomes a journey into and through their lives, family, marriage, and, yes, love.

The story is so deceptively simple that you think nothing is going on, but by the end, it left me floored with its humanity. The characters are supremely relatable, so much so that you're in the car with Maggie and Ira for every mile of the trip. When it won the Pulitzer Prize, I applauded.

From Patricia's list on taking on a second chance.

Shawn Nocher

Author

Anne Tyler has always written about family. Some critics have called her characters quirky, but I tend to think they are actually quite average. Both endearing and frustrating, I tend to love them the same way I love my own family—flaws and all. Her observations are incredibly nuanced and meaningful at the same time. Breathing Lessons is one of my favorites but pick up any Anne Tyler book and you’re likely to see shades of your own family dynamics on the pages. And you’ll love them anyway.

From Shawn's list on families and the secrets we keep from one another.