A very rare occurrence. A book and a movie that are both great in almost the same way. Nothing essential was changed in the movie, only some minor characters cut, which is understandable. And William Hurt is just as I imagined Macon Leary to be. I don't understand why he didn't win an Oscar, but then, we all know that Oscar nominations aren't reliable measures of anything. Kathleen Turner is perfect as Sarah Leary, too. Geena Davis won an Oscar, funnily enough, though she doesn't fit the image I have of Muriel Pritchett. She's too pretty, for one thing.

Enough about the movie/book comparisons, and on to the real thing. Someone compared Anne Tyler to John Irving, and I can see some similarity, but plenty of differences too. Whereas Irving's books are usually full of characters you don't particularly like, Tyler has characters you can't help but like. And there's less bizarre happenings, which, though cute at first, loses its appeal if it's repeated through 10 books. Overall, a first-rate book. Only problem is that this is her 10th book and the reviews say this is "indisputably her best book so far", which is kind of depressing if you think about it. Who wants to read 9 inferior books after a superior experience like this?