At 53, Rebecca Davitch--mistress of the Open Arms, a crumbling 19th-century row house in Baltimore where giving parties is the family business--suddenly asks herself whether she has turned into the wrong person. But can she really recover the woman she has left behind?
Read More
At 53, Rebecca Davitch--mistress of the Open Arms, a crumbling 19th-century row house in Baltimore where giving parties is the family business--suddenly asks herself whether she has turned into the wrong person. But can she really recover the woman she has left behind?
Read Less
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $6.69, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2001 by Chatto & Windus.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $8.71, good condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 288 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle. May show signs of wear, highlighting, writing, and previous use. This item may be a former library book with typical markings. No guarantee on products that contain supplements Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Twenty-five year bookseller with shipments to over fifty million happy customers.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $11.02, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 288 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $11.33, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPricesUK5 rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Castle Donington, DERBYSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 288 p. Ballantine Reader's Circle. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $15.20, new condition, Sold by Kennys.ie rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Galway, IRELAND, published 2002 by Vintage.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $43.90, good condition, Sold by Phatpocket Limited rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham Abbey, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2002 by Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C.
Edition:
2002, Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C
Publisher:
Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C
Published:
2002
Alibris ID:
18942181492
Shipping Options:
Standard Shipping: $4.81
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some stamps and wear, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups: a Novel (Ballantine Reader to cart. $7.99, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Book is considered to be in good or better condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Hard cover books may show signs of wear on the spine cover or dust jacket. Paperback book may show signs of wear on spine or cover as well as having a slight bend curve or creasing to it. Book should have minimal to no writing inside and no highlighting. Pages should be free of tears or creasing. Stickers should not be present on cover or elsewhere and any CD or DVD expected with the book is included. Book is not a former library copy.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups: a Novel (Ballantine Reader to cart. $7.99, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Vintage.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fair. Book is considered to be in acceptable condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Book may have one or more of the following defects: noticeable wear on the cover dust jacket or spine; curved dog eared or creased page s; writing or highlighting inside or on the edges; sticker s or other adhesive on cover; CD DVD may not be included; and book may be a former library copy.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $8.24, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
The book has been read but is in good condition. It has very minimal damage to the cover including scuff marks but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. The binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing minimal pencil underlining of text no highlighting of text and no writing in the margins. There are no missing pages. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections.
Add this copy of Back When We Were Grownups to cart. $8.25, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of Greater Milwaukee rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milwaukee, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Book is considered to be in good or better condition. The actual cover image may not match the stock photo. Hard cover books may show signs of wear on the spine cover or dust jacket. Paperback book may show signs of wear on spine or cover as well as having a slight bend curve or creasing to it. Book should have minimal to no writing inside and no highlighting. Pages should be free of tears or creasing. Stickers should not be present on cover or elsewhere and any CD or DVD expected with the book is included. Book is not a former library copy.
This book, Anne Tyler's 15th novel, takes place in an old rowhouse in Baltimore in 1999. Its hero is Rebecca Davitch, a 53 year-old widow and grandmother. She rents portions of the row house, which is known as the "Open Arms" out for large parties and catered affairs, a business she inherited from her husband and operates with his relatives. Rebecca is dissatisfied with the apparent clutter and confusion of her life as one of her stepdaughters prepares to be married. The reader embarks with Rebecca on her voyage of self-discovery, where she is, where she has been, where she wants to be. Perhaps it is important that the adjacent rowhouse to the Open Arms is a meditation center.
Rebecca had dumped her college and high school sweetheart, Will, and dropped out of college to marry Joe Davitch, 13 years her senior and the proprietor of the Open Arms. At the time of the marriage, Joe had three young daughters from a failed earlier marriage. Joe and Rebecca have a daughter of their own before Joe's untimely death leaves Rebecca to raise the three step-daughters and her own daughter.
The book shows the bric-a-brac of life in the old rowhouse and in the family which is Rebecca's. Each of the grown daughters and their sometimes multiple spouses or partners are highly eccentric, from their nicknames to their characters. The children are as well. The Davitch's are indeed blended in that the family and their spouses and others represent a variety of races, ethnic groups, religions, level of education, interests, what have you. They are an interesting but confusing group and their various peculiarities made the story difficult to follow at times.
Rebecca, is harried by the everydayness of her life. She remembers Will, the young man she dumped in college in favor of Joe, and is bothered by the possibility that she made the wrong choice. Much of the book describes how Rebecca makes contact with Will again. In one of the best, because one of the simplest and most obviously felt passages of the book, Will tells Rebecca upon their first new meeting that "you broke my heart." By finding Will again, and trying to see if a relationship with him is possible in mid-life, Rebecca comes to terms with her life.
There is the touch of family in this book with its estrangements, its clutter, its loves, and its daily tasks. Rebecca questions at times whether there is more to life. Her college hero was Robert E. Lee whom she sees, both in her college days and when we meet her, as a heroic figure who tried to act beyond the chores and trials of everyday to make a principled decision to stand with the South. Robert E. Lee is something of a foil to the actions in the book, (as is, in a different way, the meditation center next door.)
The book is effective as a whole because Anne Tyler has a light, deft touch and doesn't take herself too seriously. The book is funny and generally reads well. Unfortunately the book (and virtually every character) is far too mannered. The mannerisms and eccentricities pale quickly and they mask a certain sameness and triteness in the story. There is too much attention paid to the quirkiness of each character. This distracts from the story to me and makes Rebecca's search shallower than it should be. It adds undue sentimentality to the book.
Life is lived in moments and we need to cherish and understand the everyday. The sentimentality, the peeling plaster and spasmodic electricity in the rowhouse, the adventures and misadventures of Rebecca, her children and grandchildren all have a touch of the down-to-earth. It is not the sort of spiritual journey in which the protagonist seeks solitude or some inner source of wisdom. Think again of the kind of spirituality sought by those at the meditation center next door and of the ways in which it probably differs and probably resembles Rebecca's search. The book teaches a spirituality of the common life.
