Breathing Lessons

BREATHING LESSONS

by Anne Tyler

 

Award: Pulitzer 1989

 

Nomination: National Book 1988

 

Dates Read: October 5, 2013 & August 13, 2020

 

Breathing Lessons, I have to assume, has to refer to Ira, the husband of Maggie, and the patience required to live with her and her botched manipulations. Maggie strives for the reunion of her son, Jesse, and his ex-wife, Fiona. Yet, it was Maggie’s string pulling that resulted in their mismatched marriage in the first place. Just about everything Maggie does is to recapture how she thinks the world ought to be, not what’s in the best interests of those involved. 

 

Breathing Lessons begins with the funeral of her best friend’s husband. The funeral reminds both Maggie and Serena of a time when marriage was the biggest thing a girl could do. Jobs and social engagements were just a weigh-station on a girl's trip down the aisle. Decisions about marriage were hasty and the resulting years very, very long. This is exactly what Maggie bristles against throughout the book. Her kids are on their own and she feels she has nothing left to look forward to.

 

As the novel unfolds, the reader realizes the extent of Maggie’s manipulations to get Fiona back to their house for a reunion with Jessie. What’s particularly haunting is the hopes of Leroy in meeting her father and forging a relationship, but Leroy is simply a pawn in Maggie’s personal agenda. All of this could have been avoided had Maggie allowed things to run their course and left Jesse and Fiona to make their own decisions.

 

Upon further inspection, it becomes clear that Jesse is similar to Maggie in made-up promises and details that are less than true. He lies about making a cradle for the baby and buying a Dr. Spock book in an attempt to manipulate his mother into getting Fiona to stop the abortion. Like mother, like son. Lordy.


Looking Forward: Morgan's Passing, A Spool Of Blue Thread


Looking Back: The Accidental Tourist, Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant

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