BOOK REVIEW: "Breathing Lessons"

Breathing Lessons

By Anne Tyler

Copyright 1988

ATM, Inc., Publisher

Adult Fiction

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I really hate it when I'm only a few chapters into a book and I'm already starting to feel like I really, really don't want to finish. Unfortunately, this was one of those books. Even more unfortunate, I am the type of person who usually finishes the book anyway. I continually tell myself, "this has to get better....this really has to get better". (Thus, the explanation for why I sat through the three miserable hours that was The English Patient.)

I also am continually telling myself, "There has to be some point to this," or "I can't believe I have to know how this ends." Torturous. Simply torturous.

But finally, I did finish the book. And it was soooooooooo not worth it.

Breathing Lessons is basically a commentary on a miserable married woman and the miserable relationship she has with her husband and the miserable relationship she has with just about every other person in her life. There are some moments where I'm pretty sure the author is trying to paint a "realistic picture of how women feel," but honestly, any woman who feels the way this woman is portrayed is probably on about six different kinds of anti-depressants and probably eats six chocolate bars every day just to make herself feel better. Okay, so maybe there are a lot of people like that out in the real world. But frankly, it was just depressing and miserable to read about.

The way the title character attempted to control and manipulate everyone around her was truly appalling. I know many of us (me sooo included here) have moments where we've butted into other people's lives (maybe some of which we regret), but the fact that this woman thinks she can control the outcome of everyone else's life is just......wrong.

Not a pleasant book to read. Not one bit.