French Braid cover art

French Braid

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

French Braid

By: Anne Tyler
Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The major new novel from the beloved prize-winning author - a brilliantly perceptive, painfully true and funny journey deep into one family's foibles, from the 1950s right up to the changed world of today.

When the kids are grown and Mercy Garrett gradually moves herself out of the family home, everyone determines not to notice.

Over at her studio, she wants space and silence. She won't allow any family clutter. Not even their cat, Desmond.

Yet it is a clutter of untidy moments that forms the Garretts' family life over the decades, from giving a child a ride to a painstaking Easter lunch, a fateful train journey to an unexpected homecoming.

And it all begins in 1959, with a family holiday to a cabin by a lake. It's the only one the Garretts will ever take, but its effects will ripple through the generations.

©2022 Anne Tyler (P)2022 Penguin Audio
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Funny Celebration Cats

Critic Reviews

"If Anne Tyler isn't the best writer in the world, who is?" (BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour)

What listeners say about French Braid

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    19
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Took me a while to get into then loved it

Like all Anne Tyler books have been for me, it feels like spending a gentle long afternoon watching family dynamics and the quirks of life. I was very thrilled to find an Anne Tyler novel partly set in the pandemic! Somehow this gives me a sense of peace. If Anne Tyler can write a story from there, it’ll be alright somehow. I enjoyed noticing similarities and deepening and variations on some of the themes of Anne’s other novels: mothers finding a way to escape, families not seeing each other fully, the details and amusements of daily life, loss and connection. I have listened to all of Anne Tyler’s novels one or more times through these past two years of the pandemic. I look forward to listening to French Braid a second time. So glad Anne Tyler kept writing and publishing!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Anne Tyler has done it again

Another wonderful tale of family life.

The Easter lunch was brilliant, These characters were delightful from start to finish.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Epic on a small scale

Intriguing story about an ordinary family through generations. interesting to see the characters envisioned as children and adults at different times in their lives. So well captured and observed. The question about David's relationship to his family kept me guessing to the end. Very well narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating

Narrator and words work perfectly. Small lives, intricate details. A family apart but together. Loved this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gentle & comforting

An interesting take on the so-called dysfunctionality of all families. Very sweet, very gentle and very reassuring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

I gave read a lot of Tyler’s books but this was so boring and humdrum that I couldn’t finish it. I listened as far as 3/4 way through but couldn’t listen any further as it just never improved. A pity as her books are usually good. Cannot recommend. It was a bit like watching paint dry!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Boring and in pieces.

A wushu wavy story that doesn’t have any meaning whatsoever. The characters are shallow and each thread of story is superficial. Nothing ties it all together. Don’t bother.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.