Morgan's Passing

By Anne Tyler

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author comes "an almost flawless story of love" (Los Angeles Times).

In this modern classic, Morgan Gower works at Cullen's hardware store in north Baltimore. He has seven daughters and a warmhearted wife, but as he journeys into the gray area of middle age, he finds his household growing tedious. Then Morgan meets two lovely young newlyweds under some rather extreme circumstances—and all three discover that no one's heart is safe....

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9780307788375

Reviews for Morgan's Passing

[donna828 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Anne Tyler is known for her quirky characters, but Morgan goes beyond the description of quirky or even eccentric. He is clearly not satisfied with who he is as he dresses in costumes and assumes different identities at the drop of a hat -- of which he has a closetful. He happened to be at a puppet show when a doctor was needed in a hurry. Morgan, who manages a hardware store in his real life, quickly offers his services and delivers Emily's baby on the way to the hospital. This isn't a spoiler as it occurs in the opening pages. Morgan disappears when they all reach the hospital but he shows up later on the streets of Baltimore as he follows Emily wherever she happens to go. She accepts the stalking, and he ultimately becomes a family friend. Very strange.Ms. Tyler delivers her usual breezy conversations and detailed descriptions of her characters' everyday lives; however, I didn't feel like I got to know the characters in this book very well because of their unpredictable behavior and shaky motivations. I found Morgan to be more creepy than charming. The ending was supposedly a happy one, at least for some of the characters. I found it improbable and sad. All in all, it was a quick read and somewhat entertaining, but it is one of my least favorite Tyler books.

[sblock_16 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I loved the writing and the depicture of 70s-era Baltimore but there wasn't a single character in this novel that I cared about, least of all Morgan. Much better character development in Tyler's later books.

[dickmanikowski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

For some unknown reason, I've been neglecting Ann Tyler's novels for the past few years. Reading this one reminds me of how wonderfully fleshed out her quirky characters are.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Impressively written, but not for everyone. Tyler gives us almost no clues to the characters' inner lives except descriptions of their behaviors, which makes it difficult to stay interested in them long enough to figure out a way to appreciate them, to feel close enough to them to care.

I mean, in this one, two marriages are broken up, and in a manner seemingly almost whimsical and definitely impractical. And yet nobody seems upset or even conflicted - and the jacket comments praise the book as an heroic love story. Well, ok - in a way it is - but a reader has to be attentive to figure out how.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This novel follows an eccentric named Morgan as he bumbles through his life, putting on one costume after another, one persona after another, in an effort to discover who he really is. It’s not him but the woman who falls in love with him who discovers that, though. A quiet, entertaining read.

[catien_3 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of Morgan Gower who has 7 daughters and manages one of his wife's family's hardware store. The beginning of the book showed promise -- Morgan lets people think he is a doctor and assists in the emergency delivery of a baby -- but it took a little bit too long to get going and I had to put it down at about page 40. Normally, I love Anne Tyler's books, but this one just didn't do it for me.