Clock Dance by Anne Tyler

CLOCK DANCE by Anne Tyler spans fifty years and tells the life story of Willa Drake, from the time of being a fifth grader (1967) and dealing with her mother’s abrupt absences then to college years and engagement (1977), married life and motherhood (1997) and into the present day. The most recently occurring section of the book is set in Baltimore where Willa travels (leaving the home her new husband chose near Tucson) to help care for Cheryl, the nine year-old daughter of Denise, a former girlfriend to one of Willa’s sons although he is not Cheryl's father. And that sentence should give you a sense of Willa’s character -- seemingly filled with good intentions, trying to help, and, above all, to not offend or impose on anyone. In many ways, CLOCK DANCE is the story of Willa's awakening, a coming of age in her 60’s. It is definitely a character driven work with a cast of unique and warm-hearted neighbors; Doctor Bob, Detective Dave, spurned Hal, young Sir Joe, and friendly Callie to name a few.

CLOCK DANCE is a LibraryReads choice for July and the Barnes & Noble’s Summer Book Club selection (with most in-store discussions set for Aug. 8). This title received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. Anne Tyler has won the Pulitzer Prize for her earlier writing (Breathing Lessons) and her previous novel, A Spool of Blue Thread, was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2015.