Published in 1995,
Ladder of Yearswas the thirteenth of Anne Tyler's novels. Upon its debut, it received critical notices that spanned the spectrum, and this seriocomic novel of the Grinstead family was not fĂȘted with prestigious awards, as Tyler's
The Accidental Tourist(1985) and
Breathing Lessons(1988) were. However,
Ladder of Yearsremains a popular choice to this day for both academic and library book-group reading lists.
Students of contemporary United States literature debate Tyler's commentary on American family life. Those who read this work in Women in Literature classrooms engage in sometimes heated debate about the protagonist's motivations and actions. Scholarly readers revel in the novel's apparent ties to traditional works of literature, while both serious and casual
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Citation: Donohue, Cecilia. "Ladder of Years". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 25 October 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=9093, accessed 23 November 2024.]