Ladder of Years - by Anne Tyler (Paperback)

About the Book

The bestselling and acclaimed new novel by the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Breathing Lessons and The Accidental Tourist. Married with three almost-grown children, Delia Grinstead vanishes from the family's beach house without a trace--and apparently without a reason. But for Delia, "walking away from it all" is an impulse that will lead her into a new, exciting and unimagined life.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Breathing Lessons

"BALTIMORE WOMAN DISAPPEARS DURING FAMILY VACATION."

The headlines are all the same: Beloved mother and wife Delia Grinstead was last seen strolling down the Delaware shore, wearing only a bathing suit and carrying a beach tote with five hundred dollars tucked inside. To the best of her family's knowledge, she has disappeared without a trace. But Delia didn't disappear. She ran.

Exhausted with her routine and everyone else's plans for her, Delia needed an out, a chance to make a new life for herself and to become a different person. The new Delia can let go of all the hurt and resentment that left her stuck in her past. As she eagerly sheds the pieces of herself she no longer needs, Delia discovers feelings of passion and wonder she'd long since forgotten. The thrill of walking away from it all leads to a newfound sense of self and the feeling that she is, finally, the star of her own life story.

Review Quotes

"Utterly compelling...wonderfully satisfying...virtually flawless." --Chicago Tribune

"Tyler details Delia's adventure with great skill. . . . [and] creates distinct characters caught in poignantly funny situations. . . . Tyler writes with a clarity that makes the commonplace seem fresh and the pathetic touching." --The New York Times

About the Author

ANNE TYLER was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1941 and grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is the author of more than twenty novels. Her twentieth novel, A Spool of Blue Thread, was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2015. Her eleventh novel, Breathing Lessons, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.