Breathing Lessons: A NovelWINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Evoking Jane Austen, Emma Straub, and other masters of the literary marriage, Breathing Lessons celebrates the small miracles and magic of truly knowing someone. Unfolding over the course of a single emotionally fraught day, this stunning novel encompasses a lifetime of dreams, regrets and reckonings—and is oftern regarded as Tyler's seminal work. Maggie and Ira Moran are on a road trip from Baltimore, Maryland to Deer Lick, Pennsylvania to attend the funeral of a friend. Along the way, they reflect on the state of their marriage, its trials and its triumphs—through their quarrels, their routines, and their ability to tolerate each other’s faults with patience and affection. Where Maggie is quirky, lovable and mischievous, Ira is practical, methodical and mired in reason. What begins as a day trip becomes a revelatory and unexpected journey, as Ira and Maggie rediscover the strength of their bond and the joy of having somebody with whom to share the ride, bumps and all. “More powerful and moving than anything [Tyler] has done.” —Los Angeles Times |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 47 |
Section 3 | 76 |
Section 4 | 125 |
Section 5 | 177 |
Section 6 | 215 |
Section 7 | 279 |
Section 8 | 313 |
Section 9 | 325 |
Section 10 | 329 |
Section 11 | 337 |
Section 12 | 341 |
Section 13 | 343 |
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Common terms and phrases
Ann Landers Anne Tyler anyhow baby Barley twins baseball glove Boris Breathing Lessons called Daisy Don Robertson door dress Durwood Elvis Presley eyes face father feel Fiona told front funeral girl glanced grocery hair hands Harborplace head heard Hutzler's Ira asked Ira told Ira's Jay Livingston Jesse's kind kitchen Kleenex knew Lamont Leroy Leroy's living looked lug wrench Mabel Maggie and Ira Maggie asked Maggie felt Maggie thought Maggie told Maggie's marriage married Moran mother moved never Nick Bourne once Otis purse remember Ritz crackers seat seemed Serena sing Sissy sister sitting soapbox someone song started stood stopped Stuckey Stuckey's Sugar talking tell Texaco thing told Ira told Maggie took turned voice walked watched wedding wheel window WNTK woman wondered