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The Accidental Tourist
An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles. An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles. An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
- Lawrence Kasdan
- Frank Galati
- William Hurt
- Kathleen Turner
- Geena Davis
- 118 User reviews
- 40 Critic reviews
- 52 Metascore
- 4 wins & 11 nominations total
- Macon Leary
- Sarah Leary
- Muriel Pritchett
- Porter Leary
- Charles Leary
- Julian Hedge
- (as Robert Gorman)
- Lucas Loomis
- Morgue Detective #1
- (as W.H. Brown)
- Morgue Detective #2
- Mrs. Barrett
- Laura Canfield
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
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Did you know
- Trivia While filming The Fly (1986) , Geena Davis was reading the novel on which this film was based. In fact, she would read it to Jeff Goldblum while he went through the hours-long process of having prosthetic make-up applied to his body. Goldblum also appeared in Lawrence Kasdan 's earlier films, The Big Chill (1983) and Silverado (1985) .
- Goofs After returning from England, Macon reaches into his pocket for his keys twice.
Macon : I'm beginning to think that maybe it's not just how much you love someone. Maybe what matters is who you are when you're with them.
- Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Working Girl/I'm Gonna Git You Sucka/Rain Man/Torch Song Trilogy/Haunted Summer (1988)
- Soundtracks I'M GONNA LASSO SANTA CLAUS Written by Frankie Adams and 'Wilbur Jones'
User reviews 118
- Oct 7, 2002
- How long is The Accidental Tourist? Powered by Alexa
- January 6, 1989 (United States)
- United States
- Die Reisen des Mr. Leary
- 324 Hawthorne Road, Roland Park, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Warner Bros.
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- $32,632,093
- Dec 26, 1988
Technical specs
- Runtime 2 hours 1 minute
- Dolby Stereo
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Stories From Accidental Tourist
Stories from accidental tourist.
- 29 December 2020
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN – DAY 8
(Falling behind! Seriously starting to lose track of time. I feel like I am in an eternal Sunday: a sort of non-punishing version of the Groundhog Day). I wake up in a great reset mood, and look back at the Day-7 picture of that table I spent my low day at:– uninteresting papers everywhere,– my laptop leashed to power like a dog that isn’t going anywhere;– reading glasses that never left the bridge of my nose;– traces of too many shots of espresso (of which I only truly needed the first, and only enjoyed the second). I see myself in…
- 21 April 2020
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, 4 Dozenth Day:
This morning I wake up with Calico, our lady cat, peacefully laying on me. I keep still for a while so as not to disturb her, but then I have to give in to the irresistible urge to roll to my side. I am sure she is going to jump off the bed in disdain as she always has; instead she turns into a seagull on a driftwood: she just stays on top. I roll to the other side.She stays on top… Nothing major, really. It’s just that we have had Calico for 15 years, and it’s the first time…
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, One Day short of proper “quarantena” (mid 17th century: quarantina ‘forty days’, Italian for lockdown)
Waking up without an alarm allows me to slide into awakeness slowly. The first thing I do is visually explore the room. Which is not always the same room (I have been sleeping around a lot since lockdown…Just always with the same husband).Then I focus on an object, I try to imagine what the guests of that room did and will think of it and see what thoughts come out. Unfortunately this morning my eye stumbles upon a little pile of change.So my first waking thought is about how insignificant coins will be, in the likelyhood of inflation as one…
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, Easter Saturday
In my domestic archeology, I have dug up 2 valuable fossils:A ceramic chamber pot from a French flea market (which I clearly remember paying in Francs), and a bunch of silk tulips, bought in Bangkok in March 1990.The long lasting quality of Thai silk and the immaculate durability of ceramic – still pleasant to the eye after 30 years – make me change perspective on my shopping future: I no longer see spending less, as I had intended just until a few days ago: I will spend MORE.I will just BUY less.One expensive (…) instead of 3 cheap ones.I will…
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, Day 30 something (and for those 50+, this should bring back a tv show from the 80’s something)
After “celebrating” 30 days of deprivation of a few staples, – like work, social relations, driving – interesting effects present themselves: 1) As the present is on stall, I a) indulge in the past:I reminisce driving to Ikea all alone, as a form of meditation, to get away from busy days of work.Getting a bag full of shamelessly artificial candy, and a complimentary cup of loose, watery coffee, sitting on a chair with a Viking name…Aaahhhh.To my Swedish genes, that’s homecoming. b) project to the future:I have this recurrent fantasy of hugging the first post- COVID guests as if they…
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, DAY 30 something (I haven’t left home in one full month)
I am reminded that money is like food: – it is impossible to not think about it, when you are hungry;– when you do have enough, you should be thinking about something else;– in excess, it can actually distract from happiness;– it is natural to need it, is it human to grow a passion for it; it is dangerous for one’s own health to obsess with it. Apparently, the evolution of the Human species was inversely proportional to how much time and energy had to be spent getting a full stomach.So agriculture/livestock versus gathering/hunting have granted human efforts more time…
NOTES FROM A SERIOUSLY UNDERPRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN:
This short story is not about us and our beautiful and safe homes, and the food on our tables. You and we are the upper case “Accidental Tourists”: the lucky ones who can choose the destination and duration of their wandering, and can set the date of their return home. This post is about the “lower case accidental tourists”, those less fortunate, who travel without luggage, itinerary, a return ticket, or a home to return to. Having a home to safely lockdown in, and wondering how we are going to loose the extra pounds we will inevitably put on, is…
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, The Emergency Room (not the kind you’re thinking):
The history of this room is a few years short of nine centuries. (That’s the long story).The story we account for is only a few months, and hopefully it has just started. Few months ago, I was doing one of my favorite things: being an “accidental tourist” in my own home.And don’t most great discoveries happen by accident? (ask Cristoforo Colombo, he’ll tell you).This one is no exception. I was looking for something, maybe a basket..(?) My cousin (who owns all the ground floor of the villa and from whom I rent all of the Accidental Tourist headquarters) told me…
NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, Day 23 (in Bingo numbers)
This morning I woke up thinking of Gloria, Eva’s elementary teacher.She used to take a few hours every week to “practice feelings”.She would vividly describe different scenes to the children and ask them to imagine being there.Then, they would write down few words on how they felt.At the end of this series, children would choose their favorite scene.In fact, they were identifying their “comfort feeling”. I learned then that for Eva, COMPASSION is just another name for love; for others, it is a p.c. word for contempt. Some feel constrained by rules and group ethics. Giotto instead enjoys the sense…
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"Yes, that is my son," the man says, identifying the body in the intensive care unit. Grief threatens to break his face into pieces, and then something closes shut inside of him. He has always had a very controlled nature, fearful of emotion and revelation, but now a true ice age begins, and after a year his wife tells him she wants a divorce. It is because he cannot seem to feel anything.
"The Accidental Tourist" begins on that note of emotional sterility, and the whole movie is a journey toward a smile at the end.
The man's name is Macon Leary ( William Hurt ), and he writes travel books for people who detest traveling. He advises his readers on how to avoid human contact, where to find "American food" abroad and how to convince themselves they haven't left home. His own life is the same sort of journey, and maybe it began in childhood. His sister and two brothers still live together in the house where they were born, and any life outside of their routine would be unthinkable.
Macon's wife ( Kathleen Turner ) moves out, leaving him with the dog, Edward, who does like to travel and is deeply disturbed by the curious life his masters have provided for him. He barks at ghosts and snaps at strangers. It is time for Macon to make another one of his overseas research trips, so he takes the dog to be boarded at a kennel, and that's where he meets Muriel Pritchett ( Geena Davis ). Muriel has Macon's number from the moment he walks through the door. She can see he's a basket case, but she thinks she can help. She also thinks her young son needs a father.
Macon isn't so sure. He doesn't use the number she gives him. But later, when the dog trips him and he breaks his leg, he takes Edward back to the kennel, and this time he submits to a little obedience training of his own. He agrees to acknowledge that Muriel exists, and before long they are sort of living together (lust still exists in his body, but it lurks so far from the center of his feelings that sex hardly seems to cheer him up).
The peculiarity about these central passages in the film is that they are quite cheerful and sometimes even very funny, even though Macon himself is mired in a deep depression. Davis, as Muriel, brings an unforced wackiness to her role in scenes like the one where she belts out a song while she's doing the dishes. But she is not as simple as she sometimes seems, and when Macon gets carried away with a little sentimental generalizing about the future, she warns him, "Don't make promises to my son that you are not prepared to keep." There is also great good humor in the characters in Macon's family: brothers Porter ( David Ogden Stiers ) and Charles ( Ed Begley Jr.) and sister Rose ( Amy Wright ), a matriarch who feeds the family, presides over their incomprehensible card games and supervises such traditional activities as alphabetizing the groceries on the kitchen shelves. One evening Macon takes his publisher, Julien ( Bill Pullman ), home to dinner and Julien is struck with a thunderbolt of love for Rose. He eventually marries her, but a few weeks later Julien tells Macon that Rose has moved back home with the boys; she was concerned that they had abandoned regular meals and were eating only gorp.
This emergency triggers the movie's emotional turning point, which is subtle but unmistakable. Nobody knows Rose as well as Macon does, and so he gives Julien some very particular advice: "Call her up and tell her your business is going to pieces. Ask if she could just come in and get things organized. Get things under control. Put it that way.
Use those words. Get things under control, tell her." In context, this speech is hilarious. It is also the first time in the film that Macon has been able to extend himself to help anybody, and it starts him on the road to emotional growth. Clinging to the sterility and loneliness that has been his protection, he doesn't realize at first that he has turned the corner. He still doubts that he needs Muriel, and when she buys herself a ticket and follows him to Paris, he refuses to have anything to do with her. When his wife also turns up in Paris, there is a moment when he thinks they may be able to patch things together again, and then finally Macon arrives at the sort of moment he has been avoiding all of his life: He has to make a choice. But by then the choice is obvious; he has already made it, by peeking so briefly out of his shell.
The screenplay for "The Accidental Tourist," by Kasdan and Frank Galati , is able to reproduce a lot of the tone and dialogue of the Anne Tyler novel without ever simply being a movie version of a book. The textures are too specific and the humor is too quirky and well-timed to be borrowed. The filmmakers have reinvented the same story in their own terms. The movie is a reunion for Kasdan, Hurt and Turner, who all three launched their careers with " Body Heat " (1981). Kasdan used Hurt again in " The Big Chill " (1983) and understands how to employ Hurt's gift for somehow being likable at the same time he seems to be withdrawn.
What Hurt achieves here seems almost impossible: He is depressed, low-key and intensely private through most of the movie, and yet somehow he wins our sympathy. What Kasdan achieves is just as tricky; I've never seen a movie so sad in which there was so much genuine laughter. "The Accidental Tourist" is one of the best films of the year.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.
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The Accidental Tourist (1989)
121 minutes
Kathleen Turner as Sarah
William Hurt as MacOn
Ed Begley Jr. as Charles
David Ogden Stiers as Porter
Geena Davis as Muriel
Amy Wright as Rose
Bill Pullman as Julian
Robert Gorman as Alexander
Bradley Mott as Mr. Loomis
Screenplay by
- Frank Galati
- John Williams
Photographed by
- John Bailey
Produced by
- Charles Okun
- Michael Grillo
- Carol Littleton
Based On The Novel by
Directed by.
- Lawrence Kasdan
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The Accidental Tourist
1988, Drama, 2h 1m
What to know
Critics Consensus
Generous with its characters' foibles and virtues, The Accidental Tourist is a thoughtful drama vested with insight into the complications of relationships. Read critic reviews
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The accidental tourist photos.
After the murder of their young son, the marriage between Macon (William Hurt) and his wife Sarah (Kathleen Turner) disintegrates, and she moves out. After a freak accident puts him on crutches, Macon goes to stay with his quirky siblings at the family home, where he meets the spirited Muriel (Geena Davis), a dog trainer with a young son of her own, with whom he begins a friendship. When Sarah learns about this, she attempts a reconciliation and Macon is forced to make a decision.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Writer: Frank Galati
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 6, 1989 original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 28, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $30.3M
Runtime: 2h 1m
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Sound Mix: Surround
Cast & Crew
William Hurt
Macon Leary
Kathleen Turner
Sarah Leary
Geena Davis
Muriel Pritchett
Bill Pullman
Robert Gorman
Alexander Pritchett
David Ogden Stiers
Porter Leary
Ed Begley Jr.
Charles Leary
Lawrence Kasdan
Frank Galati
News & Interviews for The Accidental Tourist
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Critic Reviews for The Accidental Tourist
Audience reviews for the accidental tourist.
The fact that two relatively interesting and attractive women would fawn over William Hurt's sad sack character over the course of the film (even after they've told him that he's too cold and distant for them to handle) is entirely unbelievable.
A marvelous cast and an interesting story pretty much insures that this film would strike a chord with this viewer. Geena Davis as Muriel Pritchett, William Hurt, as Macon Leary, and Kathleen Turner as Macon's ex-wife, Sarah, headline, but the supporting cast, including Amy Wright, Bill Pullman and Ed Begley, Jr. are outstanding as well. The tale revolves around a travel writer who slides through life trying to remain unaffected by his travels and inspires others to do the same. But, the murder of his son devastates his world and it takes the prodding of a quirky dog trainer to force him to awaken from his resulting stupor. There were many lighter moments in the film, mostly supplied by Macon's eccentric siblings, but the loss of a child hung over the film like a pall, and was accentuated by Macon's inability to connect to his feelings, or the wider world as he passed through it. There were some poignant moments in the film, when the camera revealed the otherwise masked feelings of some of the characters. There were also moments of deep frustration when it appeared that Macon was not going to make it out of his funk. This turned out to be an emotional ride, and a story of growth through what has to be one of the most devastating events any parent can endure.
William Hurt sure made some really great movies back in the 80s and 90s. I cant say that I have watched anything lately that he has starred in. This movie was very good. I had a hard time getting past Geena Davis and her horrible 80s fashion, but I guess that I cant blame the movie itself...just the era. This movie had a very nice ending, which is always a plus for me.
I didn't like this movie. I thought it was really boring, especially with Hurt's performance, and Davis just annoyed me.
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After the death of his son, travel writer Macon Leary seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife is having similar problems. They separate, and Macon meets a strange, outgoing woman who brings him 'back down to earth', but his wife soon thinks their marriage is still worth another try.
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The Accidental Tourist
56 pages • 1 hour read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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Chapters 1-4
Chapters 5-8
Chapters 9-12
Chapters 13-16
Chapters 17-20
Character Analysis
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Summary and Study Guide
Anne Tyler’s The Accidental Tourist is a literary fiction novel that follows the character-driven story of Macon Leary, who must navigate life following the death of his son and the dissolution of his marriage. The Accidental Tourist was originally published in 1985 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The Accidental Tourist is Anne Tyler’s 10th novel and one of her most recognized works. This study guide follows the paperback Berkley edition released in 1986.
Plot Summary
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Macon Leary is a writer based out of Baltimore who creates travel guides for people who must travel on business but do not want to be bothered with discomfort or unexpected experiences. Macon is an expert at finding the most comfortable and convenient solutions to average problems. While driving back from a beach vacation, Macon’s wife, Sarah , informs him that she wants a divorce. It’s been a year since their son, Ethan, was unexpectedly killed, and the two have grieved in very different ways. After Sarah moves out, Macon restructures their house, creating a multitude of systems and contraptions to maximize comfort and convenience. When it comes time for Macon to go on his next trip for work, he goes to board the family dog, Edward . He learns Edward is blacklisted from the vet for biting a worker last time he was boarded. Desperate, Macon finds another vet, where he meets Muriel Pritchett. Muriel is talkative and great with dogs. She agrees to let Macon board Edward and proposes that she give Edward obedience lessons. Macon declines and goes on his trip. When he returns, he commits to more systems to run the house. As these systems break down, Macon has an accident, resulting in a broken leg.
Macon moves in with his siblings, Rose , Charles, and Porter, while his leg heals. The Leary siblings are as peculiar as Macon with their habits, rituals, and organizational tendencies. They don’t answer the phone, eat baked potatoes often, and play the same made-up card game they’ve played since they were children. Macon’s siblings complain about Edward’s behavior, but Macon struggles to do anything about it because Edward belonged to Ethan. Finally, after being bit on the hand, Macon reaches out to Muriel, who has persistently tried to get Macon to hire her ever since they met. Muriel is great with Edward and helps Macon teach Edward things like sitting, staying, and walking on a leash. Edward struggles to learn to lie down, so Macon calls the vet. The clerk informs Macon that Muriel is out that day because her son is sick. The next time Macon sees Muriel, he asks how her son is, and she loses her temper because he wasn’t supposed to know about her son yet. Macon fires Muriel in the same scene because she harshly punishes Edward. As Macon’s leg heals, he struggles to overcome his grief from Ethan’s death and his separation from Sarah. When Sarah invites Macon to dinner, he proposes they have another baby to resolve their marital issues, but Sarah instead tells Macon she wants a divorce and cites his seemingly callous reaction after Ethan’s death and lack of comfort to her as her reason.
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After Macon gets his cast off, he flies to New York for work. He visits a skyscraper restaurant, where he has a panic attack after realizing he’s distanced himself from everyone he’s ever cared about. He calls home to ask for help despite his siblings being states away and learns that Edward is misbehaving and has cornered Charles in the pantry. Macon has no one else to call to help Charles and take Edward, so he calls Muriel and asks for her help. Not only does Muriel agree to rescue Charles, but she also comforts Macon and talks him down from his panic. When Macon returns from New York, he allows Muriel to begin training Edward again, and the two begin to spend a lot more time together. Muriel tells Macon all about her life and her son, Alexander. She invites Macon to come to dinner at her house, but Macon is afraid to do so, thinking it will feel like he’s finding substitutes for Sarah and Ethan.
When Macon goes to deliver a letter to Muriel to explain why he won’t have dinner with her, she surprises him with her tenderness, and Macon opens up about his grief regarding Ethan and the way he’s distanced himself from everyone. Muriel invites Macon to sleep in her bed, and he allows her to lead him to her room and tuck him in. Macon begins to spend much more time with Muriel and Alexander, eating dinner with them, helping Alexander with his homework, and joining them at Muriel’s parents’ house for Christmas. Macon’s relationship with Muriel heals him and helps him become less distant from the people around him. He moves in with her and gets to know the people of her street better than he ever knew his own neighbors. He forms a special bond with Alexander, teaching him to fix household items and taking him shopping for clothes.
Eventually, Muriel’s tendencies begin to wear Macon down. He is bothered by her misuse of words, her persistence, her insecurities, and her chaos. Muriel tries to convince Macon to take her to France, but Macon tells her no. Muriel presents Macon a calendar for the current year to show him she’s picked out a wedding day for them. Macon tells her he’s not interested in marrying again because he thinks only perfect couples get married, which leads to an argument and more tension between the couple as time passes.
After encountering Sarah at a wedding, Macon finds Sarah reaching out to him more and more during a trip to Canada. Sarah calls him in every city, at first asking if she can move back into their house because her lease is ending, then just wanting to talk about the weather. She hints that she wants to get back together with Macon and tells him she wishes she were with him in Canada. When Macon lands back in Baltimore, he drives home to Sarah instead of driving to Muriel’s house. They rekindle their relationship, much to Muriel’s heartbreak. Macon and Sarah begin to put their lives back together, buying new furniture and reassembling the house after it was damaged in a snowstorm during Macon’s absence. When Sarah is not around, Macon finds himself longing to talk to someone. He calls Muriel to ask about Alexander’s allergy shots, and Muriel scolds him for having the audacity to contact her about Alexander after abandoning them.
When Macon leaves for France, Muriel shows up on his same flight, having booked the same hotel. Muriel insists that Macon needs her, and Macon feels Muriel will be extremely unprepared to travel in Paris. Macon does his best to avoid Muriel, and she gets along fine without him. He eventually agrees to have dinner with her at a Burger King in Paris, where Muriel fills Macon in about the people on her street. She asks him to come to bed with her, but Macon declines. After several days in Paris, Macon starts day trips to other cities. When he goes to invite Muriel to join him, he throws his back out and becomes incapacitated. He calls his publisher to inform him of the delay, and word gets back to Sarah, who shows up in Paris to take care of Macon. She informs Macon that she saw Muriel, and he tells her that she followed him to France on her own accord. Sarah becomes excited about having a second honeymoon with Macon while they’re in France. One night, she asks Macon why he didn’t do anything to stop Muriel from getting on the plane with him. Macon doesn’t have an answer and realizes he’s never made any major life decisions on his own. Everything that has happened to him has resulted from passively accepting things. He stays up all night thinking and eventually decides to return to Muriel, realizing she is better for him.
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Look Inside | Reading Guide
Reading Guide
The Accidental Tourist
By anne tyler, category: literary fiction.
Apr 09, 2002 | ISBN 9780345452009 | 5-3/16 x 8 --> | ISBN 9780345452009 --> Buy
Dec 18, 2007 | ISBN 9780307416834 | ISBN 9780307416834 --> Buy
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Apr 09, 2002 | ISBN 9780345452009
Dec 18, 2007 | ISBN 9780307416834
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About The Accidental Tourist
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • F rom the beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning author —a n irresistible novel exploring the slippery alchemy of attracting opposites, and the struggle to rebuild one’s life after unspeakable tragedy Travel writer Macon Leary hates travel, adventure, surprises, and anything outside of his routine. Immobilized by grief, Macon is becoming increasingly prickly and alone, anchored by his solitude and an unwillingness to compromise his creature comforts. Then he meets Muriel, an eccentric dog trainer too optimistic to let Macon disappear into himself. Despite Macon’s best efforts to remain insulated, Muriel up-ends his solitary, systemized life, catapulting him into the center of a messy, beautiful love story he never imagined. A fresh and timeless tale of unexpected bliss, The Accidental Tourist showcases Tyler’s talents for making characters—and their relationships—feel both real and magical. “Incandescent, heartbreaking, exhilarating…One cannot reasonably expect fiction to be much better than this.” — The Washington Post
Also by Anne Tyler
About Anne Tyler
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…. More about Anne Tyler
Product Details
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“Poignant . . . funny . . . The Accidental Tourist is one of her best . . . . [Tyler] has never been stronger.” — The New York Times “Bittersweet . . . evocative . . . It’s easy to forget this is the warm lull of fiction; you half-expect to run into her characters at the dry cleaners. . . . Tyler [is] a writer of great compassion.” — The Boston Globe “Tyler has given us an endlessly diverting book whose strength gathers gradually to become a genuinely thrilling one.” — Los Angeles Times “A delight . . . a graceful comic novel about getting through life.” — The Wall Street Journal “A rarely equaled richness and depth . . . Delicious humor . . . Without Anne Tyler, American fiction would be an immeasurably bleaker place.”— Newday “Incandescent, heartbreaking, exhilarating . . . One cannot reasonably expect fiction to be much better than this.” — The Washington Post “Hilarious . . . and touching . . . Anne Tyler is a wise and perceptive writer with a warm understanding of human foibles.” — St. Louis Post-Dispatch “Comic . . . Sweetly perverse . . . A novel animated by witty invention and lively personalities.” — Time “Anne Tyler [is] covering common ground with uncommon insight. . . . Convincingly real.” — People
Author Q&A
A Conversation with Anne Tyler Q: Can Macon be described as an accidental tourist in his own life? Can we all? AT: Certainly Macon can, but I wouldn’t say that accidental tourism is a universal condition. Some people seem to have very meticulous itineraries for their lives. Q: Ethan’s tragic death looms over all of the characters in this novel. Why are so many characters angry, at–or at least disapproving of– Macon for his manner of grieving? AT: Because to someone not very perceptive, Macon’s manner of grieving doesn’t really look like grief. Q: Is it simply inertia that prevents Macon from dealing with Edward’s misbehavior for so long? Why does he find the process of training Edward to be so difficult and painful? AT: While I was writing this book, I wondered the same thing. I asked myself, Why do I seem to be going on and on about this ridiculous dog, who has nothing to do with the main plot? Then when Muriel asked Macon, "Do you want a dog who’s angry all the time?" (or words to that effect), I thought, Oh! Of course! That’s exactly what he wants! This dog is angry for him! Q: Would you agree that Edward’s reactions to Muriel mirror Macon’s to some degree? AT: Oh, I think Edward is way ahead of Macon in his reactions. Q: What does Singleton Street represent for Macon? AT: Otherness. The opposite of his own narrow self. Q: Macon, like many characters in this novel, feels trapped by other people’s perceptions of him. Does Muriel see Macon as he truly is, or as someone he wants to be? AT: Neither, really. She sees the person she herself wants him to be; but since she’s an accepting and non-judgmental type, who he really is turns out to be all right with her. Q: Macon’s friends and family are mostly disapproving of "that Muriel person." Is it simply a matter of class prejudice? AT: Class for the most part; but also personality style. To a family so undemonstrative, Muriel would be a bit daunting. Q: If not for Muriel’s persistence, would Macon have made a different choice? AT: Yes, certainly. Muriel is a pretty powerful force. Q: In The Accidental Tourist, you write of Macon: "He began to think that who you are when you’re with somebody may matter more than whether you love her." Ultimately, does Macon love Muriel? AT: I think he really does. Q: Macon remembers finding a magazine quiz in which Sarah answered that she loved her spouse more than he loved her. How accurate was her answer? Was Sarah correct in writing that she loved Macon more than he loved her? AT: Her answer reflected her limited understanding of Macon, I believe, more than the true situation. Q: Is Macon being honest when he tells Sarah that Muriel’s young son did not draw him to Muriel? AT: I did mean that to be his honest answer. If anything, her son was a negative quality–at least in the beginning. Q: This novel explores the vexed nature of romantic relationships. Do the couples that have formed over the course of this novel stand a chance? AT: Yes, of course they do. These are flawed relationships–as all are–and they require compromise–as all do. But at least one member of each couple has found a way to make those compromises. Q: The Learys are at once remarkable comic figures and deeply human characters. How difficult is it to achieve this delicate balance and neither veer into parody nor a humorless character study? AT: In early drafts, when I didn’t know the Learys all that well, I did veer over one or the other edge from time to time. But the most rewarding experience in writing a novel is the gradually deepening understanding of its characters; and once I knew the Learys better, the balance came naturally. Q: Is the Leary siblings’ geographic dyslexia treatable? AT: Speaking from personal experience, I would say absolutely not. It’s biological. Q: Will Rose and Julian’s relationship survive the transplant to the Leary homestead? AT: Yes, Julian will become a funny sort of quasi-Leary, purely out of love for Rose, and a helpful liaison to the outside world. Q: Is there any hope for Porter or Charles? AT: Well, not much hope they’ll truly change, of course. But they seem contented as they are. Q: Do you have the narrative fairly well mapped out before you begin writing a novel, or do you find yourself taking detours? For instance, did you know all along how this novel would end? AT: I map my books out in a very cursory way–say, about a page for each novel–and I always think I know how they’ll end, but I’m almost always wrong. In the case of The Accidental Tourist, I actually began a chapter in which Macon stayed with Sarah. But it didn’t work; something in the characters themselves persuaded me the ending would have to be different. Q: Do your characters ever surprise you? AT: All the time. Q: What do you most enjoy about your life as writer? And least? AT: The best part about being a writer is the experience of learning, gradually, what it is like to be a person completely different from me. The hard part is that for years on end, I am working in a vacuum. Is this a story anyone will believe? Anyone will care about? I won’t know that until I’m finished. Q: If you could invite any writer, living or dead, to attend a reading group meeting to discuss their work, who would it be? What would you most like to learn from her or him? A: I would rather read the writer, not hear him or her talk. I know that from being a writer myself: what I have to say, I have already said through my stories. Q: What are you reading right now? AT: Lately, I have fallen in love with Ann Patchett’s Bel Canto. It’s a mesmerizing novel, moving, amusing, and enlightening. And I am telling everyone to watch for Mary Lawson’s Crow Lake, a soon-to-be- published novel about a family of orphans in the northernmost reaches of Canada.
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In the spring of 1998, ours was the first pasta class in Florence - that's 25 years experience.. We open our own historical home to you: a 900 year old villa in our family for 6 generations. Max 8 people in each group, so we can give you all the attention you deserve. Custom classes for families traveling with children.
The Accidental Tourist: Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. With William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Amy Wright. An emotionally distant writer of travel guides must carry on with his life after his son is killed and his marriage crumbles.
Stories; 21 April 2020; NOTES FROM A PRIVILEGED LOCKDOWN, Easter Saturday. In my domestic archeology, I have dug up 2 valuable fossils:A ceramic chamber pot from a French flea market (which I clearly remember paying in Francs), and a bunch of silk tulips, bought in Bangkok in March 1990.The long lasting quality of Thai silk and the immaculate durability of ceramic - still pleasant to the eye ...
The Accidental Tourist is a 1985 novel by Anne Tyler that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction in 1985 and the Ambassador Book Award for Fiction in 1986. The novel was adapted into a 1988 award-winning film starring William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis, for which Davis won an Academy Award.
Love is in the air--or maybe anxiously repressed--in February and my romantic literature jag concludes with The Accidental Tourist, the 1985 novel by Anne Tyler and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction that year.Like all of my reads in the shortest month of the year, this was my introduction to the author and I found much of Tyler's story to be an absolute delight.
The Accidental Tourist is a 1988 American romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Lawrence Kasdan, from a screenplay by Frank Galati and Kasdan, based on the 1985 novel of the same name by Anne Tyler.The film stars William Hurt as Macon Leary, a middle-aged travel writer whose life and marriage have been shattered by the tragic death of his son. It also stars Kathleen Turner and Geena ...
The screenplay for "The Accidental Tourist," by Kasdan and Frank Galati, is able to reproduce a lot of the tone and dialogue of the Anne Tyler novel without ever simply being a movie version of a book. The textures are too specific and the humor is too quirky and well-timed to be borrowed. The filmmakers have reinvented the same story in their ...
After a freak accident puts him on crutches, Macon goes to stay with his quirky siblings at the family home, where he meets the spirited Muriel (Geena Davis), a dog trainer with a young son of her ...
Synopsis. After the death of his son, travel writer Macon Leary seems to be sleep walking through life. Macon's wife is having similar problems. They separate, and Macon meets a strange, outgoing woman who brings him 'back down to earth', but his wife soon thinks their marriage is still worth another try.
Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist is a literary fiction novel that follows the character-driven story of Macon Leary, who must navigate life following the death of his son and the dissolution of his marriage. The Accidental Tourist was originally published in 1985 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.The Accidental Tourist is Anne Tyler's 10th novel and one of her most recognized works.
The Accidental Tourist: A Novel - Kindle edition by Tyler, Anne. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Accidental Tourist: A Novel.
The Accidental Tourist Anne Tyler 1985 Introduction Author Biography Plot Summary Characters Themes Style Historical Context Critical Overview Criticism Sources For Further Study Introduction. When The Accidental Tourist was published in 1985, Anne Tyler was already a well-established and successful author. Her tenth novel soon became a best seller and won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author—an irresistible novel exploring the slippery alchemy of attracting opposites, and the struggle to rebuild one's life after unspeakable tragedy. Travel writer Macon Leary hates travel, adventure, surprises, and anything outside of his routine.
A romantic comedy-drama about a reluctant travel writer whose world is turned upside-down when his wife leaves him. 1,262 IMDb 6.7 2 h 1 min 1989. X-Ray PG.
Despite Macon's best efforts to remain insulated, Muriel up-ends his solitary, systemized life, catapulting him into the center of a messy, beautiful love story he never imagined. A fresh and timeless tale of unexpected bliss, The Accidental Tourist showcases Tyler's talents for making characters—and their relationships—feel both real ...
The Accidental Tourist (1988) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube
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The Intro It seems that many brides-to-be start a wedding blog that chronicle the journey from single life to a married one. While I liked reading them, I originally thought it was something that we would never do.